Hartsop Dodd, Stony Cove Pike, Thornthwaite Crag and Gray Crag
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Hartsop village
Getting here Parking: Hartsop village (donation), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 508 and 509 stop at Hartsop, adjacent to road end, a 590 m walk and 28 m of ascent from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Severe steepness: Steepest sustained climb about 51% around the 0.6 km mark. Hands for a few steps: a couple of rock steps between Stony Cove Pike and Thornthwaite Crag (km 3.3–5.4).
Before you choose
- The climb from Threshthwaite Mouth to the beacon is steep, rough and loose in places; take it slowly, especially when wet.
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.
See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
Route map
1 Hartsop Dodd2 Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)3 Thornthwaite Crag4 Gray Crag
Easy 57%Moderate 28%Hard 14%Severe <1%
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
Hartsop village → Hartsop Dodd (1.3 km, 455 m)
From the Hartsop village car park, cross the small footbridge over Pasture Beck and turn right. Go through the gates and climb south straight up the northern nose of Hartsop Dodd, over a stile at about 0.3 km, with a wall on your right for the first 0.45 km. From about 0.5 to 0.75 km the path gains about 150 m in 250 m (around 60%), one of the steepest stretches on the site.
WaypointsHartsop village, Pasture Beck bridge, the stile at about 0.3 km, Hartsop Dodd summit cairn.
Decision pointAbove 0.45 km no wall runs beside the path, so the path is your guide until the ridge wall comes in on your left just below the summit.
Easy to get wrongAbout 455 m of climbing in 1.3 km, around 35% on average and around 60% on the steepest 250 m, from about 0.5 km. Looking straight up the nose from the valley, the ascent is daunting. It is a long, sustained climb on steep grass, but there is no scrambling: it is a test of lungs and legs.
If you need to get offTurn around and carefully descend the steep grassy path the way you came, back to Hartsop; the wall is beside it only for the last 0.45 km.
- 2
Hartsop Dodd → Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor) (2.1 km, 187 m)
From the summit of Hartsop Dodd, the gradient eases. Follow the wall south-south-east along the broad, grassy ridge. The path dips into a damp depression, then climbs steadily, about 170 m in 1.5 km, to the rocky summit plateau of Stony Cove Pike.
WaypointsHartsop Dodd summit, connecting ridge wall, Stony Cove Pike summit cairn.
Decision pointKeep following the wall along the ridge. When the wall eventually turns, a clear path continues to the main summit cairn.
Easy to get wrongEasier going after the climb up Hartsop Dodd. The depression between the tops can hold water and be quite boggy. The summit plateau of Stony Cove Pike is flat and rocky, meaning the true summit cairn isn't obvious until you are close to it.
If you need to get offRetrace your steps back over Hartsop Dodd. Do not drop blindly off the steep western or eastern flanks of this connecting ridge.
- 3
Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor) → Thornthwaite Crag (2.0 km, 173 m)
Leave Stony Cove Pike heading east on the stony path, descending gently for about 0.85 km. Then the path drops steeply, around 35-45% at its steepest, for about 300 m into the rocky col of Threshthwaite Mouth. From the col, climb east up the steep, loose slope opposite, steepest (around 35-45%) a little above the col, to the stone beacon on Thornthwaite Crag.
WaypointsStony Cove Pike, Threshthwaite Mouth (col), Thornthwaite Beacon.
Decision pointA wall runs on your left for most of the way down to the steep drop, and a broken wall is on your left at the start of the climb out. Thornthwaite Beacon, a stone pillar about 4 m (14 ft) tall, is visible as soon as you crest the climb.
Easy to get wrongThis is the crux of the route. The descent into Threshthwaite Mouth is unsuspected from the plateau and is extremely steep, rough, and rocky. It requires negotiating a couple of awkward rock steps that may require down-climbing. In wet weather, these rocks are dangerously greasy. The subsequent climb out is a steep, loose scree haul.
If you need to get offFrom the bottom of the Threshthwaite Mouth saddle, you can bail by turning left (north) and picking up the valley path following Pasture Beck all the way back down to Hartsop: about 3.5 km, against 5.4 km on over Thornthwaite Crag and Gray Crag. Its first 0.5 km is steep, about 175 m of descent.
© Lee McCoy - 4
Thornthwaite Crag → Gray Crag (1.8 km, 30 m)
From the beacon, head north along the broad, grassy ridge. The path descends gently for about 0.8 km, then undulates slightly as the ridge narrows into the steep-sided ridge of Gray Crag.
WaypointsThornthwaite Beacon, Gray Crag summit.
Decision pointThe ridge line is clear. Stay on the crest as it runs north.
Easy to get wrongStraightforward ridge walking, with steep drops to Hayeswater on your right and Pasture Beck on your left. The true Wainwright summit is at the northern end of the ridge, marked by a small cairn on the grass.
If you need to get offDecide at Thornthwaite Crag's beacon, before you commit to the Gray Crag ridge: on over Gray Crag and down its steep northern nose, or back the way you came, which means reversing the loose climb out of Threshthwaite Mouth. Do not drop directly into either valley from the ridge: the flanks are overly steep and pathless. If you cannot move safely, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.
© Lee McCoy Gray Crag → Finish (2.9 km, 13 m)
Continue north past the Gray Crag summit cairn. About 0.25 km beyond the top the path begins to drop steeply north-west down the grassy nose of the fell, about 370 m in 1.5 km, steepest (around 35-40%) low down. As the gradient eases near the bottom, the faint path weaves through bracken to meet the track about 100 m south of Hayeswater Gill. Follow it left (west), over the bridge across the gill, back into Hartsop.
WaypointsGray Crag northern nose, Hayeswater Gill track, the bridge over Hayeswater Gill, Hartsop village finish.
Decision pointAim for the track running beside Hayeswater Gill in the valley below. Once on it, follow it west back to the car.
Easy to get wrongThe descent is steep on grass, around 35-40% low down, and hard on the knees and toes at the end of the day. The path becomes faint and braided near the bottom, requiring care not to slip if the ground is wet. Crags lie close to the path on both sides for the first kilometre of the descent, at their closest about 10 m away: in cloud, keep to the path.
If you need to get offOnce you hit the Hayeswater Gill track, you are off the fell and on the main valley track back to Hartsop.
© Lee McCoy
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, February 2025
Summits bagged (4)
- 1Hartsop Dodd619 m
- 2Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)764 m
- 3Thornthwaite Crag784 m
- 4Gray Crag698 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
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.
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.
- Hartsop Dodd — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, 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.
- Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
- Thornthwaite Crag — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00. It waits longest in midsummer — about a quarter of an hour after sunrise.
- Gray Crag — 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 half an hour after sunrise.
How to read these times
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.
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.
Getting there and back
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
Positions are approximate.
Of the pay-and-display machine tickets sold at Cow Bridge from 17 August 2024 to 31 March 2026, 34% were bought before 10am (our count of FOI/2026.500 ticket data). Contains public sector information provided by the Lake District National Park Authority and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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
If the first one is full, these overlap least in our model. The 2 below sit in different places or are different kinds of parking, so a busy morning at one does not mean a busy morning at all of them.
- Hartsop village (donation) — at the start
- Brothers Water, east shore (free) — a 1.1 km walk to the start, climbing about 50 m
- By bus: buses stop at Hartsop, adjacent to road end, a 590 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 508 and 509 stop at Hartsop, adjacent to road end, a 590 m walk and 28 m of ascent from this start. The last bus is 19:51 towards Windermere (508), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 508 passes this route at 0.8 km (Hartsop Hall camp site (opposite), 600 m off the line). It passes again at 10.0 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Hartsop village car park, beside the start: it asks an optional donation, not a charge. 27 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (Lee, who walked past it on 14 August 2026, checked 14 August 2026)
- Toilets No toilets are mapped within 250 m of the start. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments No café or pub is mapped within 250 m of the start: bring what you need. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation One stage averages about 35%, and the climb from Threshthwaite Mouth to the beacon is steep, rough and loose in places: take it slowly, especially when wet. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of where this route starts (information boards within 150 m; benches and shelter within 50 m):
Also mapped within reach: a bench.
Distances are straight lines from where this route starts, not walking routes. Opening hours are as mapped and change; none of this is checked daily.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.
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
Severe overall — hardest: Steepness
Five independent axes, not one score. Three of the five were set on the ground; 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hartsop Dodd | 1.3 km | 455 m | 1:01–1:21 |
| 2Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor) | 3.4 km | 642 m | 1:45–2:19 |
| 3Thornthwaite Crag | 5.3 km | 815 m | 2:26–3:14 |
| 4Gray Crag | 7.1 km | 845 m | 2:50–3:46 |
| Finish | 10.0 km | 858 m | 3:26–4:34 |
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: A long, steep ~38% drop over 250 m around the 8.5 km mark — hard on the knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: stiles and gates. The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 51% around the 0.6 km mark.
- Stiles and gates: A stile of unmapped type at 0.3 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 19 July 2026)
- Drops and exposed ground: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. Graded on the ground.
- Rock and scrambling: Hands for a few steps: a couple of rock steps between Stony Cove Pike and Thornthwaite Crag (km 3.3–5.4). Ground underfoot: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. Graded on the ground.
- 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: 8 gates · 2 kissing gates · 1 stile (type unmapped)
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 19 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
- Greenbank Farm Bed and Breakfast (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 1.8 km
We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Angle Tarn (Patterdale) — 1.5 km from this start
- Walks from Patterdale — 3.4 km from this start
Straight-line distance from this walk’s start. Those lists hold the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km of the town, ranked nearest first.
