Revised
Key facts
- Distance 16.92 km
- Ascent ~923 m
- Descent ~924 m
- Time ~4.9 h
- Difficulty Moderate
- Direction Clockwise
- Best season Any season in good conditions; save the broad, featureless summit for a clear day.
- Type Loop
- Start Rydal (or Ambleside)
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
Elevation profile
The walk
One of the classic Lakeland rounds and a fine first big horseshoe. From the car park at Rydal it's a steady, moderate climb with only a minor amount of scrambling — my kids, then 7 and 10, managed it, though they found it a long day. You can easily start from Ambleside instead: stock up at the shops on the way out and finish at the Royal Oak for a well-earned pint. The full round takes in eight tops, with Fairfield's broad summit the high point and Windermere laid out behind you on the descent.
Summits bagged (9)
- Low Pike 508 m · Eastern
- High Pike (Scandale) 657 m · Eastern
- Dove Crag 792 m · Eastern
- Hart Crag 823 m · Eastern
- Fairfield 873 m · Eastern
- Great Rigg 766 m · Eastern
- Heron Pike North Top (Rydal Fell) 621 m · Eastern
- Heron Pike (Rydal) 612 m · Eastern
- Nab Scar 450 m · Eastern
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Pelter Bridge, Rydal (paid) — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)
For Loughrigg and the Rydal side of the Fairfield Horseshoe.
Directions ↗White Moss (paid) — 1.9 km from the start (straight line)
Between Rydal and Grasmere — Loughrigg, Silver How, Heron Pike.
Directions ↗Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
🚌 Buses
Stagecoach 555
Kendal – Staveley – Windermere – Ambleside – Rydal – Grasmere – Thirlmere (Wythburn & Swirls) – Keswick
Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside
Year-round, roughly hourly. The backbone bus of the A591 — ideal for Helvellyn (Wythburn/Swirls), Fairfield, the Central fells and anything around Grasmere/Rydal. From Penrith, take the X4/X5 to Keswick and change.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before travelling.
⚠️ Safety & conditions
- Fairfield's broad summit plateau is confusing in cloud — carry a map and compass and take a bearing before descending.
- A little easy scrambling in places, but nothing obligatory.
Hazard & incident notes: Low Pike · High Pike (Scandale) · Dove Crag · Hart Crag · Fairfield · Great Rigg · Heron Pike North Top (Rydal Fell) · Heron Pike (Rydal) · Nab Scar
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast before you set off.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.