Heughscar Hill & Arthur's Pike

The walk, stage by stage

1. 1

   Start → Heughscar Hill (2.7 km, 225 m)

   Climb of about 225 m over 2.7 km (around 8% average).

   Ascend from the valley lane, picking up the broad, grassy bridleways that lead steadily up onto the open expanse of Askham Fell. Follow the gentle, swelling ridge line south-east, threading your way through low-lying limestone pavement outcrops to reach the modest, cairned summit of Heughscar Hill.

   Waypoints

   Valley lane / Roehead, Askham Fell broad track, limestone outcrops, Heughscar Hill summit (375m).

   Decision point

   The wide bridleway acts as an excellent, clear handrail up onto the fell. The pale grey limestone outcrops of Heughscar Hill stand out distinctly against the surrounding green moorland, providing a clear visual target from the lower slopes.

   Easy to get wrong

   Compared to the high central fells, this is benign, rolling terrain, but the exposed limestone rock can be incredibly slick after rain, presenting an ankle-twisting hazard hidden amongst the grass. In high summer, dense patches of bracken can obscure the smaller, more direct trods up the fellside.

   If you need to get off

   Turn around and follow the wide, deeply rutted bridleway back down the way you came, to the valley road.

2. 2

   Heughscar Hill → Arthur's Pike (4.2 km, 208 m)

   Descent of about 55 m, then a climb of about 208 m, over 4.2 km.

   Drop slightly south-west from Heughscar Hill, crossing the sprawling, historically rich expanse of Moor Divock. Navigate the wide, often soggy tracks past ancient stone circles before beginning the long, steady, and sometimes pathless grassy drag up the broad northern shoulder of Barton Fell to reach the spectacular viewpoint of Arthur's Pike.

   Waypoints

   Heughscar Hill descent, Moor Divock, The Cockpit (stone circle), Barton Fell northern shoulder, Arthur's Pike summit (533m).

   Decision point

   The Cockpit stone circle on Moor Divock serves as an excellent mid-point navigational marker. When climbing Arthur's Pike, keep the steepening drops towards Ullswater well to your right (west/north-west), and keep back from the edge on the way up to the summit cairn.

   Easy to get wrong

   The crossing of Moor Divock is notoriously wet; it holds water like a sponge, and the braided paths quickly become a quagmire of boot-sucking mud and deep puddles after a wet spell. The long drag up to Arthur's Pike can feel like a monotonous slog on tired legs, and the sprawling, featureless grassy plateau can become surprisingly confusing in thick clag.

   If you need to get off

   Moor Divock is an open plateau crisscrossed with old tracks and bridleways, and in cloud they are easy to confuse. The way back is the way you came, over Heughscar Hill; keep away from the steeper, craggier ground above Ullswater. We have not checked another line off the plateau, so none is offered here. If cloud comes in and you are not sure where you are, stop before you commit to ground you do not know. Work out where you are with the map and compass, then go back by a line you know: the way you came. If you cannot move safely, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

3. Arthur's Pike → Finish (4.8 km, 3 m)

   Descent of about 376 m over 4.8 km.

   Leave the summit of Arthur's Pike, initially heading east or north-east to safely distance yourself from the steep drops plummeting into Swarth Beck and the Ullswater basin. Descend the long, sweeping grassy slopes of Barton Fell, eventually rejoining the network of broad, rutted farm tracks that wind back down across the lower moorland to the starting point.

   Waypoints

   Arthur's Pike summit, Barton Fell grassy descent, lower moorland bridleways, finish point.

   Decision point

   The stunning expanse of Ullswater acts as a massive visual handrail to the west; ensure it remains to your left and well below you as you angle your descent back across the grassy fellside toward the eastern lanes.

   Easy to get wrong

   The initial descent off Arthur's Pike must be handled with care to ensure you don't stray too far west over the steep, craggy drops toward the lake. The lower moorland tracks are heavily used by farm vehicles and mountain bikes, leaving them deeply rutted and prone to massive, unavoidable bodies of standing water in the colder months.

   If you need to get off

   This is the final descent: stay on the route's own track down, and keep away from the steep, craggy drops overlooking the lake. If cloud comes in and you are not sure where you are, stop before you commit to ground you do not know. Work out where you are with the map and compass, then go back by a line you know: the way you came. If you cannot move safely, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.