Helm Crag & Far Easedale
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Grasmere Village
Getting here Parking: Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 555 stops at Grasmere, at School, a 50 m walk from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Hard distance: 15.93 km — a long day out. Hard steepness: Steepest sustained descent about 27% around the 10.2 km mark. Hands for a few steps: Helm Crag's summit rocks (about km 3.5).
Before you choose
- Calf Crag: The ridge to Gibson Knott and Steel Fell is very boggy with unclear paths weaving among many small knolls. On a clear day it's straightforward; in mist it's a different proposition — accurate map-and-compass work is needed and many diversions are required to dodge the worst peat.
- Helm Crag: The actual highest point is a slab/pinnacle of rock needing a short but genuinely exposed scramble, with big drops below. It is not for the nervous or inexperienced — many people sensibly admire it from beside rather than standing on top. Attempt it only if you are a confident scrambler and the rock is dry; a slip here would be serious.
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 Helm Crag2 Gibson Knott3 Calf Crag4 Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell)
Easy 69%Moderate 27%Hard 5%Severe
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 → Helm Crag (3.5 km, 331 m)
Start in Grasmere village, heading out along Easedale Road. Before reaching the open valley, turn right up the lane towards the Lancrigg Hotel. The path winds behind the hotel and begins a steep, relentless zig-zag ascent up the southern nose of Helm Crag. The path is well-made but unforgivingly steep. As you crest the summit ridge, you will be greeted by the famous rock formations that give the fell its iconic silhouette.
WaypointsEasedale Road, Lancrigg, the zig-zag path, The Lion and the Lamb (first rock formation), The Howitzer (true summit rock).
Decision pointThe path from Lancrigg is highly engineered and easy to follow.
Easy to get wrongThe initial climb is a steep lung-buster. However, the real challenge is the true summit—The Howitzer. This is a slanted, highly exposed slab of rock. Reaching the very top requires a tricky Grade 1 scramble with a sheer drop on one side. Most walkers touch the base of the rock and consider it "bagged" rather than risking the climb.
If you need to get offTurn around and descend the zig-zag path straight back to Grasmere.
- 2
Helm Crag → Gibson Knott (1.3 km, 76 m)
From Helm Crag, the route turns North-West. You are now on the ridge proper. The path drops steeply into a depression before climbing back up over a series of rocky bumps and small tarns to reach the summit of Gibson Knott.
WaypointsThe Helm Crag descent, the ridge path, Gibson Knott summit.
Decision pointStay on the crest of the ridge. The path weaves around the crags but remains generally central.
Easy to get wrongThis section is an undulating "rollercoaster." The depressions between the rocky bumps hold a lot of water and are notoriously boggy.
If you need to get offRetreat to Helm Crag and descend. Do not try to shortcut off the sides of the ridge into Far Easedale or Greenburn; the flanks are guarded by steep, pathless bracken and crags.
- 3
Gibson Knott → Calf Crag (1.8 km, 130 m)
Continue North-West along the ridge line. The terrain gradually becomes less rocky and more grassy/peaty. You will cross a few more depressions before making a final, steady grassy pull up to the summit of Calf Crag, which is marked by a small cairn perched on a rocky outcrop.
WaypointsCalf Crag summit.
Decision pointThe path occasionally braids as people seek drier ground, but as long as you keep heading North-West along the highest ground, you will hit Calf Crag.
Easy to get wrongThe bogs intensify here. In wet weather, you will spend a lot of time detouring around deep peat hags.
If you need to get offJust before the final climb to Calf Crag, a path drops away to your left (South-West) into the Far Easedale valley. This is a brilliant escape route. It provides a long, well-graded valley walk all the way back to Grasmere, bypassing the bogs and the Steel Fell descent entirely.
- 4
Calf Crag → Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell) (2.4 km, 87 m)
You are now crossing the head of the valley to switch ridges. From Calf Crag, head north-north-east, then east across the watershed. You must navigate the wide, featureless expanse of Brownrigg Moss. Once across the marshy depression, the ground rises, and you turn South-East to follow the broad, grassy back of Steel Fell to its summit.
WaypointsBrownrigg Moss (the boggy saddle), old fence line, Steel Fell summit (Dead Pike).
Decision pointLook for the remnants of old rusted iron fence posts. They act as a reliable guide across the featureless moss and up onto the Steel Fell ridge.
Easy to get wrongBrownrigg Moss is a notorious navigational trap and a terrible bog. It is incredibly wet, and the paths completely disappear into the peat. In low visibility, it is very easy to lose your bearings here.
If you need to get offIf the bogs of Brownrigg Moss are impassable, turn back to Calf Crag and use the Far Easedale descent into the valley.
Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell) → Finish (6.9 km, 246 m)
From the summit of Steel Fell, head south-east and drop steeply down Cotra Breast into Greenburn. Cross the valley floor, then climb the zig-zags up to Bracken Hause, the col below Helm Crag, and follow Helm Crag's ridge south-east before descending its zig-zag path back to Grasmere.
WaypointsCotra Breast, Greenburn, Bracken Hause, Helm Crag's ridge, Grasmere village.
Decision pointThe route climbs again after Greenburn, up to Bracken Hause and over Helm Crag, so the valley below Steel Fell is not the finish.
Easy to get wrongThe descent off the front of Steel Fell is a legendary "knee-wrecker." It is a relentlessly steep grass slope. When wet, it is effectively a water slide, and slipping is common. Trekking poles are highly recommended here.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, January 2025
Summits bagged (4)
- 1Helm Crag405 m
- 2Gibson Knott420 m
- 3Calf Crag537 m
- 4Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell)553 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.
- Helm 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 midsummer — about an hour after sunrise.
- Gibson Knott — 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 midsummer — about an hour after sunrise.
- Calf Crag — 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 midsummer — about half an hour after sunrise.
- Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about a quarter of an hour later. In late September, about 07:15. It waits longest in midsummer — about 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
Driving an electric car? Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid) has a verified public charger 39 m away — Grasmere Stock Lane (LA22 9SJ), 3 kW. Over about 4.6 hours on the hill that is up to 14 kWh, which is a ceiling and not a promise. EV charging at this start → (checked 2026-08-05).
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
Positions are approximate.
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
There is no real plan B by car here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so expect them to fill on the same mornings. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off. The bus below is the exception: it is not limited by car-park space, though it runs to a timetable and can be full.
- Red Bank Road, Grasmere (W&F, paid) — joins the loop at about km 0.3 of 15.9: a 170 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there
- Helm Crag car park (paid) — joins the loop at about km 11 of 15.9: a 720 m walk to the line, climbing about 60 m, and you walk the round from there
- Nab Scar (layby) — a 550 m walk to the start
- By bus: buses stop at Grasmere, at School, a 50 m walk from the start. This walk starts and ends in Grasmere, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Grasmere on a weekday: 20:46 towards Keswick (555). A bus is not affected by a full car park, but check the timetable before you rely on it.
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 555 stops at Grasmere, at School, a 50 m walk from this start. This walk starts and ends in Grasmere, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Grasmere: the 555 towards Keswick at 20:46 Monday to Saturday, 18:36 on Sunday. From Grasmere, at School; checked against the operator's timetable, 12 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 555 passes this route at 0.1 km (Grasmere School (near), 0 m off the line). It passes again at 10.9 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Stock Lane Car & Coach Park in the village, about 35 m from the start: pay and display. 34 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (our parking audit, from OpenStreetMap, checked 12 August 2026)
- Toilets Toilets are mapped about 55 m from the start. 53 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments Goody Blakes (about 85 m) and The Distiller’s Arms (about 125 m) are the nearest mapped, with more cafés in the village. Opening hours are not recorded here. 83 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation Helm Crag’s true summit is a rock pinnacle with a short but genuinely exposed scramble and big drops below; many people admire it from beside it rather than standing on top. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
At Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid), the closest parking we hold to where this route starts:
Distances are straight lines from the car park, not walking routes. Opening hours change; none of this is checked daily.
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap too, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of the start and not already listed above:
Also mapped within reach: an information board.
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
Hard overall — hardest: Length and steepness; terrain not assessed
Five independent axes, not one score. Two 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Helm Crag | 3.5 km | 331 m | 1:16–1:41 |
| 2Gibson Knott | 4.8 km | 407 m | 1:39–2:11 |
| 3Calf Crag | 6.6 km | 537 m | 2:13–2:57 |
| 4Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell) | 9.0 km | 624 m | 2:51–3:47 |
| Finish | 15.9 km | 870 m | 4:38–6:10 |
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 sustained ~29% descent over 250 m around the 9.8 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: stiles and gates. The steepest stretch is a sustained descent of about 27% around the 10.2 km mark.
- Stiles and gates: A stile of unmapped type at 11.3 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 9 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: Helm Crag's summit rocks (about km 3.5). Ground underfoot: Not assessed.
- 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: 12 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 9 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
From Grasmere: 11 places
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Grasmere — 0.4 km from this start
- Walks from Elterwater — 2.7 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.
