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12.96 km · ~724 m ascent · ~3.5–5 h · loop · 4 summits

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Caudale Moor & St Raven's Edge

12.96 km
Distance
~3.5–5 h
Typical time
~724 m
Ascent
4
Summits
Download GPX →Maps & guidebooks

Key facts

Distance 12.96 km
Ascent ~724 m
Descent ~704 m
Time ~3.5–5 h
Type Loop
✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet. A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

🧭 The automated detail on this page — distance, climb, pacing and a first-pass difficulty read — is live. Hand-written field notes are being added.

Difficulty profile

LengthModerate12.96 km round.
SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained pull about 56% around the 0.7 km mark.
TerrainModerateMostly good mountain path. desk assessment — not field-verified
NavigationHardCare needed in cloud — ~15% featureless high ground. desk assessment — not field-verified
ExposureNot assessedExposure (drops, scrambling, how bad a slip would be) can’t be judged from gradient data alone, so we don’t guess. A rating appears once the route is editorially assessed or walked.

Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.

Conditions on this route

We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 2 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.

Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →

☀️ Daylight & turnaround

Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.

Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.

OpenTopoMap
Elevation profile
Elevation profile Rises from about 163 m to 768 m over 13.0 km, with the summits marked in order. 768 m 163 m 0 km 13.0 km 1234

1 Hartsop Dodd2 Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)3 Caudale Moor - John Bell's Banner4 St Raven's Edge

~724 m
Total ascent
768 m
High point
163 m
Start height

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).

This walk covers about 12.96 km with around 724 m of ascent, taking in 4 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.

Access & barriers

Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.

Dog
Mostly gates
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Tough descent
  • Dog: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
  • Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
  • Knees: A long, steep ~35% drop around the 6.5 km mark — hard on the knees.

On the line: 21 gates · 2 kissing gates · 5 stiles (type unmapped)

These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-26. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
Hartsop Dodd1.3 km452 m1:01–1:22
Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)3.4 km633 m1:44–2:18
Caudale Moor - John Bell's Banner4.1 km634 m1:52–2:29
St Raven's Edge6.2 km671 m2:21–3:08
Finish13.0 km724 m3:48–5:03

Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.

The walk, stage by stage

Start → Hartsop Dodd (1.3 km, 452 m)

Climb of about 452 m over 1.3 km (around 35% average).

Hartsop Dodd → Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor) (2.0 km, 182 m)

Climb of about 182 m over 2.0 km (around 9% average).

Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor) → Caudale Moor - John Bell's Banner (0.7 km, 0 m)

Undulating section of about 0.7 km.

Caudale Moor - John Bell's Banner → St Raven's Edge (2.1 km, 37 m)

Descent of about 163 m over 2.1 km.

St Raven's Edge → Finish (6.8 km, 53 m)

About 6.8 km with 53 m of ascent.

Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.

Summits bagged (4)

🅿️ Getting there & parking

Hartsop village (free, donation) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)
For Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, High Street via Hayeswater, Brock Crags.
Directions
Cow Bridge, Hartsop (free) — 0.9 km from the start (straight line)
Free car park by Brothers Water — Hartsop above How, Dovedale, Caudale Moor.
Directions

Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

💧 Water, shelter & getting away

🚺 map (64 m)🚌 Road End (466 m)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.

🚌 Buses

Stagecoach 508 “Ullswater Bus”
Penrith – Pooley Bridge – Aira Force – Glenridding – Patterdale (summer services continue over Kirkstone Pass to Troutbeck and Windermere)
Catch it from: Penrith · Windermere (summer only)
The key route from Penrith for the Eastern and Far Eastern fells: Helvellyn from Glenridding, Place Fell, the Hartsop fells. The summer Kirkstone extension drops you at the pass for Red Screes and Caudale Moor.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before travelling.

⚠️ Safety & conditions

Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast before you set off.

Make it easier or harder

Short version: turn back at about 5.8 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.

⬇️ Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

📚 Maps & guidebooks for Caudale Moor & St Raven's Edge

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Hartsop Dodd, Stony Cove Pike, Thornthwaite Crag and Gray Crag
10.0 km · ~832 m