Crookdale Birketts
Key facts
Difficulty profile
Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.
☀️ 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.
1 Robin Hood2 Lord's Seat (Crookdale) (Lord's Seat - High House Fell)3 Harrop Pike4 Great Saddle Crag5 Wasdale Pike6 Sleddale Pike7 Great Yarlside8 Little Yarlside9 Whatshaw Common
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 20.95 km with around 635 m of ascent, taking in 9 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: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A sustained ~21% descent around the 18.4 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
On the line: 11 gates
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 (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-26. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Hood | 3.8 km | 170 m | 1:02–1:23 |
| Lord's Seat (Crookdale) (Lord's Seat - High House Fell) | 5.2 km | 226 m | 1:25–1:54 |
| Harrop Pike | 7.6 km | 372 m | 2:08–2:50 |
| Great Saddle Crag | 11.3 km | 394 m | 2:55–3:52 |
| Wasdale Pike | 12.8 km | 422 m | 3:16–4:21 |
| Sleddale Pike | 14.5 km | 438 m | 3:38–4:49 |
| Great Yarlside | 17.5 km | 552 m | 4:25–5:52 |
| Little Yarlside | 18.2 km | 558 m | 4:34–6:05 |
| Whatshaw Common | 19.8 km | 634 m | 5:01–6:40 |
| Finish | 20.9 km | 635 m | 5:15–6:59 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.
The walk, stage by stage
Start → Robin Hood (3.8 km, 170 m)
Climb of about 170 m over 3.8 km (around 4% average).
Robin Hood → Lord's Seat (Crookdale) (Lord's Seat - High House Fell) (1.5 km, 56 m)
Undulating section of about 1.5 km.
Lord's Seat (Crookdale) (Lord's Seat - High House Fell) → Harrop Pike (2.3 km, 146 m)
Climb of about 146 m over 2.3 km (around 6% average).
Harrop Pike → Great Saddle Crag (3.7 km, 22 m)
Descent of about 80 m over 3.7 km.
Great Saddle Crag → Wasdale Pike (1.6 km, 28 m)
Undulating section of about 1.6 km.
Wasdale Pike → Sleddale Pike (1.7 km, 16 m)
Descent of about 66 m over 1.7 km.
Sleddale Pike → Great Yarlside (3.0 km, 114 m)
Climb of about 114 m over 3.0 km (around 4% average).
Great Yarlside → Little Yarlside (0.7 km, 6 m)
Descent of about 62 m over 0.7 km.
Little Yarlside → Whatshaw Common (1.6 km, 76 m)
Climb of about 76 m over 1.6 km (around 5% average).
Whatshaw Common → Finish (1.2 km, 1 m)
Descent of about 66 m over 1.2 km.
Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.
Summits bagged (9)
- Robin Hood 492 m · South Lakeland · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Lord's Seat (Crookdale) (Lord's Seat - High House Fell) 524 m · South Lakeland · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Harrop Pike 637 m · Far Eastern · Birkett, Synge, Nuttall
- Great Saddle Crag 560 m · Pennines · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Wasdale Pike 565 m · Pennines · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Sleddale Pike 506 m · Pennines · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Great Yarlside 591 m · Pennines · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Little Yarlside 518 m · Pennines · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Whatshaw Common 490 m · Pennines · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
💧 No mapped drinking water or shelter on this route — that doesn’t mean there is none, and never drink untreated from a beck. (Facilities data © OpenStreetMap contributors.)
🚌 Buses
No regular bus serves the start — this is one for the car. Nearest hubs: Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
⚠️ Safety & conditions
- The Crookdale crossing is trackless — over 2 km of tussock and wet ground with no path; much of the round is faint at best. The old county-boundary fence is the reliable handrail over most tops — use it in mist.
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.
Make it easier or harder
Short version: turn back at about 11.3 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
📚 Maps & guidebooks for Crookdale Birketts
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