The Grasmoor round: Whiteside, Hopegill Head and Whiteless Pike
Key facts
✎️ If you only do one round in the North Western Fells, this is it. Grasmoor is a bigger, wilder mountain than its modest reputation suggests, and the ridge from Whiteside over Gasgale Crags to Hopegill Head is as good as ridge walking gets outside the Langdales. Whiteless Pike at the end is a perfect little peak — and a punishing descent.
Difficulty profile
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 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.
1 Whiteside (Whiteside West Top)2 Whiteside East Top (Whiteside) (Gasgale Crags)3 Gasgale Crags4 Hopegill Head5 Sand Hill6 Grasmoor7 Wandope8 Thirdgill Head Man9 Whiteless Pike10 Rannerdale Knotts
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 16.17 km with around 1068 m of ascent, taking in 10 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: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
- Buggy: Not a pushchair route.
- Knees: A long, steep ~42% drop around the 10.0 km mark — hard on the knees.
On the line: 6 gates · 1 kissing gate · 1 stile (type unmapped)
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 2026-07-12. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteside (Whiteside West Top) | 2.0 km | 540 m | 1:18–1:44 |
| Whiteside East Top (Whiteside) (Gasgale Crags) | 2.5 km | 541 m | 1:25–1:52 |
| Gasgale Crags | 2.9 km | 541 m | 1:29–1:58 |
| Hopegill Head | 3.6 km | 621 m | 1:46–2:21 |
| Sand Hill | 3.9 km | 634 m | 1:51–2:27 |
| Grasmoor | 6.5 km | 885 m | 2:47–3:42 |
| Wandope | 8.5 km | 920 m | 3:13–4:17 |
| Thirdgill Head Man | 8.9 km | 921 m | 3:19–4:25 |
| Whiteless Pike | 9.7 km | 943 m | 3:31–4:40 |
| Rannerdale Knotts | 12.7 km | 1012 m | 4:13–5:37 |
| Finish | 16.2 km | 1068 m | 5:01–6:40 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.
The walk, stage by stage
Start → Whiteside (Whiteside West Top) (2.0 km, 540 m)
Climb of about 540 m over 2.0 km (around 27% average).
Decision point: From Lanthwaite Green, straight up the steep nose of Whiteside.
Easy to get wrong: The crux of the day for sheer effort. Loose, eroded, and unremittingly steep. There is no gentle way to do this.
Whiteside (Whiteside West Top) → Whiteside East Top (Whiteside) (Gasgale Crags) (0.5 km, 1 m)
Undulating section of about 0.5 km.
Whiteside East Top (Whiteside) (Gasgale Crags) → Gasgale Crags (0.3 km, 0 m)
Undulating section of about 0.3 km.
Gasgale Crags → Hopegill Head (0.7 km, 81 m)
Climb of about 81 m over 0.7 km (around 12% average).
Decision point: Follow the narrow crest of Gasgale Crags east to Hopegill Head.
Easy to get wrong: Airy and rocky. Loose in places — test holds, and keep a group spaced out.
Hopegill Head → Sand Hill (0.3 km, 13 m)
Undulating section of about 0.3 km.
Sand Hill → Grasmoor (2.6 km, 251 m)
Climb of about 251 m over 2.6 km (around 10% average).
Decision point: South over Sand Hill, then the long pull west onto Grasmoor’s summit plateau.
Easy to get wrong: The navigation trap. A wide, stony, featureless top with crags all round. Get your bearing at the cairn.
Grasmoor → Wandope (1.9 km, 35 m)
Descent of about 83 m over 1.9 km.
Wandope → Thirdgill Head Man (0.5 km, 1 m)
Undulating section of about 0.5 km.
Thirdgill Head Man → Whiteless Pike (0.8 km, 22 m)
Descent of about 89 m over 0.8 km.
Decision point: Back east and out over Wandope and Thirdgill Head Man to Whiteless Pike.
Easy to get wrong: Straightforward ridge walking, and the best views of the day down Crummock Water.
Whiteless Pike → Rannerdale Knotts (3.0 km, 69 m)
Climb of about 69 m over 3.0 km (around 2% average).
Rannerdale Knotts → Finish (3.5 km, 55 m)
About 3.5 km with 55 m of ascent.
Decision point: Descend south-west off Whiteless Pike to Rannerdale Knotts and out to the road.
Easy to get wrong: Steep, sustained and hard on the knees — the sting in this route’s tail. Poles earn their place here.
Summits bagged (10)
- Whiteside (Whiteside West Top) 707 m · North Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Whiteside East Top (Whiteside) (Gasgale Crags) 719 m · North Western · Birkett, Synge, Nuttall
- Gasgale Crags 703 m · North Western · Birkett
- Hopegill Head 770 m · North Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Sand Hill 756 m · North Western · Birkett, Synge, Nuttall
- Grasmoor 852 m · North Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Marilyn
- Wandope 774 m · North Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Thirdgill Head Man 734 m · North Western · Birkett
- Whiteless Pike 660 m · North Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Rannerdale Knotts 355 m · North Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
💧 Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
🚌 Buses
No regular bus serves the start — this is one for the car. Nearest hubs: Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
⚠️ Safety & conditions
- The climb straight up Whiteside from Lanthwaite is brutally steep — a relentless, loose, eroded pull with little respite. It is the hardest 500 m on this route and it comes first.
- Gasgale Crags is a narrow, rocky ridge. It is not a scramble in the Sharp Edge sense, but it is airy, the rock is loose in places, and it wants care in wind or wet.
- Grasmoor’s summit is a featureless stony plateau with crags on three sides. In cloud it is a genuine navigation trap — take a bearing before you leave the cairn.
- The descent off Whiteless Pike is a knee-breaker — steep, sustained and relentless, right at the end of a long day. It is one of the steepest sustained descents in the Lakes.
- A long day with 1,068 m of ascent and ten tops. Navigation is graded hard: the high ground is broad and the drops are real.
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.
Make it easier or harder
Why this direction: Clockwise: the savage climb up Whiteside is taken on fresh legs, the fine ridge is walked in the middle of the day, and Whiteless Pike gives a shapely finish — at the cost of a steep descent.
Short version: turn back at about 8.0 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
📚 Maps & guidebooks for The Grasmoor round: Whiteside, Hopegill Head and Whiteless Pike
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