Holme Fell and Black Fell
Key facts
Difficulty profile
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 2 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.
1 Holme Fell2 Black Fell
Easy 91%Moderate 9%HardSevere
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 13.74 km with around 604 m of ascent, taking in 2 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: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A sustained ~23% descent around the 4.5 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
On the line: 20 gates · 2 kissing gates · 1 step-over stile · 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 (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-19. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Holme Fell | 4.4 km | 275 m | 1:20–1:47 |
| 2Black Fell | 10.0 km | 518 m | 2:52–3:49 |
| Finish | 13.7 km | 604 m | 3:45–5:00 |
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
Start → Holme Fell (4.4 km, 275 m)
From the start point, the route winds through low-level tracks, passing near the dramatic sheer drops of Hodge Close Quarry and disused reservoirs before tackling the short, sharp, rocky ascent up to the summit of Holme Fell
WaypointsHodge Close Quarry (skirted), disused reservoirs, Holme Fell summit
Decision pointThe paths around the quarry and reservoirs are well-established, though the final rocky knolls leading to the summit require picking the best line through the crags
Easy to get wrongWhile the 6% average climb sounds gentle, the final push onto Holme Fell is a steeper, rocky scramble in places. The ground near the old reservoirs and the base of the fell can be highly waterlogged and reedy. Take extra care if exploring near Hodge Close, as the sheer quarry edges are extremely hazardous and not entirely fenced
If you need to get offTurn around and retrace the clear, low-level valley tracks back to the start
- 2
Holme Fell → Black Fell (5.6 km, 243 m)
Descend Holme Fell and navigate the connecting valley tracks toward the famous Tarn Hows. After skirting the tarn, pick up the rough tracks climbing through the Iron Keld plantation. Emerge from the treeline and weave through grassy knolls and boggy puddles to the summit trig pillar of Black Fell
WaypointsTarn Hows, Iron Keld plantation, Black Fell trig pillar (labeled Black Crag), Black Fell south-east cairn
Decision pointTarn Hows acts as a massive, unmissable water handrail. On the summit of Black Fell, the trig pillar (confusingly bearing a National Trust plaque for 'Black Crag') marks the true summit, while a tall cairn nearby offers the best views of Windermere
Easy to get wrongA long transition stage. The path through Iron Keld is a rough bridleway, often churned up by mountain bikes. The open fell above the plantation is a maze of small, boggy dips and undulating grassy knolls that require careful footwork
If you need to get offThe shoreline path around Tarn Hows provides a flat, highly accessible route that bypasses Black Fell entirely and connects directly to safe valley exits
Black Fell → Finish (3.7 km, 86 m)
From the summit cairn, drop down the southern slopes, following faint paths beside dry stone walls toward Low Arnside farm. Connect with the wider bridleways and lanes that contour around the lower intake walls, leading you back to the starting point
WaypointsBlack Fell summit, Low Arnside farm, Hollin Bank
Decision pointThe dry stone walls running down the fellside toward Low Arnside serve as a reliable, continuous visual handrail for the descent
Easy to get wrongThe initial descent from Black Fell over the grassy slopes is vague and can be slippery after rain. Once off the open fell, the terrain transitions to straightforward bridleways and farm tracks
If you need to get offOnce you reach the farm tracks at Low Arnside, you are entirely off the high ground with a clear, safe walk back to the finish
Summits bagged (2)
- 1Holme Fell316 m
- 2Black Fell323 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate.
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 →
💧 No mapped drinking water or shelter on this route — that doesn’t mean there is none, and never drink untreated from a beck. (Facilities data © OpenStreetMap contributors.)
Buses
The 505 stops at Holling Brow (near). From there it is 1.2 km and 105 m of ascent to this start — a walk in before the walk. The last bus is 20:05 towards Coniston (505), 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 505 passes this route at 0.1 km (Holling Brow (at), 970 m off the line). Other services cross it too — 517 at 2.8 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
If the parking is full
If the first one is full, these do not all fill together. The 3 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.
- Glen Mary Bridge (NT, paid)
- Black Fell, north-west (layby)
- N.T. Disabled Parking (NT, paid)
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.
- Holme Fell — 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.
- Black Fell — 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.
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 (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.
Make it easier or harder
Short version: turn back at about 7.5 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
Places to stay near this start
From Tarn Hows: 6 places in Ambleside