Home / Routes / Kentmere Horseshoe

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed 27 June 2026

Severe distanceLoop

Kentmere Horseshoe

20.14 km

Distance

~5.5–7.5 h

Typical time

~1029 m

Ascent

Summits

Photo: © Lee McCoy

Download GPX →

Key facts

Distance 20.14 km

Ascent ~1029 m

Descent ~1032 m

Time ~5.5–7.5 h

Difficulty Severe overall — hardest: Length

Type Loop

Start Kentmere village

The classic round of the Kentmere valley — a 20 km, ~1,030 m horseshoe over eight Wainwrights: up over Yoke and the shapely Ill Bell ridge to Thornthwaite Crag, then back over Mardale Ill Bell, Harter Fell, Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts. A long, high, broad-ridged day in the Far Eastern fells.

✎️ Walked and described first-hand by Lee — a big mountain day (≈13 miles / ~3,700 ft, 6–8 hours). Start early, carry OS Explorer OL7 and a compass (the eastern ridge walls and fences are vital handrails in mist), and know the escape options.

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

LengthSevere20.14 km — a long day out.

SteepnessHardSteepest sustained pull about 32% around the 6.4 km mark.

TerrainModerateMostly good mountain path. desk assessment — not field-verified

NavigationHardBroad or featureless ground where navigation is serious in cloud — map and compass needed.

ExposureNot assessedExposure (drops, scrambling, how bad a slip would be) can’t be judged from gradient data alone, so we don’t guess. A rating appears once the route is editorially assessed or walked.

Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.

Conditions on this route

We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 8 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

1 Yoke2 Ill Bell3 Froswick4 Thornthwaite Crag5 Mardale Ill Bell6 Harter Fell (Mardale)7 Kentmere Pike8 Shipman Knotts

Easy 73%Moderate 25%Hard 2%Severe

~1029 m

Total ascent

780 m

High point

176 m

Start height

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

This walk covers about 20.14 km with around 1029 m of ascent, taking in 8 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 ~32% drop around the 6.2 km mark — hard on the knees.

On the line: 12 gates · 2 kissing gates · 7 stiles (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 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

Summit	Cumulative	Ascent	Time (fast–steady)
1Yoke	5.1 km	528 m	1:53–2:31
2Ill Bell	6.1 km	607 m	2:14–2:59
3Froswick	7.0 km	663 m	2:30–3:20
4Thornthwaite Crag	8.7 km	814 m	3:06–4:07
5Mardale Ill Bell	10.5 km	833 m	3:29–4:38
6Harter Fell (Mardale)	12.3 km	994 m	4:07–5:28
7Kentmere Pike	14.1 km	1025 m	4:31–6:01
8Shipman Knotts	15.9 km	1029 m	4:53–6:30
Finish	20.1 km	1029 m	5:45–7:38

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
Kentmere village → Yoke (5.1 km, 528 m)
Climb of about 528 m over 5.1 km (around 10% average).
2
Yoke → Ill Bell (1.1 km, 80 m)
Climb of about 80 m over 1.1 km (around 7% average).
Decision point
Clear ridge path north from Yoke's cairn; it bends left and drops gently past a small tarn (handy dog water) to the saddle above Rainsborrow Cove, then climbs the rockier far flank. Near the top several lines weave through rock but all meet on Ill Bell's three big cairns — the central one is the true summit.
Easy to get wrong
Don't drift east toward the craggy drop into Kentmere Reservoir — keep to the broad, rounded ridge by the cairns.
3
Ill Bell → Froswick (0.9 km, 55 m)
About 0.9 km with 55 m of ascent.
Decision point
From the last cairn take the path slightly right, then bending left to drop steeply through boulders around the head of Over Cove (old fence posts mark the line). Once past the rocky step, follow the clear ridge over the saddle and up to Froswick's small cairn.
Easy to get wrong
The first drop off Ill Bell is steep and rough — you may want hands, and it's slow, but it eases quickly. Ignore any path trending left into the valley.
4
Froswick → Thornthwaite Crag (1.7 km, 152 m)
Climb of about 152 m over 1.7 km (around 9% average).
Decision point
Bear left (NNW) off Froswick and descend steeply to the saddle. As you climb out, the path forks: the right branch goes to High Street — take the LEFT fork for Thornthwaite Crag (Thornthwaite Beacon), the ~14 ft stone pillar that only appears when you're close.
Easy to get wrong
The High Street fork is the classic place to go wrong — keep LEFT for the beacon. In mist, hold roughly NNE for the high point. At the beacon several paths radiate (High Street, Mardale Ill Bell, Gray Crag) — orient with map and compass before moving on.
5
Thornthwaite Crag → Mardale Ill Bell (1.8 km, 19 m)
Undulating section of about 1.8 km.
Decision point
From the beacon head broadly east, over the broken wall, and curve round the head of Hayeswater Gill. At a broken wall crossing your path, turn right onto a narrow trod contouring across grassy slopes — above the great combe of the Kent, beneath Gavel and Bleathwaite Crags and Hall Cove — toward Mardale Ill Bell. The path passes just below the top; where it begins to curve away below the top, bear left over pathless grass to the summit cairn (small tarns nearby hold water in dry spells).
Easy to get wrong
Don't carry straight on toward High Street at that broken wall — turn right onto the contour. In mist, keep the deep Kent corrie below on your LEFT and hold a gentle contour; if you find yourself climbing steeply, you've drifted back toward High Street.
6
Mardale Ill Bell → Harter Fell (Mardale) (1.8 km, 161 m)
Climb of about 161 m over 1.8 km (around 9% average).
Decision point
Bear right and pick up the wide path SE then E, soon stone-pitched, down to Nan Bield Pass and its stone shelter above Small Water. Cross the pass and take the rough path climbing E/SE up Harter Fell — it zigzags between rocky terraces (no true scrambling), with a line of cairns near the top. The summit cairn is dressed with old iron fence posts.
Easy to get wrong
The climb up Harter Fell looks intimidating but the engineered path avoids scrambling — take it steadily when tired; the footing is rocky and uneven. At the top, stay on the cairn (east) side of the fence.
7
Harter Fell (Mardale) → Kentmere Pike (1.8 km, 31 m)
Descent of about 55 m over 1.8 km.
Decision point
Stay on the cairn side of the fence and turn right (roughly south); the fence is your handrail along a gentle grassy ridge over a small knoll (The Knowe) to Kentmere Pike. The cairn is on your side of the wall; the trig point is just over a stone stile, reached by the built-in steps.
Easy to get wrong
Soft, soggy ground with peat hags in the wet — skirt the worst rather than leaving the fence.
8
Kentmere Pike → Shipman Knotts (1.8 km, 3 m)
Descent of about 150 m over 1.8 km.
Decision point
Continue SE alongside the wall / fence. Where the main fence bears left toward Goat Scar, cut the corner slightly to the LEFT-most of two ladder stiles (at the junction where the Goat Scar fence joins). Cross it, cut the corner again to stay on the well-used path by the wall, then follow the wall over undulating ground up to Shipman Knotts — most walkers use the cairned outcrop on the western (path) side.
Easy to get wrong
That left-hand ladder stile looks modest on your side, but the far drop is big and almost vertical — handle dogs carefully, many balk. Don't take the path trending right (west) toward Hollow Bank — it bypasses Shipman Knotts entirely.
Shipman Knotts → Finish (4.3 km, 0 m)
Descent of about 401 m over 4.3 km.
Decision point
Continue south by the wall; through a gap in a broken cross-wall keep left; cross another broken wall above Wray Crag and keep left. Squeeze between the wall and Wray Crag's drop, then descend (wet underfoot) to the Sadgill–Kentmere track and turn right (west) for Kentmere. Past the barn at Stile End, through a gate to the tarmac; turn left, and after ~150 m cross the stone stile on the right at the footpath sign into the bracken. Drop to Low Lane, cross straight over and down to the River Kent footbridge; across, climb the field to Rook Howe, keep left through the buildings, and follow the waymarked drive to the road by the church — turn right to the village hall.
Easy to get wrong
At Wray Crag a grooved sloping slab is an easy step in the dry but slippery when wet — take care. In the fields near the village, follow the waymarks; it's easy to lose the line among the stiles and enclosures.

Summits bagged (8)

1Yoke707 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
2Ill Bell757 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, HuMP
3Froswick720 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
4Thornthwaite Crag784 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
5Mardale Ill Bell761 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
6Harter Fell (Mardale)779 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, HuMP
7Kentmere Pike730 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
8Shipman Knotts587 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

Kentmere Institute (donation, very limited) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)

Tiny — arrive by 8am or use the verges lower down. Kentmere Horseshoe: Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick, Kentmere Pike. Donation box, about 8 spaces - OSM way/776958525 records note=Donation Box and payment:coins=yes (checked Aug 2026). Around eight spaces; the box is a donation box, not a machine (OSM way/776958525, 2026-07-24 extract).

Directions Something changed here?

Roadside parking for Hollow Moor (paid) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)

Approx 8 spaces. 1.3 km from Hollow Moor. Added from the 5 Aug 2026 OSM candidate review.

Directions Something changed here?

Hollow Moor car park — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)

Walking base for Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick and Thornthwaite Crag — the 'Kentmere Horseshoe' route starts 248 m away. Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.

Directions Something changed here?

Hollow Moor (layby) — 1.2 km from the start (straight line)

Walking base for Shipman Knotts, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell (Mardale) and Little Harter Fell — the 'Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)' route starts 6 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Shipman Knotts (verge) — 1.5 km from the start (straight line)

1.2 km from Shipman Knotts.

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 →

💧 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 nearest bus stop we hold is the 508 at Troutbeck, opposite Limefitt Park, 5.4 km of walking from this start — not realistically reachable without a car.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.

If the parking is full

There is no real plan B here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so if one is full the others usually are too. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off.

Roadside parking for Hollow Moor (paid)
Shipman Knotts (verge)
Hollow Moor car park

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.

Yoke — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Ill Bell — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Froswick — 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.
Mardale Ill Bell — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Harter Fell (Mardale) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Kentmere Pike — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Shipman Knotts — 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

The left-hand ladder stile between Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts has a big, almost-vertical drop on the far side — take care, and lift or handle dogs, which often refuse it.
Wray Crag on the final descent has a grooved sloping slab: an easy step in the dry, slippery when wet.
The initial drop off Ill Bell toward Froswick is steep and rough — you may need hands; it eases quickly.
Keep clear of Ill Bell's craggy eastern edge above Kentmere Reservoir — stay on the broad ridge by the cairns.
Parking at Kentmere (village hall / St Cuthbert's church) is very limited — only a handful of spaces — so arrive early.

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

Easier: Escape options if the weather turns or the legs go: at the col between Froswick and Wansfell, drop left at Park Fell to Troutbeck Park, then via Long Green Head and Limefitt back onto the Garburn road to Kentmere (longer than retreating, but out of the wind). At Nan Bield Pass you can turn down into the Kentmere valley via Smallthwaite Knott, Hallow Bank Quarter and Overend; the (roofless) stone shelter on the pass gives some respite. The marked half-round descent from Nan Bield is the cleanest single bail.

Harder: Add High Street: instead of turning right onto the Mardale Ill Bell contour from Thornthwaite Crag, carry on to bag High Street (about +28 m and ~30 minutes), then return and pick up the contour to Mardale Ill Bell, turning left onto the clear path sooner rather than retracing the whole way.

Short version: turn back at about 9.9 km (drop to Kentmere village) — roughly half the distance.

Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

Places to stay near this start

High Borrans Lodges (opens in new tab) caravan site

about 4.0 km from the start, in a straight line

The lodges stand on High Borrans Farm - 1,000 acres, over 1,200 Swaledale ewes and about 25 beef sucklers, on heather ground around 1,300 feet up that was once shot for grouse. The family took it on in 2007, and if you want to see the lambs in spring you only have to ask.

Drying room “A laundry room located in a small stone building at the entrance to the park, containing free to use, washing machines, a dryer and an iron and ironing board”
Dogs “High Borrans in Cumbria offers seven bespoke lodges, three being dog friendly and one unique shepherd's hut all designed with couples in mind.”
Family rooms “A couples only lodge park, located just 10 minutes away from Windermere in the Lake District.”
Children “A couples only lodge park, located just 10 minutes away from Windermere in the Lake District.”

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 (opens in new tab).