Grange-over-Sands to Hampsfell
Start Grange-over-Sands station
Getting here Train: this walk starts at Grange-over-Sands station. Parking: Grange-over-Sands station (paid), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 530 and X6 stop at Grange-over-Sands, at Rail Station, a 190 m walk from this start. Parking & buses ↓
Hardest part Moderate navigation: Care needed in cloud — 26 path junctions near the line. Moderate – our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet
Before you choose
- The line follows Windermere Road (B5271) for about 0.3 km near the start. OpenStreetMap does not record whether that stretch has a pavement.
- About 0.8 km of the line, in short pieces, follows paths and a service road that OpenStreetMap does not record as public rights of way. The longest are about 0.25 km on the way up near 1.2 km, and about 0.4 km of path, steps and service road coming back into the town between about 4.65 and 5.05 km. The rest is roads, lanes, public footpaths and a public bridleway. That is a map-data note, not a ruling on access: check the access land and rights of way maps before relying on this stretch. Most of this line follows the walk Cumbria County Council published in its leaflet ‘Hampsfell: A walk from Grange-over-Sands station’.
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 Hampsfell (Wainwright summit)
Easy 100%ModerateHardSevere
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
Grange-over-Sands station → Hampsfell (Wainwright summit) (2.3 km, 215 m)
We have written these directions from the map, not on foot. From the start by Grange-over-Sands station, walk north-west along Lindale Road (B5277) for about 0.15 km, then north up Windermere Road (B5271), past Cafe Grange. At about 0.45 km a public footpath leaves the road through a squeeze stile and climbs north-west, then west-north-west, up the hillside. This is the steepest climbing of the walk, about 15% sustained near 0.7 km. Carry on north-north-west on the footpath, with a stretch between about 1.2 and 1.4 km on a path OpenStreetMap does not record as a public right of way, to a step-over stile at about 1.7 km. From there the line briefly joins a public bridleway, then follows public footpaths and short paths west towards the top, over another step-over stile in a wall at about 2.0 km, to the Hospice, the stone shelter on Hampsfell's top, at about 2.3 km.
WaypointsGrange-over-Sands station, Lindale Road, Windermere Road, the public footpath, the step-over stiles at about 1.7 and 2.0 km, the Hospice on Hampsfell's summit (220 m).
Easy to get wrongMany paths are mapped across this ground: the desk count for the whole line is 26 path junctions near it, so check each turn against the map. Above the squeeze stile the path climbs through woodland on limestone, which the county council's walk leaflet for this climb warns is 'very slippery when wet, especially when covered by leaves'; the same leaflet has it climb two short flights of steps, each to a private drive you cross. That is the leaflet's description: Lee has not walked this line yet.
If you need to get offThe map shows the line on town roads to about 0.45 km, then on public footpaths and short paths up to the top. The way off is back the way you came, never more than about 2.3 km to the station; not walked for this guide.
Hampsfell (Wainwright summit) → Finish (3.0 km, 6 m)
From the Hospice, leave the top south-west on a public footpath, over a step-over stile in a wall at about 2.5 km, and carry on south-south-west and then south, downhill. The path then bends round to reach Spring Bank Road at about 3.45 km, a lane OpenStreetMap maps with a gravel surface. Follow it, then Hampsfell Road south-east and south down towards the town, through a gate at about 4.4 km. The steepest descent is about 12%, near 4.0 km. At about 4.65 km the line leaves the lane for a footpath, steps at about 4.85 km and a service road, then follows Main Street east and Lindale Road east-north-east back to the station.
WaypointsThe Hospice, the step-over stile at about 2.5 km, Spring Bank Road, Hampsfell Road, the gate, the steps, Main Street, Grange-over-Sands station (finish).
Decision pointSeveral mapped paths leave the top; the line takes the public footpath south-west from the Hospice.
If you need to get offThe map shows the line on public footpaths from the top down to Spring Bank Road at about 3.45 km, then on lanes and town streets. The way off is on down the line into the town, about 1.2 km from the top to the lane; not walked for this guide.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Planned route · not yet walked
Summits bagged (1)
More about this walk
A planned line, drawn by Lee as a course on the map; not yet walked. The station, the bus stop outside it and the station car park are all within about 70 m of the start.
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.
Getting there and back
Train: this walk starts at Grange-over-Sands station.
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
Positions are approximate.
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
This walk starts in a town with 4 council car parks. They are within 1 km of the start in a straight line, not a walking distance. The places below overlap in our model, so expect them to fill on the same mornings; the town’s other car parks are more places to try. The bus below is not limited by car-park space at all, though it runs to a timetable and can be full.
- Grange-over-Sands, Kents Bank Road (paid) — joins the loop at about km 4.8 of 5.3: a 570 m walk to the line, climbing about 40 m, and you walk the round from there
- Hampsfell (layby) — joins the loop at about km 0.8 of 5.3: a 530 m walk to the line, climbing about 40 m, and you walk the round from there
- Hampsfell, south-east (layby) — at the start
- By bus: buses stop at Grange-over-Sands, at Rail Station, a 190 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 530 and X6 stop at Grange-over-Sands, at Rail Station, a 190 m walk from this start. As timetabled from 24 October to 1 November. Towards Clogger Beck (530): Monday to Friday 16:36 only. Towards Cartmel (530): Monday to Friday 15:16 only. Towards Ulverston (X6): Monday to Saturday 23:38; Sunday 18:59 to Ulverston St Mary's. Towards Kendal (X6): Monday to Saturday 22:41; Sunday 16:43. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 24 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The X6 passes this route at 0.1 km (Grange-over-Sands, at Rail Station, 20 m off the line). It passes again at 5.3 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Grange-over-Sands railway station, on the Furness line, is about 70 m from the start. 70 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap contributors, Cumbria extract of 24 July 2026, checked 14 October 2026)
- Toilets Free toilets are mapped about 40 m from the start, by the station. 40 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap contributors, via Overpass, 14 October 2026, checked 14 October 2026)
- Refreshments Cafe Grange is mapped on Windermere Road, on the line near the start; the Hazelmere and Tide Cafe on Yewbarrow Terrace, on the line near the end. Opening hours are not recorded here. (OpenStreetMap contributors, via Overpass, 14 October 2026, checked 14 October 2026)
- Limitation Stiles over walls near the top, a squeeze stile near 0.5 km and steps near 4.85 km: not a pushchair route. (OpenStreetMap contributors, Cumbria extract of 24 July 2026, checked 14 October 2026)
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
Moderate overall — hardest: Navigation (our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet); terrain not assessed; exposure not assessed on the ground
Five independent axes, not one score. This route has not been walked yet, so none of them was set on the ground: one of the five is our judgement from the map and the route’s record, and the rest 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hampsfell (Wainwright summit) | 2.3 km | 215 m | 0:49–1:05 |
| Finish | 5.3 km | 221 m | 1:26–1:54 |
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: No sustained steep descent in the track’s height model (steepest 250 m about 12%). Steps, wet rock and the surface underfoot are not assessed; your own knees still matter.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: stiles and gates. The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 15% around the 0.7 km mark.
- Stiles and gates: A squeeze stile at 0.5 km, mapped on OpenStreetMap, that a dog may not get through. Livestock, ground and water are not assessed. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 2026-10-14)
- Rock and scrambling: Ground underfoot: Not assessed.
- Drops and exposed ground: Not assessed on the ground; the map suggests Easy. No mapped crags on or beside the line.
- 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: 1 gate · 1 squeeze stile · 3 step-over stiles
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 2026-10-14. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (local extract).