Harrop Pike & Ancrow Brow - Birketts
Key facts
Difficulty profile
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 1 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 Great Howe (Longsleddale)2 Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)3 Harrop Pike4 nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe - Ancrow Brow N)5 Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))6 Capplebarrow7 Todd Fell8 Whiteside Pike
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 20.03 km with around 601 m of ascent, taking in 8 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 and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A sustained ~20% descent around the 11.1 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
On the line: 28 gates · 2 step-over stiles
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 2026-07-26. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Howe (Longsleddale) | 1.2 km | 294 m | 0:44–0:58 |
| Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) | 2.5 km | 447 m | 1:15–1:39 |
| Harrop Pike | 3.2 km | 448 m | 1:23–1:51 |
| nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe - Ancrow Brow N) | 5.2 km | 457 m | 1:48–2:24 |
| Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe)) | 6.3 km | 479 m | 2:04–2:45 |
| Capplebarrow | 8.0 km | 491 m | 2:25–3:13 |
| Todd Fell | 9.8 km | 491 m | 2:47–3:42 |
| Whiteside Pike | 11.1 km | 544 m | 3:07–4:09 |
| Finish | 20.0 km | 601 m | 5:00–6:40 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.
The walk, stage by stage
Start → Great Howe (Longsleddale) (1.2 km, 294 m)
Climb of about 294 m over 1.2 km (around 24% average).
Great Howe (Longsleddale) → Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) (1.3 km, 153 m)
Climb of about 153 m over 1.3 km (around 12% average).
Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) → Harrop Pike (0.7 km, 1 m)
Undulating section of about 0.7 km.
Harrop Pike → nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe - Ancrow Brow N) (2.0 km, 9 m)
Descent of about 105 m over 2.0 km.
nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe - Ancrow Brow N) → Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe)) (1.1 km, 22 m)
Undulating section of about 1.1 km.
Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe)) → Capplebarrow (1.7 km, 12 m)
Descent of about 43 m over 1.7 km.
Capplebarrow → Todd Fell (1.8 km, 0 m)
Descent of about 136 m over 1.8 km.
Todd Fell → Whiteside Pike (1.3 km, 53 m)
Undulating section of about 1.3 km.
Whiteside Pike → Finish (9.0 km, 57 m)
About 9.0 km with 57 m of ascent.
Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.
Summits bagged (8)
- Great Howe (Longsleddale) 494 m · Far Eastern · Birkett
- Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) 638 m · Far Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Harrop Pike 637 m · Far Eastern · Birkett, Synge, Nuttall
- nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe - Ancrow Brow N) 540 m · South Lakeland · Outlying Fell, Synge
- Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe)) 554 m · South Lakeland · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Capplebarrow 513 m · South Lakeland · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Todd Fell 401 m · South Lakeland · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Whiteside Pike 397 m · South Lakeland · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
💧 No mapped drinking water or shelter on this route — that doesn’t mean there is none, and never drink untreated from a beck. (Facilities data © OpenStreetMap contributors.)
🚌 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 Bannisdale watershed section holds a 2 km+ pathless stretch of tussock and peat hag — featureless in mist and slow in any weather. The plotted line there is a bearing, not a path.
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
Short version: turn back at about 9.6 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
📚 Maps & guidebooks for Harrop Pike & Ancrow Brow - Birketts
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