Finishing of the Far Eastern Fells
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Hartsop
Getting here Parking: Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid), 0.3 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 508 and 509 stop at Hartsop, in road end, a 20 m walk from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Severe distance: 22.5 km — a long day out. Hands for a few steps: the highest rock of Angletarn Pikes' North Top (about km 11.4).
Before you choose
- The Nab is in the Martindale deer forest, owned by the Dalemain Estate. The estate says the area may be closed between September and February for deer management, and at other times as needed, and asks walkers to check before they visit. It asks everyone to keep away from the deer, especially at calving time. The top of The Nab is open access land. On open access land, dogs must be on a lead of no more than 2 m from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any time (GOV.UK: use your right to roam).
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 6 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.
See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
Route map
1 Rest Dodd2 The Nab3 Brock Crags (Wainwright)4 Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)5 Beda Fell (Beda Head)6 Place Fell
Easy 77%Moderate 20%Hard 3%Severe
Heights on this chart and its high point are read from the track itself (a terrain model sampled along the line, or a GPS recording), so a top can differ from its listed height, usually reading lower.
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
The elevation profile is under the map; the stage notes follow.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Start → Rest Dodd (3.7 km, 561 m)
From the valley floor, climb the steep grass directly up the flanks to the summit of Rest Dodd.
WaypointsValley start, Rest Dodd summit.
Decision pointIt stays steep until the ground flattens at the summit plateau; pick the line on the ground rather than the steepest slope.
Easy to get wrongSteep, sustained grass from the first step. This one climb does the bulk of the day's ascent.
If you need to get offTurn around and carefully descend the steep grass directly back to the valley.
© Lee McCoy - 2
Rest Dodd → The Nab (1.8 km, 66 m)
Descend the steep north-eastern flank of Rest Dodd into the depression, then cross the boggy saddle to the flat summit of The Nab.
WaypointsRest Dodd descent, Peat hag saddle, The Nab summit.
Decision pointThe Nab's flat dome sits directly ahead. Weave through the hags but keep a general northerly bearing.
Easy to get wrongThe Nab is in the Martindale deer forest; read the access note at the top of the page before you go. The saddle has deep, black peat hags: a squelchy crossing even in a dry summer, needing constant weaving and long jumps to keep your boots from sinking.
If you need to get offYou must retrace your steps to Rest Dodd. Dropping off The Nab directly into the Martindale valleys is steep, trackless, and heavily discouraged to protect the deer herds.
© Lee McCoy - 3
The Nab → Brock Crags (Wainwright) (3.4 km, 151 m)
Retrace your steps across the peat hags. Rather than re-summiting Rest Dodd, take the faint trod that skirts its western flanks near Satura Crag. Cross the rough, undulating moorland to the rocky summit of Brock Crags.
WaypointsPeat hag saddle, Satura Crag (skirted), Brock Crags summit.
Decision pointOnce past Rest Dodd, the path firms up as it joins the main paths heading north-west toward the crags.
Easy to get wrongSkirting Rest Dodd saves a re-ascent, but the ground here is rough, tussocky and undulating.
If you need to get offFrom Satura Crag, you can head south to the descent path into the Hartsop valley.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 4
Brock Crags (Wainwright) → Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) (2.5 km, 106 m)
Descend Brock Crags across knobbly ground, pass the indented shores of Angle Tarn, then take the short, sharp climb to the craggy twin summits of Angletarn Pikes.
WaypointsBrock Crags descent, Angle Tarn, Angletarn Pikes North Top.
Decision pointAngle Tarn is an unmissable handrail, and the twin rocky peaks of the Pikes are on the skyline ahead.
Easy to get wrongThe ground is a maze of rocky bumps and small hollows. The North Top is the true summit; touching its highest rock takes a brief, simple scramble.
If you need to get offFrom Angle Tarn, clear paths lead west directly down to Patterdale.
© Lee McCoy - 5
Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) → Beda Fell (Beda Head) (3.1 km, 69 m)
Drop north off the Pikes, ignoring the paths that dive straight down into the valleys. Pick up the grassy ridge heading north-east to the summit of Beda Fell (Beda Head).
WaypointsAngletarn Pikes descent, Beda Fell ridge, Beda Head summit.
Decision pointThe ridge line is obvious; follow its crest.
Easy to get wrongA gentle climb on grass. The ridge feels isolated after the busy crossroads near Angle Tarn.
If you need to get offTurn around and head south back toward Boredale Hause for a valley descent.
© Lee McCoy - 6
Beda Fell (Beda Head) → Place Fell (4.7 km, 332 m)
Drop off the Beda Fell ridge through the connecting depressions and hauses, then climb steeply up the eastern flanks of Place Fell to the trig point on its rocky summit.
WaypointsBeda Fell descent, Boredale hause crossing, Place Fell summit trig point.
Decision pointPlace Fell is a big, unmissable block. Aim for the trig point on its highest rocky outcrop.
Easy to get wrongDropping a lot of height only to face a 328 m climb late in the day is a severe test of stamina. The ascent turns from grass to loose rock near the top.
If you need to get offBefore the climb up Place Fell, you can bail from the hause directly down into the Patterdale valley.
© Lee McCoy Place Fell → Finish (3.4 km, 10 m)
Leave Place Fell south-south-east on the path, as the track does, and follow it down to the valley floor.
WaypointsPlace Fell descent, Sheepfold, Valley finish.
Decision pointThe path down is busy and distinctive.
Easy to get wrongThe path is rocky and heavily pitched with stone steps in places; careful footwork protects tired knees and toes.
If you need to get offYou are on the final exit route; continue the descent off the fell.
© Lee McCoy
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, August 2026
Summits bagged (6)
- 1Rest Dodd696 m
- 2The Nab576 m
- 3Brock Crags (Wainwright)561 m
- 4Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)566 m
- 5Beda Fell (Beda Head)509 m
- 6Place Fell657 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
Conditions and timing
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.
When the sun reaches the tops
Not sunrise — the moment the sun clears the skyline from that summit, which on a fell with high ground to its east can be a good deal later.
- Rest Dodd — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in late December — about half an hour after sunrise.
- The Nab — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in late December — about an hour after sunrise.
- Brock Crags (Wainwright) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in late December — about half an hour after sunrise.
- Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, about a quarter of an hour later. In late September, about 07:15. It waits longest in late December — about half an hour after sunrise.
- Beda Fell (Beda Head) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, about a quarter of an hour later. In late September, about 07:15. It waits longest in late December — about half an hour after sunrise.
- Place Fell — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
How to read these times
The two equinoxes are shown because they fall in the walking season, and late December too wherever a top keeps you waiting then; the clock gap between the equinoxes is British Summer Time, not the hill. Rounded to the nearest quarter hour and meant as a general idea, not a schedule.
Modelled from a 30 m elevation model against each summit’s own skyline — the same figures the fell pages carry, never observed. Cloud is not in it.
Getting there and back
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
Positions are approximate.
Of the pay-and-display machine tickets sold at Cow Bridge from 17 August 2024 to 31 March 2026, 34% were bought before 10am (our count of FOI/2026.500 ticket data). Contains public sector information provided by the Lake District National Park Authority and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.
If the parking is full
There is no real plan B by car here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so expect them to fill on the same mornings. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off. The bus below is the exception: it is not limited by car-park space, though it runs to a timetable and can be full.
- Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid) — a 340 m walk to the start
- Cow Bridge (layby) — a 380 m walk to the start
- By bus: buses stop at Hartsop, in road end, a 20 m walk from the start. A bus is not affected by a full car park. Its return times are under Buses.
We never say whether anywhere has spaces today. Walks to the line are measured along mapped paths (OpenStreetMap), not in a straight line. How we choose these places.
No signal when you get there? RoutePark keeps this list on your phone: choose this walk’s GPX at home, keep it, and it opens offline.
Buses
The 508 and 509 stop at Hartsop, in road end, a 20 m walk from this start. Return buses leave from Patterdale Hotel (opposite), where this walk ends (if you left a car at the start, check the bus back to it). The last bus is 19:46 towards Windermere (508) and 15:09 towards Hartsop (509), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 508 passes this route at 0.0 km (Hartsop, in road end, 10 m off the line). It passes again at 22.5 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival No car park is mapped at the start on the valley floor near Hartsop. Cow Bridge car park by Brothers Water is about 300 m away: pay and display, coins and cards. The walk is one-way and finishes near Patterdale. 285 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked 12 August 2026)
- Toilets No toilets are mapped within 250 m of the start. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments No café or pub is mapped within 250 m of the start: bring what you need. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation The Nab is in the Martindale deer forest: the Dalemain Estate says the area may be closed between September and February for deer management, and asks walkers to check before they visit. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of where this route starts (information boards within 150 m; benches and shelter within 50 m):
Also mapped within reach: 2 shelters.
Distances are straight lines from where this route starts, not walking routes. Opening hours are as mapped and change; none of this is checked daily.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.
Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Planning detail
How each grade on this page is set, and the timings stage by stage.
Difficulty profile
Severe overall — hardest: Length; terrain not assessed; exposure not assessed on the ground
Five independent axes, not one score. None of them was set on the ground: they are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground.
How we grade: each axis is Easy, Moderate, Hard or Severe, and a route between two bands takes the higher one. Length: under 8 km, 8–14 km, 14–20 km, over 20 km. Steepness, the steepest 500 m of the track: under 15%, 15–25%, 25–35%, over 35%. Terrain, navigation and exposure are judged rather than measured, and each note says why. How we grade.
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rest Dodd | 3.7 km | 561 m | 1:41–2:14 |
| 2The Nab | 5.5 km | 628 m | 2:09–2:51 |
| 3Brock Crags (Wainwright) | 8.9 km | 779 m | 3:04–4:05 |
| 4Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) | 11.4 km | 884 m | 3:45–5:00 |
| 5Beda Fell (Beda Head) | 14.5 km | 953 m | 4:29–5:58 |
| 6Place Fell | 19.1 km | 1285 m | 5:58–7:56 |
| Finish | 22.5 km | 1294 m | 6:39–8:51 |
A fast–steady range from Naismith’s rule, deliberately on the slow side. Breaks, weather, rough ground and the slowest person in your party all add to it. How we time walks.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A long, steep ~39% drop over 250 m around the 3.9 km mark — hard on the knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: drops and exposed ground (estimated from the map). The steepest stretch is a sustained descent of about 31% around the 4.0 km mark.
- Drops and exposed ground: Not assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. 37 mapped crag feature(s) near the line — check the airy sections.
- Stiles and gates: Stiles of unmapped type at 4.2 and 8.2 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 8 August 2026)
- Rock and scrambling: Hands for a few steps: the highest rock of Angletarn Pikes' North Top (about km 11.4). Ground underfoot: Not assessed.
- Ways off early: None recorded for this route.
- Livestock, shade and water: Not recorded for this route yet. We never call a stream safe for a dog to drink, so carry enough for both of you. The lead rules, and what to do around cattle, are on dogs on the fells.
On the line: 8 gates · 2 kissing gates · 2 stiles (type unmapped)
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 8 August 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Angle Tarn (Patterdale) — 1.7 km from this start
- Walks from Patterdale — 3.0 km from this start
Straight-line distance from this walk’s start. Those lists hold the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km of the town, ranked nearest first.
