Home / Routes / Hartsop Fells and Hart Crag

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Walked July 2025 · Last reviewed July 2026 · Route guide updated 13 October 2026: ascent, time and summary changed · 171 of 214 Wainwrights with a Strava-matched summit

High Hartsop Dodd — a steep green cone rising straight from flat valley meadow and scattered trees, cloud sitting on the tops behind

Severe steepnessLoop

Hartsop Fells and Hart Crag

11.87 km

Distance

~3¾–5¼ h

Typical time

~837 m

Ascent

Summits

Photo: © Lee McCoy

Six tops from Gale Crag over Hartsop Above How to Hart Crag: 11.9 km and 837 m, about 3¾–5¼ hours.

Start Cow Bridge

Getting here Parking: Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 508 and 509 stop at Hartsop, opposite Cow Bridge, a 30 m walk from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓

Hardest part Severe steepness: Steepest sustained descent about 41% around the 9.3 km mark. Hands for a few steps: the last push onto Hart Crag (about km 4.5).

Before you choose

A route line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.

Download GPX →Walked by Lee, July 2025

Conditions on this route

We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 5 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.

Hardest partHands for a few steps

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.

Route map

OpenTopoMap

Elevation profile, shaded by steepness

1 Gale Crag2 Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)3 Hart Crag4 Dove Crag5 Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top)6 High Hartsop Dodd

Easy 69%Moderate 15%Hard 10%Severe 6%

816 m

High point

151 m

Start height

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
Start → Gale Crag (1.7 km, 356 m)
Climb of about 356 m over 1.7 km (around 21% average).
From Cow Bridge car park, cross Cow Bridge over Goldrill Beck into Low Wood and start straight up the steep northern nose of the Hartsop Above How ridge, through the wood and over a ladder stile, to break out onto the open rocky outcrop of Gale Crag.
Waypoints
Cow Bridge car park, Cow Bridge, Low Wood, ladder stile, Gale Crag summit.
Decision point
The ridge is well-defined from the bottom. Keep the deep trench of Deepdale to your right (north-west) and Dovedale to your left (south-east). The path naturally funnels upward along the spine.
Easy to get wrong
About 20% on average, and steepest at the bottom: 30-40% for the first half kilometre, easing to 20% and less above it. The lower slopes can be choked with bracken in the summer, making the path humid and slippery. Once clear of the vegetation line, the ground becomes rockier and exposed to the prevailing weather.
If you need to get off
Turn around and carefully retrace your steps down the steep grassy and wooded slopes directly to the valley floor.
2
Gale Crag → Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How) (1.1 km, 83 m)
Climb of about 83 m over 1.1 km (around 8% average).
Walk west-south-west along the broad, rolling ridge line, gaining height through a series of minor hummocks to reach the highest point of Hartsop Above How at Gill Crag.
Waypoints
Gale Crag, ridge path, Gill Crag (Hartsop Above How summit).
Decision point
The ridge crest is the handrail, and the path stays on it. Hart Crag, ahead, is a distinctive visual target.
Easy to get wrong
An easy climb, about 6% on average. The ground can be quite boggy in the shallow dips between the rocky knolls, especially after heavy rain. The rock sections are unpleasant and slippery in the wet, and the long ridge needs a bearing in cloud to stay on line toward Hart Crag or back to the valley.
If you need to get off
Retreat north-east back along the ridge to Gale Crag and descend to the valley. Do not attempt to drop directly into Deepdale or Dovedale from the ridge flanks, as the terrain is steep, craggy, and trackless.
© Lee McCoy
3
Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How) → Hart Crag (1.7 km, 266 m)
Climb of about 266 m over 1.7 km (around 16% average).
The ridge narrows and sweeps upward. Follow the increasingly rocky and eroded path as it climbs steeply up the eastern shoulder of Hart Crag, eventually joining the main Fairfield Horseshoe plateau beside the summit; the rocky top is about 50 m west of the GPX line.
Waypoints
Hartsop Above How upper ridge, Hart Crag eastern shoulder, Hart Crag summit.
Decision point
The path follows the rocky spur into the crags. As you top out, you join the heavily trafficked and often cairned Fairfield Horseshoe path.
Easy to get wrong
The stage averages 16%, and its last half kilometre reaches nearly 40%. The final push onto Hart Crag involves loose rock, minor scree, and potentially the need to use hands for balance over simple rocky steps. The summit plateau is exposed to high winds.
If you need to get off
Turn around and descend the Hartsop Above How ridge.
4
Hart Crag → Dove Crag (1.1 km, 44 m)
Undulating section of about 1.1 km.
Turn south-south-east and walk along the broad, rocky plateau of the main ridge, crossing a minor depression before the gentle rise to the summit of Dove Crag.
Waypoints
Hart Crag summit, the ruined wall, Dove Crag summit.
Decision point
A ruined drystone wall acts as a handrail for much of this section. In thick clag, follow the wall and keep well away from the corniced and craggy eastern edge.
Easy to get wrong
A high-level, stony traverse. While the physical effort is minimal, the terrain is rocky, uneven, and can be punishing on the ankles. The eastern edge drops in crags into Dovedale, about 230 m from the path at its nearest.
If you need to get off
If the weather turns on the high ridge, decide early between going back the way you came, down the Hartsop Above How ridge, and going on over Dove Crag and Little Hart Crag to Scandale Pass for the path down Caiston Glen. Neither is sheltered.
5
Dove Crag → Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top) (2.3 km, 49 m)
Descent of about 206 m, then a climb of about 49 m, over 2.3 km.
Follow the wall south off Dove Crag over rough, stony ground for about 0.6 km, then turn east at a cairn onto a faint path, descending steeply into the head of Scandale past Bakestones Moss and north of Scandale Tarn, before a short climb to the rocky twin summits of Little Hart Crag. The route passes about 400 m north of Scandale Pass; it does not drop to it.
Waypoints
Dove Crag descent, Bakestones Moss, the head of Scandale, Little Hart Crag (West Top).
Decision point
In mist the broad ground east of Dove Crag is confusing: keep the head of Scandale on your right and aim for Little Hart Crag's rocky twin tops.
Easy to get wrong
The initial descent off Dove Crag can be confusing in the mist as the plateau is broad and featureless. The lower ground at Bakestones Moss is wet and boggy.
If you need to get off
From Little Hart Crag, Scandale Pass is about 0.6 km south on a mapped path, and from the pass a mapped path runs north-east down Caiston Glen towards Brothers Water. We have checked it on the map, not on foot.
© Lee McCoy
6
Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top) → High Hartsop Dodd (1.0 km, 14 m)
Descent of about 117 m over 1.0 km.
Drop north-east off Little Hart Crag and walk down the distinct spine to the promontory of High Hartsop Dodd.
Waypoints
Little Hart Crag, the grassy ridge, High Hartsop Dodd summit.
Decision point
The ridge is sharply defined; follow the crest north-east as it points like an arrowhead towards Brothers Water.
Easy to get wrong
A quick drop onto a narrow grassy ridge, soft underfoot after the rocky high fells. Crags fall away on the left-hand (Dovedale) side of the ridge for the last 0.8 km to High Hartsop Dodd and the top of the nose, 15-80 m from the path; in mist keep to the crest.
If you need to get off
Go back south over Little Hart Crag to Scandale Pass for the Caiston Glen path.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
High Hartsop Dodd → Finish (3.0 km, 25 m)
Descent of about 354 m over 3.0 km.
Plunge down the very steep, grassy northern nose of High Hartsop Dodd, over a stile, to a gate at the valley floor. Then follow the public footpath across the fields and over the footbridge on Dovedale Beck to Hartsop Hall, and the gravel track north along the west shore of Brothers Water back to Cow Bridge and the car park.
Waypoints
High Hartsop Dodd northern descent, Dovedale Beck footbridge, Hartsop Hall, Brothers Water shore track, Cow Bridge, Finish.
Decision point
The steep nose funnels you directly downward toward the valley floor and the obvious buildings at Hartsop Hall. From there, the wide valley track is easy to follow.
Easy to get wrong
The descent off High Hartsop Dodd is relentlessly steep, over 40% at its steepest, pitching down grassy slopes that become treacherous, slippery slides when wet. Hiking poles are recommended here to save your knees. The 25 m of minor ascent is spread over the flat valley walk back to the start.
If you need to get off
Decide before you start down the steep grass of the nose: if it is wet or icy, the alternative is to go back south to Scandale Pass and the Caiston Glen path. Once you are on the nose, take your time.
© Lee McCoy

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, July 2025

Make it easier or harder

Short version: turn back at about 5.0 km and retrace your outward leg: about 10.0 km in all, against 11.9 km for the whole walk, with about 60 m of climbing on the way back over ground you came down. It is the same ground back, not a separate descent.

Summits bagged (6)

1Gale Crag512 mEastern · Birkett, Synge
2Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)586 mEastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
3Hart Crag823 mEastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Hewitt
4Dove Crag792 mEastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Hewitt
5Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top)637 mEastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Hewitt
6High Hartsop Dodd519 mEastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge

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

Keep to the built line. The notes on this route mention eroded or braided ground. Where it is mud or standing water, walk through the puddle rather than round it, stay on the pitched stone even where it is a staircase you would rather not use, take the zig-zags the long way, leave loose stones and cross-drains where they lie, and build no cairns. Deep or moving water is a different question — turn back or take the safest way past rather than wade for the sake of a path. Fix the Fells’ volunteers keep these paths: what a metre costs, and how to give a day or a few pounds.

More about this walk

Severe for steepness: the push onto Hart Crag is loose and rocky, with simple steps where you may need your hands, and the way down off High Hartsop Dodd is a very steep grass nose, about 43% over 250 m near 9.5 km and slippery when wet. The rest is moderate, though the ridge from Hart Crag to Dove Crag is rocky and hard on the ankles.

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 Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:15. It waits longest in late December — about a quarter of an hour after sunrise.
Hart Crag — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Dove Crag — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top) — 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.
High Hartsop Dodd — 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 March — about half an hour after sunrise. In late December, not until about 09:00.

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

Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid) — 0.0 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 August 2026).

Directions When people arrive, and what it costs →Something changed here?

Cow Bridge (layby) — 0.1 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 village (donation) — 0.8 km from the start (straight line)

For Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, High Street via Hayeswater, Brock Crags. It asks an optional donation, not a charge (Lee, who walked past it on 14 August 2026). People also use the Cow Bridge car park, 0.9 km away, if they would rather not drive down the lane.

Directions Something changed here?

If it is full: Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid) (0.9 km, 32 m up)

2 more places to park near the start

Brothers Water, east shore (free) — 0.9 km from the start (straight line)

On the A592 by the east shore of Brothers Water (OpenStreetMap, 26 m from the road). The nearest route starts are 'Finishing of the Far Eastern Fells', 0.8 km north on foot at Hartsop, and the two at Cow Bridge, 1.0 km north on foot. Free (OSM-tagged). Compacted surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Bridgend, south (layby) — 1.1 km from the start (straight line)

On the A592 at Bridgend, between Patterdale and Hartsop, beside the Bridgend bus stops. The nearest route starts are the two at Cow Bridge, 1.1 km south on foot, and the two in Patterdale, 1.9 km north on foot ('St Sunday Crag', which climbs Arnison Crag, and 'Place Fell and The Knight'). Free (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

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.

Every option near this start, on the parking map →

If the parking is full

There is a fallback here, but it is a weak one. Some of the 3 below tend to fill for the same reasons at the same time. Treat the list as one-and-a-bit options rather than 3.

Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid) — at the start
Caudale Bridge (layby) — joins the loop at about km 10.4 of 11.9: a 1.1 km walk to the line, climbing about 30 m, and you walk the round from there
Brothers Water, east shore (free) — joins the loop at about km 10.9 of 11.9: a 520 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there
By bus: buses stop at Hartsop, opposite Cow Bridge, a 30 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, opposite Cow Bridge, a 30 m walk from this start. The last bus is 19:51 towards Windermere (508) and 15:14 towards Hartsop (509), 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 0.0 km (Hartsop, opposite Cow Bridge, 0 m off the line). It passes again at 10.7 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 (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.

Toilets and refreshments

The essentials

Arrival Cow Bridge car park by Brothers Water, about 20 m from the start: pay and display, coins and cards. 22 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked 12 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 The push onto Hart Crag is loose and rocky, with simple steps where you may need your hands, and the way down off High Hartsop Dodd is a very steep grass nose, about 43% over 250 m near 9.5 km and slippery when wet. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)

Water, shelter & getting away

Cow Bridge (29 m from the start, straight line) Cow Bridge car park (33 m from the start, straight line) Road End (306 m from the start, straight line)

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

LengthModerate11.87 km round.

SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained descent about 41% around the 9.3 km mark.

TerrainModerateGraded on the ground. Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground

NavigationModerateGraded on the ground. Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground

ExposureModerateGraded on the ground. Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground

HandsHands for a few stepsThe last push onto Hart Crag (about km 4.5).

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)
1Gale Crag	1.7 km	356 m	0:56–1:14
2Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)	2.7 km	439 m	1:17–1:42
3Hart Crag	4.5 km	705 m	2:04–2:45
4Dove Crag	5.5 km	749 m	2:21–3:08
5Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top)	7.8 km	798 m	2:54–3:51
6High Hartsop Dodd	8.9 km	812 m	3:08–4:10
Finish	11.9 km	837 m	3:46–5:01

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?

Dog

Stile a dog may not pass

Buggy

Not buggy-able

Knees

Tough descent

Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
Knees: A long, steep ~43% drop over 250 m around the 9.4 km mark — hard on the knees.

With a dog

Hardest for a dog here: stiles and gates. The steepest stretch is a sustained descent of about 41% around the 9.3 km mark.

Stiles and gates: A ladder stile at 1.0 km, mapped on OpenStreetMap, that a dog may not get through. Livestock, ground and water are not assessed. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 20 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: the last push onto Hart Crag (about km 4.5). 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: 6 gates · 1 ladder stile · 1 step-over stile

Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 20 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) — 1.7 km from this start
Walks from Patterdale — 2.8 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.

Appears in these collections

Good walks in poor weather & low cloud

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