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15.58 km · ~1209 m ascent · ~5–7 h · loop · 5 summits

Home / Routes / Glenridding Dodd, Sheffield Pike, Catstye Cam, Birkhouse Moor
Birkhouse Moor — a big stone cairn on a grassy summit, Ullswater winding away below between the fells under piled cumulus
Severe steepnessLoop

Glenridding Dodd, Sheffield Pike, Catstye Cam, Birkhouse Moor

15.58 km
Distance
~5–7 h
Typical time
~1209 m
Ascent
5
Summits

Photo: © Lee McCoy

Download GPX →Walked by Lee, July 2026

Key facts

Distance 15.58 km
Ascent ~1209 m
Descent ~1209 m
Time ~5–7 h
Type Loop
Start Glenridding
A hard round above Glenridding by every measure the site records — 1,209 m of ascent in 15.6 km. A steep pull straight out of the valley leads over Glenridding Dodd and Sheffield Pike, then the notoriously wet ground at Nick Head, the fine cone of Catstye Cam, and a long 554 m descent that tells on tired knees.
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

LengthHard15.58 km — a long day out.
SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained pull about 38% around the 9.0 km mark.
TerrainHardGraded on the ground.
NavigationHardGraded on the ground.
ExposureHardGraded on the ground.

Five independent axes, not one score — all field-checked on the ground here, with nothing left as a desk estimate.

Conditions on this route

We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 4 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
Elevation profile Rises from about 157 m to 831 m over 15.6 km, with the summits marked in order. The area beneath is shaded by sustained steepness over a 250 m window, in the same four bands as the route’s steepness rating: Easy under 15%, Moderate 15 to 25%, Hard 25 to 35%, Severe above 35%. 831 m 157 m 0 km 15.6 km 12345

1 Glenridding Dodd2 Heron Pike (Glenridding)3 Sheffield Pike4 Catstye Cam5 Birkhouse Moor

Easy 47%Moderate 36%Hard 16%Severe 2%

~1209 m
Total ascent
831 m
High point
157 m
Start height

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

This walk covers about 15.58 km with around 1209 m of ascent, taking in 5 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
Not dog-friendly
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Tough descent
  • Dog: 1 ladder/squeeze stile(s) a dog can’t get through.
  • Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
  • Knees: A long, steep ~32% drop around the 13.6 km mark — hard on the knees.

On the line: 8 gates · 1 ladder stile

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 2026-07-18. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
1Glenridding Dodd1.7 km277 m0:48–1:04
2Heron Pike (Glenridding)2.9 km489 m1:24–1:52
3Sheffield Pike3.7 km586 m1:43–2:16
4Catstye Cam9.4 km1155 m3:48–5:04
5Birkhouse Moor11.9 km1195 m4:23–5:49
Finish15.6 km1209 m5:08–6:49

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. 1

    Start → Glenridding Dodd (1.7 km, 277 m)

    Climb of about 277 m over 1.7 km (around 16% average).

    Start in Glenridding village and head up Greenside Road past the cottages. Shortly after leaving the village edge, branch right off the tarmac lane onto a steep path climbing north-west through the bracken and light woodland of The Moss. The trail zig-zags up the southern flank of Glenridding Dodd, levelling out near the ridge top before a short final push east to the rocky summit cairn

    Waypoints

    Glenridding village start, Greenside Road, The Moss turn-off, Glenridding Dodd summit cairn

    Decision point

    The prominent drystone wall and well-trodden path climbing from Greenside Road act as a clear guide

    Easy to get wrong

    A steep 16% initial ascent straight out of the valley. The lower woodland path can be slick with wet mud and tree roots after rain

    If you need to get off

    Turn around at any point during the initial climb and retrace your steps back down Greenside Road into Glenridding

    Dawn light over the head of Ullswater with mist lying along the valley floor, seen across a steep slope of bracken and heather
    A stone cairn on the heathery top of Glenridding Dodd, with early sun on the fells and mist lying over Ullswater below
    © Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
  2. 2

    Glenridding Dodd → Heron Pike (Glenridding) (1.2 km, 212 m)

    Climb of about 212 m over 1.2 km (around 18% average).

    Retrace your steps west from the summit cairn of Glenridding Dodd back to the shallow col at Moss Rigg. From the col, pick up the steep, stony trail ascending west up the eastern shoulder of Heron Pike. Follow the line of the old boundary stone wall as the gradient steepens over broken rock and grass to reach the summit outcrop

    Waypoints

    Glenridding Dodd summit, Moss Rigg col, boundary stone wall, Heron Pike summit outcrop

    Decision point

    The historic drystone boundary wall provides a continuous handrail along the ridge straight to the summit

    Easy to get wrong

    The climb from Moss Rigg up to Heron Pike is unrelenting at an 18% average gradient on rough, stony terrain

    If you need to get off

    From the Moss Rigg col between the two fells, take the obvious path dropping south directly back down to Greenside Road

    Looking down over the fields and woods of the Glenridding valley with mist drifting above the lake, steep bracken slopes falling away in the foreground
    A heathery, rocky ridge dropping steeply to Ullswater, with a sheep standing on the crag and mist and low morning light lying along the lake
    © Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
  3. 3

    Heron Pike (Glenridding) → Sheffield Pike (0.7 km, 97 m)

    Climb of about 97 m over 0.7 km (around 14% average).

    From Heron Pike, continue west along the undulating plateau path. The trail follows the broad, grassy ridge over small rocky knolls and heather to reach the OS trig point and large stone shelter cairn on Sheffield Pike

    Waypoints

    Heron Pike, broad ridge path, iron boundary posts, Sheffield Pike trig point

    Decision point

    Disused iron fence posts and boundary markers line the ridge track to the summit

    Easy to get wrong

    Minimal climb, though the high ground can be very exposed to westerly winds

    If you need to get off

    Retrace steps east along the ridge to the Moss Rigg col for the quick descent down to Greenside Road

    A still pool on a boggy plateau reflecting a shapely pointed peak and the clouds above it, with tussocks of moor grass around the water's edge
    A stone cairn on a rocky, mossy knoll with the ground falling away on either side and open fell beyond
    © Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
  4. 4

    Sheffield Pike → Catstye Cam (5.7 km, 569 m)

    Climb of about 569 m over 5.7 km (around 10% average).

    Descend west off Sheffield Pike down a steep, rocky path into the dip of Nick Head. Cross the col near Swarth Beck and join the high valley path heading west past the historic Greenside Mine workings and Keppel Cove reservoir ruins. As you reach the head of the valley, take the steep, narrow path ascending the sharp North-East Ridge of Catstye Cam, pulling up directly to its fine pyramid summit

    Waypoints

    Sheffield Pike summit, Nick Head col, Swarth Beck crossing, Greenside Mine tracks, Keppel Cove path, Catstye Cam NE Ridge, summit cairn

    Decision point

    Swarth Beck and the Greenside mine track serve as clear visual handrails through the valley floor

    Easy to get wrong

    The Nick Head Bog: The section dropping off Sheffield Pike through Nick Head and down toward Swarth Beck is notoriously wet, peaty, and boggy. Watch your step around deep water-filled hags. NE Ridge Scramble: The final climb up the North-East Ridge of Catstye Cam is very steep on loose scree and narrow stone paths

    If you need to get off

    Once down at Greenside Mines (after Nick Head), you can bypass Catstye Cam completely by following the wide gravel/tarmac mine road straight down the valley to Glenridding

    A long grey bank of old mine spoil cutting across the valley floor below rounded grassy fells, with rough moor grass in the foreground
    A dark Herdwick ewe standing on the grass above a steep, loose and stony section of path
    © Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
  5. 5

    Catstye Cam → Birkhouse Moor (2.5 km, 40 m)

    About 2.5 km with 40 m of ascent.

    Descend south-west off the sharp summit cone of Catstye Cam into the col below Swirral Edge. Cross the outflow near Red Tarn Beck and pick up the main path heading east across the broad ridge of Birkhouse Moor. Follow the trail along the high drystone wall (passing the Hole-in-the-Wall junction) to reach the summit cairn of Birkhouse Moor

    Waypoints

    Catstye Cam summit, Swirral Edge / Red Tarn col, Hole-in-the-Wall gap, Birkhouse Moor summit cairn

    Decision point

    The prominent drystone wall running along the crest of Birkhouse Moor is an infallible handrail

    Easy to get wrong

    The initial descent off Catstye Cam to the col is steep over loose rock steps

    If you need to get off

    At the Hole-in-the-Wall junction (near the col), take the clear path descending north-east into the Glenridding Beck valley floor, bypassing the rest of Birkhouse Moor

    A high view down a deep green valley towards Ullswater, cloud drifting across the ridge and a stony path running along the crest in the foreground
    Red Tarn with boulders and stepping stones at its outflow, and the dark crags of Helvellyn's east face rising steeply behind it
    © Lee McCoy · 2 photographs

  6. Birkhouse Moor → Finish (3.7 km, 14 m)

    Descent of about 554 m over 3.7 km.

    From the summit of Birkhouse Moor, continue east-south-east along the ridge path alongside the wall. The trail turns into a stone-pitched path descending the long grassy ridge of Miresbeck. Follow the pitched steps down the fellside, passing through the gate at the bottom onto the lane by Gillside Farm, and stroll back into Glenridding village to finish

    Waypoints

    Birkhouse Moor summit, Miresbeck pitched path, fellside gate, Gillside Farm, Glenridding finish

    Decision point

    The wall and Miresbeck stream guide you directly down into the valley

    Easy to get wrong

    A long, 554m continuous descent over hard stone steps that can be tough on tired knees

    If you need to get off

    Direct descent path straight back to the village finish

    A large stone cairn on the grassy summit of Birkhouse Moor, with Ullswater winding away between the fells beyond
    © Lee McCoy

Summits bagged (5)

  1. 1Glenridding Dodd442 mEastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  2. 2Heron Pike (Glenridding)612 mEastern · Birkett, Synge
  3. 3Sheffield Pike676 mEastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
  4. 4Catstye Cam890 mEastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
  5. 5Birkhouse Moor718 mEastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall

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

Getting there & parking

⛽ Nearest fuel to this start: Rheged, A66, 18.2 km by road (06:00-22:00 daily). Nearest shop: Glenridding Mini Market, 0.2 km. Both measured along the road from the parking we publish at Glenridding, checked 8 August 2026. Coming in from a particular direction you may pass a closer one — the last petrol before each valley →

⚡ Driving an electric car? Glenridding (paid) has a verified public charger 147 m away — Glenridding (CA11 0PD), 7 kW. Over about 5.1 hours on the hill that is up to 36 kWh, which is a ceiling and not a promise. EV charging at this start → (checked 2026-08-05).

Glenridding village car park (northern part) (paid) — 0.1 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Glenridding Dodd, Heron Pike (Glenridding), Sheffield Pike and Catstye Cam — the 'Glenridding Dodd, Sheffield Pike, Catstye Cam, Birkhouse Moor' route starts 58 m away. Also serves 'Helvellyn via Striding Edge & Swirral Edge'. Toilets on site. Fees: pay and display; coins and cards; RingGo ID 37316 (LDNPA, checked Aug 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
Beckside Car Park (paid) — 0.1 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Birkhouse Moor, Helvellyn, Catstye Cam and Glenridding Dodd — the 'Helvellyn via Striding Edge & Swirral Edge' route starts 30 m away. Also serves 'Glenridding Dodd, Sheffield Pike, Catstye Cam, Birkhouse Moor'. Paid parking (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Glenridding (paid) — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)
Main Helvellyn-from-the-east base: Striding Edge, Catstye Cam, Birkhouse Moor; also Sheffield Pike, Glenridding Dodd.
Directions Something changed here?
🚺 Glenridding Village Car Park (~219 m straight line)🚺 Public toilets (~74 m straight line)☕ Let It Brew☕ Fairlight Cafe & Restaurant☕ Fellbites🍺 Travellers Rest🏪 Catstycam.com
Glenridding Dodd car park — 0.3 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Glenridding Dodd, Heron Pike (Glenridding), Sheffield Pike and Catstye Cam — the 'Glenridding Dodd, Sheffield Pike, Catstye Cam, Birkhouse Moor' route starts 307 m away. Also serves 'Helvellyn via Striding Edge & Swirral Edge'. Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.
Directions Something changed here?
Ullswater Steamers Glenridding Pier car park (paid) — 0.4 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Glenridding Dodd, Heron Pike (Glenridding), Sheffield Pike and Catstye Cam — the 'Glenridding Dodd, Sheffield Pike, Catstye Cam, Birkhouse Moor' route starts 373 m away. Also serves 'Helvellyn via Striding Edge & Swirral Edge'. Fees: Pay-and-display; contactless card/cash machine in the main car park near the pier house entrance ('just at the bottom of the ramp'). Tariff amounts not published on the operator's site. Car parking charges apply while using the EV charger.
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

🛖 map (51 m)🚺 map (71 m)🚌 Glenridding, at Bus Shelter (51 m)

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

Buses

The 508 stops at Glenridding, at Bus Shelter, 140 m from this start. The last bus is 19:41 towards Windermere (508) and 17:55 towards Penrith (508) and 17:45 towards Grasmere (559) and 17:29 towards Patterdale (509) and 16:00 towards Keswick (509) and 15:04 towards Hartsop (509), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

The 508 passes this route at 1.7 km (Ullswater Stybarrow Crag (near), 750 m off the line). It passes again at 15.6 km.

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.

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.

  • Ullswater Steamers Glenridding Pier car park (paid)
  • Glenridding Dodd car park
  • Beckside Car Park (paid)

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.

  • Glenridding Dodd — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, 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.
  • Sheffield Pike — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
  • Catstye Cam — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
  • Birkhouse Moor — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.

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

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 6.1 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.

Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

Places to stay near this start

Greenbank Farm Bed and Breakfast guest house

about 2.5 km from the start, in a straight line

The only property in this radius that answers the whole evening for a family off Striding Edge in one page: a three-person family room, an evening meal from £14, a £6 packed lunch ordered for tomorrow, and somewhere to dry kit — all four stated by the property itself and priced. That is why it outranks nearer B&Bs at 0.5 km whose pages answer nothing. Book knowing the bathroom is shared, not en-suite.

A working sheep farm B&B directly below Arnison Crag, run by Beverley and Peter Iredale, looking across to Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes; the guest sitting room has a log burner and there are only three rooms sharing one bathroom.

  • Drying room “We also have drying facilities and a large patio and garden to enjoy the view.”
  • Family rooms “Family: Room for three with a double and one single bed.”
  • Evening meal “We offer hearty home-cooked breakfasts and evening meals as well as packed lunches if required.”
  • Packed lunch “Packed Lunches £6.00 Evening Meals From £14.00”

Also nearby, but not independent

YHA Helvellyn hostel

about 2.0 km from the start, in a straight line

Under-12s cannot take a dorm bunk (book a private room instead — a cot is available and ground-floor rooms exist), and dogs are barred from everything except the Landpods. With that understood it is the strongest wet-boots answer in the radius: a shared drying room, breakfast from 07:30, meals until 20:00, free on-site parking and reception open 17:00-22:00 for a late arrival — and it is already 963 ft up the hill you are climbing. Filed as a recommendation, not a refusal, because the same page says "People of all ages are welcome at YHA" and "A cot is available": the dorm rule rules out a bunk bed, not the family.

Worth knowing: “Pets are not permitted at YHA Helvellyn, except in our Camping & Cabins accommodation or when hiring the whole hostel through YHA Exclusive Hire.”

The hostel is the old Greenside lead mine site 963 ft up the fellside, 17 bedrooms sleeping 64, and in winter there is a ski slope with a drag lift about forty minutes' walk from the door.

  • Drying room “Shared drying room”
  • Family rooms “A cot is available.”
  • Evening meal “Meals are also available from 17:00 - 20:00”
  • Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Helvellyn”
  • Parking “The property has a free car park on-site for guests and patrons. This car park is controlled by an ANPR parking system.”
  • Children “Under 12s are not permitted in dorm rooms.”

YHA Patterdale (and Patterdale Youth Hostel camp site) hostel

about 1.8 km from the start, in a straight line

This row exists for two reasons only: it is the nearest hostel to the start at 1.83 km (its campsite 1.87 km), and it publishes a direct address. Nothing else here has been verified, because the fetch of its hostel page returned YHA's generic national search page instead of the hostel's own — the word "Patterdale" does not appear once in 154,598 characters of cached text. Assume nothing about its drying room, rooms or meals from the YHA Helvellyn row above; the two hostels are separate buildings. YHA's site-wide policy that under-12s cannot take dorm beds does apply, but it is a chain policy and not evidence about this building.

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.

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