hikes.guideLake District

10.0 km · ~832 m ascent · ~3–4.5 h · loop · 4 summits

Home / Routes / Hartsop Dodd, Stony Cove Pike, Thornthwaite Crag and Gray Crag

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

Winter grass in the foreground and a long fell shoulder streaked with old snow, its top lost in low cloud
Severe steepnessLoop

Hartsop Dodd, Stony Cove Pike, Thornthwaite Crag and Gray Crag

10.0 km
Distance
~3–4.5 h
Typical time
~832 m
Ascent
4
Summits

Photo: © Lee McCoy

Download GPX →Walked by Lee, July 2026

Key facts

Distance 10.0 km
Ascent ~832 m
Descent ~819 m
Time ~3–4.5 h
Type Loop
Start Cow Bridge
Four tops above Hartsop in 10 km with 832 m of climbing, including a stage averaging 35% — as steep as anything on the site. Severe for steepness but only moderate for navigation and exposure. About 3.4 hours.
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

LengthModerate10.0 km round.
SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained pull about 61% around the 0.6 km mark.
TerrainModerateGraded on the ground.
NavigationModerateGraded on the ground.
ExposureModerateGraded 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 166 m to 764 m over 10.0 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%. 764 m 166 m 0 km 10.0 km 1234

1 Hartsop Dodd2 Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)3 Thornthwaite Crag4 Gray Crag

Easy 56%Moderate 22%Hard 20%Severe 2%

~832 m
Total ascent
764 m
High point
166 m
Start height

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

This walk covers about 10.0 km with around 832 m of ascent, taking in 4 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
Mostly gates
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Tough descent
  • Dog: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
  • Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
  • Knees: A long, steep ~38% drop around the 8.5 km mark — hard on the knees.

On the line: 9 gates · 2 kissing gates · 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 and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-19. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
1Hartsop Dodd1.3 km455 m1:01–1:21
2Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)3.4 km642 m1:45–2:19
3Thornthwaite Crag5.3 km796 m2:24–3:11
4Gray Crag7.1 km819 m2:47–3:43
Finish10.0 km832 m3:23–4:30

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 → Hartsop Dodd (1.3 km, 455 m)

    Climb of about 455 m over 1.3 km (around 35% average).

    From the parking area near Cow Bridge or Hartsop village, cross the small footbridge over the beck and turn right. You will immediately begin the relentless, unyielding climb straight up the northern nose of Hartsop Dodd, keeping the dry stone wall on your left

    Waypoints

    Hartsop village, Pasture Beck bridge, Hartsop Dodd summit cairn

    Decision point

    The dry stone wall running straight up the fell acts as a perfect, unmistakable handrail all the way to the summit

    Easy to get wrong

    A brutal 35% average gradient. Looking straight up the nose from the valley, the ascent is highly intimidating. It is a massive, sustained physical slog on steep grass, but there are no technical scrambling difficulties—just a sheer test of lung and leg capacity

    If you need to get off

    Turn around and carefully descend the steep grassy path alongside the wall directly back to Hartsop

  2. 2

    Hartsop Dodd → Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor) (2.1 km, 187 m)

    Climb of about 187 m over 2.1 km (around 9% average).

    From the summit of Hartsop Dodd, the gradient finally eases. Follow the wall southwards along the broad, grassy ridge. The path dips into a damp depression before rising steadily to the rocky, somewhat desolate summit plateau of Stony Cove Pike

    Waypoints

    Hartsop Dodd summit, connecting ridge wall, Stony Cove Pike summit cairn

    Decision point

    Keep following the wall along the ridge. When the wall eventually turns, a clear path continues to the main summit cairn

    Easy to get wrong

    A much-needed reprieve after the initial vertical climb. 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 off

    Retrace your steps back over Hartsop Dodd. Do not drop blindly off the steep western or eastern flanks of this connecting ridge

  3. 3

    Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor) → Thornthwaite Crag (2.0 km, 154 m)

    Climb of about 154 m over 2.0 km (around 8% average).

    Leave Stony Cove Pike heading east, following the stony path as it plummets steeply down into the deep, rocky col of Threshthwaite Mouth. Once at the bottom of the saddle, cross the gap and tackle the equally steep, loose climb up the opposing side to reach the massive stone beacon on Thornthwaite Crag

    Waypoints

    Stony Cove Pike, Threshthwaite Mouth (col), Thornthwaite Crag Beacon

    Decision point

    The massive 14-foot tall Thornthwaite Beacon is one of the most prominent landmarks in the Lake District and is visible as soon as you crest the climb

    Easy to get wrong

    This 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 off

    From 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

    A broken drystone wall running up a rocky ridge into thick cloud, with old snow lying in the hollows below
    © Lee McCoy
  4. 4

    Thornthwaite Crag → Gray Crag (1.8 km, 23 m)

    Descent of about 75 m over 1.8 km.

    From the towering beacon, head north along the broad, grassy ridge. The path is easy and level, undulating slightly as it narrows into the distinct, steep-sided ridge of Gray Crag

    Waypoints

    Thornthwaite Beacon, Gray Crag summit

    Decision point

    The ridge line is obvious. Simply stay on the crest as it points directly north towards Brothers Water

    Easy to get wrong

    Very pleasant, straightforward ridge walking with spectacular 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 off

    Push forward to descend Gray Crag; dropping directly into either adjacent valley from the high ridge is overly steep and pathless

    A curly-coated dog in a high-visibility coat standing on a wide expanse of bleached moor grass, with cloud lying low on the fells behind
    © Lee McCoy

  5. Gray Crag → Finish (2.9 km, 13 m)

    Descent of about 507 m over 2.9 km.

    Continue north past the Gray Crag summit cairn. The path begins to drop very steeply down the grassy nose of the fell. As the gradient eases near the bottom, the faint path weaves through bracken to intercept the main gravel track at Hayeswater Gill, which you follow left (west) back into Hartsop

    Waypoints

    Gray Crag northern nose, Hayeswater Gill track, Hartsop village finish

    Decision point

    Aim for the visible farm track running alongside Hayeswater Gill in the valley below. Once on the track, it is an unmistakable highway back to the car

    Easy to get wrong

    The descent is incredibly steep on grass, which puts severe pressure 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

    If you need to get off

    Once you hit the Hayeswater Gill track, you are off the fell and on the safe, primary valley exit

    A deep green valley with drystone walls and bare trees running up to a cloud-filled pass, with the fellsides rising steeply on both sides
    © Lee McCoy

Summits bagged (4)

  1. 1Hartsop Dodd619 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
  2. 2Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)764 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Marilyn
  3. 3Thornthwaite Crag784 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
  4. 4Gray Crag698 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge

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

Getting there & parking

Hartsop village (free, donation) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)
For Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, High Street via Hayeswater, Brock Crags.
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid) (0.9 km)
Hartsop Dodd car park (free) — 0.7 km from the start (straight line)
Nearest fells: Hartsop Dodd (0.9 km), Gale Crag (1.2 km), Brock Crags (Wainwright) (1.6 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Compacted surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid) — 0.8 km from the start (straight line)
Paid car park by Brothers Water — Hartsop above How, Dovedale, Caudale Moor. Fees: pay and display; coins and cards; RingGo ID 37323 (LDNPA, checked Aug 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
Gale Crag (layby) — 0.9 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Middle Dodd, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), High Hartsop Dodd and Gale Crag — the 'Middle Dodd Little Hart Crag and High Hartsop Dodd' route starts 56 m away. Also serves 'Hartsop Fells and Hart Crag'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Hartsop Dodd (layby) — 1.6 km from the start (straight line)
Nearest fells: Hartsop Dodd (0.9 km), High Hartsop Dodd (1.2 km), Gale Crag (1.3 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
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

🚌 Road End (497 m)

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

Buses

The 508 stops at Hartsop, adjacent to road end, 590 m 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. 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 (opp), 600 m off the line). It passes again at 10.0 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

If the first one is full, these do not all fill together. 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 (free, donation)
  • Hartsop Dodd car park (free)

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.

  • 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.

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 4.6 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 1.8 km from the start, in a straight line

Ranked first despite being the eighth-nearest candidate because it answers more of the 6pm questions than anything else in the radius, and it answers them in its own sentences with prices attached: drying facilities, evening meals from £14.00, packed lunches at £6.00, and the only stated room composition on an independent B&B here. Its family room is a room for three, not four — which is exactly the fact a family of four needs before booking, and the reason a bare family_rooms=yes would have been a worse row than this one.

The farmhouse sits below Arnison Crag and looks across at Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes — the two fells this start's routes climb.

  • 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”

Worth knowing before you book

These places state on their own site that they do not take children.

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.

Related routes

Similar routes nearby

All routes →
Caudale Moor & St Raven's Edge
12.96 km · ~724 m
Kentmere Horseshoe
20.14 km · ~1029 m