Home / Routes / Fusedale Circuit

The broad grassy Far Eastern fells above Howtown and Ullswater

Severe steepnessLoop

Fusedale Circuit

14.68 km

Distance

~4–6 h

Typical time

~856 m

Ascent

Summits

Photo: © Lee McCoy

Download GPX →Walked by Lee, September 2024

Key facts

Distance 14.68 km

Ascent ~856 m

Descent ~856 m

Time ~4–6 h

Difficulty Severe overall — hardest: Steepness

Type Loop

Start Howtown (Ullswater)

A quiet ~15 km circuit of the Far Eastern fells from Howtown on Ullswater — Hallin Fell, Steel Knotts, Wether Hill, Loadpot Hill, Arthur's Pike and Bonscale Pike — broad grassy tops with grandstand views over the lake. A fine Steamer-and-walk outing.

✎️ Come by boat if you can. Howtown has almost nowhere to park and the eastern-shore lane is long and narrow, but the Ullswater Steamer pier is a few minutes from this start — sail in, walk the round, sail back, and the car never comes down the lane at all. Take the outward sailing first and walk afterwards, so an unhurried day on the tops can’t turn into a missed last boat. Sailings are seasonal, so check the timetable before you build a day around it. (Checked 4 Aug 2026; we don’t publish times here because a stale one would be worse than none.)

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.

Difficulty profile

LengthHard14.68 km — a long day out.

SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained pull about 44% around the 1.3 km mark.

TerrainModerateMostly good mountain path. desk assessment — not field-verified

NavigationHardBroad or featureless ground where navigation is serious in cloud — map and compass needed.

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 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.

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, shaded by steepness

1 Hallin Fell2 Bonscale Pike3 Arthur's Pike4 Loadpot Hill5 Wether Hill6 Brownthwaite Crag7 Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)

⚑ escape route

Easy 72%Moderate 12%Hard 8%Severe 8%

~856 m

Total ascent

677 m

High point

220 m

Start height

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

This walk covers about 14.68 km with around 856 m of ascent, taking in 7 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 only

Buggy

Not buggy-able

Knees

Tough descent

Dog: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
Knees: A long, steep ~40% drop around the 11.0 km mark — hard on the knees.

On the line: 5 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 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

Summit	Cumulative	Ascent	Time (fast–steady)
1Hallin Fell	0.8 km	166 m	0:26–0:34
2Bonscale Pike	4.3 km	553 m	1:47–2:22
3Arthur's Pike	5.5 km	591 m	2:05–2:46
4Loadpot Hill	8.2 km	748 m	2:54–3:51
5Wether Hill	9.7 km	791 m	3:15–4:20
6Brownthwaite Crag	12.5 km	816 m	3:52–5:09
7Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)	13.4 km	853 m	4:06–5:27
Finish	14.7 km	856 m	4:22–5:48

Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary. These use Naismith’s textbook constants (5 km/h, 600 m of ascent an hour). Measured against a pace fitted to 41 recorded Lakeland walks they run about 8% slow, and we have left them that way deliberately: a slow estimate strands nobody.

The walk, stage by stage

1
Howtown (Ullswater) → Hallin Fell (0.8 km, 166 m)
Climb of about 166 m over 0.8 km (around 21% average).
Depart the road junction or steamer pier at Howtown and take the steep, grassy track ascending north-west up the zig-zagging slopes of Hallin Fell. The gradient is continuous until you reach the wide summit plateau, where a monumental stone pillar obelisk marks the highest point
Waypoints
Howtown pier / road junction, St Peter's Church (Martindale), Hallin Fell summit stone obelisk
Decision point
The massive stone obelisk on the summit is a prominent landmark visible throughout the ascent
Easy to get wrong
The descent and lower slopes of Hallin Fell can become notoriously tricky from mid-summer through autumn due to thick, chest-high bracken that completely hides the narrow paths and uneven ground underfoot. Take careful step placement, and avoid getting overly distracted by the sweeping panoramas down Ullswater
If you need to get off
Very early bail. If weather or energy dictates an immediate abort, simply tag the summit of Hallin Fell and retrace your steps down the zig-zag path back to your car at Howtown
© Lee McCoy
2
Hallin Fell → Bonscale Pike (3.5 km, 387 m)
Climb of about 387 m over 3.5 km (around 11% average).
Descend south-east off Hallin Fell down towards the road and buildings at Mellguards. Cross Howtown Beck and begin the climb up the steep, grassy northern flank of Bonscale Pike. The trail passes the two famous stone pillars (Bonscale Towers) perched on the cliff edge before reaching the summit cairn
Waypoints
Mellguards, Howtown Beck, Bonscale Towers (rock pillars), Bonscale Pike summit
Decision point
The prominent Bonscale Towers act as an unmistakable visual target near the top of the crags
Easy to get wrong
The initial turn-off and climb rising from Mellguards toward Bonscale Pike is often heavily shrouded in dense bracken during summer and early autumn. This makes finding the correct trod difficult. Keep a very close eye on your GPS track until you gain higher, open ground above the bracken line
If you need to get off
From Mellguards you can abort the climb entirely and retrace your steps along the lane back to Howtown
© Lee McCoy · 3 photographs
3
Bonscale Pike → Arthur's Pike (1.2 km, 38 m)
Undulating section of about 1.2 km.
From Bonscale Pike, head south-east across the grassy Swarthbeck Ridge. The undulating path contours along the high ground above Swarthbeck Gill, leading directly to the large stone beacon and cairn on Arthur's Pike
Waypoints
Swarthbeck Ridge, Arthur's Pike beacon and summit cairn
Decision point
The large stone beacon on Arthur's Pike is clearly visible across the open ridge
Easy to get wrong
Exposed to wind coming off the lake; ground can hold water in shallow dips
If you need to get off
Take the inland bridleway bypassing Arthur's Pike to cut straight towards Loadpot Hill, or retrace your steps via Bonscale Pike back to Mellguards
© Lee McCoy
4
Arthur's Pike → Loadpot Hill (2.7 km, 157 m)
Climb of about 157 m over 2.7 km (around 6% average).
Turn south from Arthur's Pike to join the broad, high track along the line of the old High Street Roman road. Follow this wide, gentle ridge route southwards across the open moor towards Loadpot Hill
Waypoints
High Street Roman road track, Low Raise (Birkett top), Loadpot Hill trig point (Wainwright summit)
Decision point
The broad embankment of the Roman road provides a clear handrail along the general line
Easy to get wrong
The bogs: ground across this high plateau gets very boggy in places, requiring frequent detours off the main line. Summit warning: the main High Street track passes over the eastern side of the plateau (the Birkett top near Low Raise). The true Wainwright summit of Loadpot Hill, marked by an Ordnance Survey trig column, sits further west on the open plateau — if you stay on the main trod you will miss the Wainwright summit entirely. Divert west onto the plateau to bag the trig point, but take care not to stray too close to the steep drops of Brunt Stones on the western edge
If you need to get off
From Loadpot Hill, or after passing it, you can take a sharp right heading north-west straight across the plateau back towards Bonscale Pike and retrace your original steps down via Mellguards
5
Loadpot Hill → Wether Hill (1.5 km, 43 m)
Undulating section of about 1.5 km.
From the summit of Loadpot Hill, rejoin the main ridge track heading due south over broad, gentle grassy moorland to the small cairn marking Wether Hill
Waypoints
Loadpot Hill plateau, High Street line, Wether Hill summit cairn
Decision point
Maintain a direct south compass bearing along the high, grassy spine
Easy to get wrong
Strict ridge navigation. Keep strictly to the central ridge line. The terrain directly to the east, dropping towards Bannerdale, becomes exceptionally boggy and peaty
If you need to get off
Retrace steps north along the High Street track towards Bonscale Pike and Mellguards
© Lee McCoy
6
Wether Hill → Brownthwaite Crag (2.9 km, 24 m)
Descent of about 240 m over 2.9 km.
Continue south from Wether Hill along the high ridge track. Crucial navigation: as you approach the head of the valley, the route makes a sharp, acute right turn to drop west / north-west off the main High Street ridge down into upper Fusedale. Cross Fusedale Beck and pick up the high ridge line leading over Brownthwaite Crag
Waypoints
Sharp right turn off high ridge, Fusedale Beck crossing, Gowk Hill junction, Brownthwaite Crag ridge
Decision point
Fusedale Beck serves as your visual target once you descend into the valley bowl
Easy to get wrong
The sharp right turn leaving the high ridge is easy to overshoot or miss entirely in thick cloud or bad weather. Pay close attention to your bearings here so you do not wander south toward High Street
If you need to get off
Gowk Hill / valley bypass. Just after passing Gowk Hill and crossing Fusedale Beck, if you wish to avoid the steep re-ascent onto the boggy ridge of Brownthwaite Crag, take the lower right-hand valley path along Fusedale Beck. This track leads comfortably down the valley floor straight to Mellguards, where you can retrace your steps back to Howtown
© Lee McCoy
7
Brownthwaite Crag → Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) (0.9 km, 37 m)
Undulating section of about 0.9 km.
From Brownthwaite Crag, traverse north along the narrow, undulating crest of Steel Knotts. Thread through the heather and rocky knolls to reach the prominent, sharp rocky tor of Pikeawassa, which forms the true summit
Waypoints
Brownthwaite Crag, Steel Knotts ridge line, Pikeawassa rocky summit outcrop
Decision point
The ridge line naturally funnels you straight to the rocky pinnacle of Pikeawassa
Easy to get wrong
The ridge approach can be wet and boggy underfoot, while the final rocky top of Pikeawassa requires brief, careful footing on exposed rock
If you need to get off
Drop down the gentle western slopes of the ridge directly onto the Fusedale valley path
© Lee McCoy
Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) → Finish (1.3 km, 3 m)
Descent of about 190 m over 1.3 km.
From the summit rocks of Pikeawassa, descend the steep northern nose of Steel Knotts on a well-trodden grassy path. Pass St Peter's Church in Martindale and join the tarmac lane for the gentle final stroll back into Howtown
Waypoints
Pikeawassa, St Peter's Church (Martindale), Howtown finish
Decision point
Martindale Church and the valley floor are in clear view ahead
Easy to get wrong
The northern descent off Steel Knotts is steep on tired knees
If you need to get off
Direct final descent to the road and finish
© Lee McCoy

Summits bagged (7)

1Hallin Fell388 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Marilyn
2Bonscale Pike524 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
3Arthur's Pike533 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
4Loadpot Hill672 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
5Wether Hill672 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
6Brownthwaite Crag444 mFar Eastern · Birkett, Synge
7Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)432 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge

In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.

Getting there & parking

Hallin Fell, south-east car park (free) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)

Walking base for Hallin Fell, Sleet Fell, Low Birk Fell and Birk Fell (Bleaberry Knott - Birk Fell) — the 'Hallin Fell' route starts 8 m away. Also serves 'Birketts to the South of Ullswater'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Hallin Fell car park (free) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)

Walking base for Swarth Fell (Ullswater), Loadpot Hill, Brownthwaite Crag and Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) — the 'Swarth Fell and Loadpot Hill' route starts 6 m away. Also serves 'Hallin Fell'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Martindale, St Peter's church (free, limited) — 0.1 km from the start (straight line)

Quiet side of Ullswater — Hallin Fell, Steel Knotts, Beda Fell, Pikeawassa.

Directions Something changed here?

If it is full: Aira Force, High Cascades (NT, paid) (3.6 km); Aira Force (NT, paid) (3.9 km)

Hallin Fell (layby) — 0.5 km from the start (straight line)

Walking base for Swarth Fell (Ullswater), Loadpot Hill, Brownthwaite Crag and Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) — the 'Swarth Fell and Loadpot Hill' route starts 421 m away. Also serves 'Hallin Fell'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Steel Knotts (layby) — 0.8 km from the start (straight line)

Nearest fells: Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) (0.7 km), Sleet Fell (1.2 km), Beda Fell (Beda Head) (1.3 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

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

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Every option near this start, on the parking map →

Water, shelter & getting away

💧 possible water source (99 m)🛖 map (89 m)🚺 map (95 m)🚺 map (99 m)🚌 Hause Farm (166 m)

💧 Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is usually a tap or public supply, but never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock or a carcass upstream and leave you seriously ill. Run it through a filter or purifier (a LifeStraw, Sawyer Squeeze or HydraPak) or bring it to a rolling boil first.

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

Buses

The UB1 stops at Martindale Cattle Grid (near), 540 m and 74 m of ascent from this start. This looks like a seasonal service. Our timetable data has the UB1 stopping on 1 November 2026, but we haven’t confirmed that with the operator — so treat it as a reason to check rather than a date to plan around. We haven’t published its last bus times, so check the timetable before you rely on getting back — times here are a guide, not a promise.

The UB1 passes this route at 2.3 km (Howtown, at Pier, 0 m off the line).

Ullswater Hopper UB1

Troutbeck (Basecamp North Lakes) – Aira Force – Watermillock – Pooley Bridge – Askham

Catch it from: Pooley Bridge · Penrith (change to the 508 or 509)

The community hopper run for SITU by Stagecoach: 28 March to 1 November 2026 at weekends and bank holidays, and every day from 25 to 29 May and throughout July, August and September. Calls at the steamer piers, the campsites and the hotels around the northern half of the lake, and the driver will stop anywhere safe on request. £3 single, dogs welcome, no bike trailer in 2026. With the 508 it gives Gowbarrow, Little Mell Fell and the Pooley Bridge end of the High Street ridge a second option.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.

If the parking is full

There is no real plan B here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so if one is full the others usually are too. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off.

Martindale, St Peter's church (free, limited)
Hallin Fell (layby)
Hallin Fell car park (free)

Worked out from the parking we hold within walking reach of this route and the other walks each place serves — two places that serve the same walks fill for the same reasons. We are not saying whether anywhere has spaces today, and we never will: this is what exists, not what is free.

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. 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.

Hallin Fell — 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.
Bonscale Pike — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:15. It waits longest in late December — about half an hour after sunrise.
Arthur's Pike — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Loadpot Hill — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Wether Hill — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) — in late March the sun reaches it around 07:15, about an hour later. In late September, about 08:00. It waits longest in late December — about an hour after sunrise.

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.

Safety & conditions

Steep crag edges above Ullswater: Bonscale Tower and the western drops off Arthur's Pike and Bonscale Pike are serious — keep well back, especially in cloud or wind.
Boggy, featureless plateau: the Loadpot Hill saddle is peat-hagged and wet, and the broad grassy tops give little to aim for in mist — a compass day if the cloud is down.
Summer bracken + a washed-out descent: the Brock Crag short-cut and the steep drop off Bonscale to Mellguards can be thick, navigation-sapping bracken, with one eroded section underfoot — walking poles help.
Easy-to-miss summits: Wether Hill and Loadpot Hill both have their true top just off the obvious path — step the few metres across to be sure you've actually bagged them.

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.

Escape routes

At about 1.6 km: descend to Martindale Hause (retrace) (cuts ~10.0 km) — Early exit: from Steel Knotts the cleanest escape is simply to turn around and retrace the ridge back to the start — no awkward descent.
At about 9.2 km: descend to Howtown, below Brock Crag (cuts ~3.0 km) — Cut short near Arthur's Pike: keep left toward (not onto) Brock Crag and follow the path down to Howtown, letting it swing naturally left at the steep section. Expect thick, hard-to-navigate bracken here in summer; lands at Howtown rather than the car, so a short valley walk or the steamer back.

Bail-out lines verified on the ground. In poor visibility a marked descent can be safer than retracing a ridge.

Make it easier or harder

Easier: Shorten by retracing from Steel Knotts, or cut down to Howtown from near Arthur's Pike (below Brock Crag), skipping Bonscale Pike and its steep descent — both avoid the trickiest ground (mind the summer bracken on the Howtown line).

Why this direction: Walked anticlockwise from Martindale Hause — the steep little pull onto Steel Knotts first, then an easy high-level traverse of the High Street ridge (Wether Hill, Loadpot Hill, Arthur's Pike) before Bonscale Pike and the steep drop to Mellguards and Fusedale.

Short version: turn back at about 9.1 km (drop to Howtown (Ullswater)) — roughly half the distance.

Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

Places to stay near this start

Low Gale (opens in new tab) self-catering

about 0.9 km from the start, in a straight line

The most complete answer in the cluster and the one physically tied to these routes: it sleeps 7 in four bedrooms, has a cot, off-road parking, drying facilities, its own washing machine, is dog friendly, is single storey, and prepared meals can be had from the owners' hotel kitchen without getting back in the car. It also states its minimum stay, which nothing else at Howtown does.

The cottage stands right beside Fusedale Beck - the beck the Fusedale Circuit follows out of Howtown - and the steamer jetty is reachable on foot without a car.

Dogs “Low Gale Ullswater is an elevated single storey, dog friendly holiday cottage located just beside Fusedale Beck and can easily accomodate 7 people.”
Family rooms “2 bathrooms 1 double bedroom 2 twin rooms 1 single room Ample storage and drying facilites”
Parking “Free Superfast Broadband Dog friendly Off road parking Smoke-free Garden / Patios Cot available Dishwasher *Washing Machine”
Children “Free Superfast Broadband Dog friendly Off road parking Smoke-free Garden / Patios Cot available Dishwasher *Washing Machine”

Howtown Cottages (opens in new tab) self-catering

about 0.8 km from the start, in a straight line

Four cottages 200 yards from the lake and under a kilometre from the start, every one of them dog friendly with parking, a cot and drying facilities. Cottage No4 is the one to ask for with a bad knee or a buggy: it puts a shower room AND a triple room on the ground floor, which nothing else at Howtown does.

There is no booking engine. You email David at the Howtown Hotel, and he confirms the cottage and the dates himself.

Dogs “Competitively priced, warm, cosy, functional and comfortable holiday homes for 4 to 7 visitors + dogs, 200yds from Ullswater”
Family rooms “Howtown Cottage No 4: Sleeps seven people with one double and one twin on the first floor and a triple room on the ground flo or.”
Parking “Facilities: Howtown Cottage No1 Free Superfast Broadband Dog friendly Parking Smoke-free Garden / Patios”
Children “1 Shower room on ground floor 1 bathroom 1 double bedroom 1 twin room 1 triple room on ground floor Dishwasher Cot available”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).