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Home / Routes / Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)

Written and walked by · Walked in part, · Last reviewed · Route guide updated : ascent and time changed · 171 of 214 Wainwrights with a Strava-matched summit

Grey Crag above Longsleddale
Severe steepnessLoopWalked in part

Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)

17.86 km
Distance
~5¼–7¼ h
Typical time
~1114 m
Ascent
8
Summits

Photo: © Lee McCoy

A long ~18 km round from Hollow Moor, crossing into Longsleddale at Sadgill, over six Wainwrights — Grey Crag, Tarn Crag, Branstree, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell and Shipman Knotts — across some of the broadest grass tops in the Far Eastern fells. Real navigation in cloud.

Start Hollow Moor (layby)

Getting here Parking: Hollow Moor (layby), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓

Hardest part Severe steepness: Steepest sustained descent about 37% around the 14.6 km mark.

Before you choose

  • Boggy ground: the Sleddale moors (Tarn Crag, Grey Crag and the Mosedale–Longsleddale pass) are peat-hagged and frequently very wet — expect bog and use the wall/fence lines as handrails.
  • Faint paths + serious navigation: trods are indistinct across Cocklaw Fell and the Sleddale plateau. Best saved for good visibility — avoid the Tarn Crag/Grey Crag moors in thick hill fog.
  • A long day: roughly 10–12 miles and over 3,000 ft of ascent — be self-reliant.
Walked in part — Lee walked this ground in May 2026; km 0.0–1.3, km 16.6–17.9 of this line are from the map. 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 in part · km 0.0–1.3, km 16.6–17.9 from the map

Conditions on this route

We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 6 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

OpenTopoMap
Elevation profile, shaded by steepness
Elevation profile Rises from about 179 m to 781 m over 17.9 km, with the summits marked in order. The area beneath is shaded by sustained steepness over a 500 m window, in the same four bands as the route’s steepness rating: Easy under 15%, Moderate 15 to 25%, Hard 25 to 35%, Severe above 35%. 781 m 179 m 0 km 17.9 km 12345678

1 Shipman Knotts2 Kentmere Pike3 Harter Fell (Mardale)4 Little Harter Fell5 Branstree6 Tarn Crag (Sleddale)7 Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)8 Great Howe (Longsleddale)

escape route

Easy 70%Moderate 26%Hard 3%Severe 1%

781 m
High point
260 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. 1

    Hollow Moor (layby) → Shipman Knotts (2.2 km, 320 m)

    Climb of about 320 m over 2.2 km (around 15% average).

    From Hollow Moor, follow the byway towards Sadgill for about 0.7 km, then leave it on the path climbing over Wray Crag to Shipman Knotts.

    If you need to get off

    The map shows the line on the byway from the layby at Hollow Moor to about 0.7 km, then on a path over Wray Crag to Shipman Knotts; no mapped path from it reaches a road sooner than going back, so the way off is back the way you came to Hollow Moor, never more than about 2.2 km; not walked for this guide.

    A broad crag-scarred fellside across a deep valley, with walled green pasture and scattered farms along the dale floor below
    © Lee McCoy
  2. 2

    Shipman Knotts → Kentmere Pike (1.8 km, 154 m)

    Climb of about 154 m over 1.8 km (around 9% average).

    Decision point

    A simple ridge NNW, staying close to the wall over Rough Crags and Goat Scar. The wall becomes continuous near the top — treat it as your handrail in cloud. Cross the stone stile near the summit to the cairn on its knoll; the trig point is a few steps further over the wall.

    Easy to get wrong

    Wet in patches but the wall keeps you on line. Two early escapes to Hallow Bank (Kentmere side) exist if needed — see the escape notes — both are steep and drop you into the wrong valley for the car.

    If you need to get off

    Emergency only: at about 2.6 km a steep descent to the left, slightly behind you, drops off the ridge to Hallow Bank, and at about 3.1 km, half-way up Kentmere Pike, a sharp left doubles back below Goat Scar down to Hallow Bank. Both are steep, and both put you on the Kentmere side rather than back at Sadgill, with a valley walk round to the car.

    A drystone wall running down a grassy shoulder above a wide patchwork valley, with Windermere and the estuary shining in the far distance
    © Lee McCoy
  3. 3

    Kentmere Pike → Harter Fell (Mardale) (1.8 km, 86 m)

    Climb of about 86 m over 1.8 km (around 5% average).

    Decision point

    Return to the fence/wall line and follow it NNW, descending gently over Brown Howe (a rise you'll barely notice), then climb beside the fence to Harter Fell's cairn and old iron posts (~778 m). Stay on the east side of the fence where the going is easier.

    Easy to get wrong

    Soft turf and boggy patches beside the fence. This is the last clean place to cut the round: from here you can drop to Brownhowe Bottom and follow the distinct Gatescarth Beck track back to Sadgill (see escapes).

  4. 4

    Harter Fell (Mardale) → Little Harter Fell (1.2 km, 6 m)

    Descent of about 107 m over 1.2 km.

    Decision point

    Take the cairned path NE off the summit towards Gatescarth Pass / Adam Seat, descending rocky-then-grassy ground to the broader shoulder above Gatescarth before the moors.

    Easy to get wrong

    Rough grass with embedded stones — slippery when wet. Keep to the cairned path, which curves to avoid the steepest drops.

    If you need to get off

    The clean cut before the Sleddale moors is at Harter Fell, at about 5.8 km: drop to Brownhowe Bottom and follow the distinct track through Settle Earth and along Gatescarth Beck to Sadgill, then the wood, Stile End and High Lane back to the start.

    A large cairn of flat stones on a broad grassy summit, with a line of rounded fells along the skyline and the coast pale beyond
    © Lee McCoy
  5. 5

    Little Harter Fell → Branstree (1.4 km, 135 m)

    Descent of about 92 m, then a climb of about 135 m, over 1.4 km.

    Decision point

    Drop SE on trods to the wet col at the head of the Mosedale–Longsleddale pass. At the gate, do NOT go through — turn left (east) on the faint, mossy track toward Mosedale, drifting east-north-east then south-east to firmer ground near Mosedale Cottage.

    Easy to get wrong

    The navigation crux. Mossy, peat-hagged ground where the path dissolves into bog and reappears on hummocks; in mist hold a steady ENE bearing toward Mosedale Cottage. The col onto the NE ridge is a notorious bogfest. The easy mistake is going through the col gate — keep it on your right and turn left.

    A low-flying jet aircraft banking over a deep valley between two grassy fellsides, with a reservoir visible at the dale head
    © Lee McCoy
  6. 6

    Branstree → Tarn Crag (Sleddale) (2.5 km, 164 m)

    Descent of about 214 m, then a climb of about 164 m, over 2.5 km.

    Decision point

    Turn S/SSE up the ridge to Tarn Crag; where the path forks, take the LEFT fork to the summit cairn (664 m) — the right fork only leads to the tall survey pillar.

  7. 7

    Tarn Crag (Sleddale) → Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) (1.5 km, 52 m)

    Descent of about 75 m, then a climb of about 52 m, over 1.5 km.

    Decision point

    Head SE from the cairn/pillar onto a path beside a fence descending E/SE. Cross the next fence by its step-stile and zig-zag down through peat hags to the fence corner just N of Grey Crag. Turn right along the fence across the Greycrag Tarn depression, then climb the grass beyond — bear left up a short grassy gully and left again to the summit cairn.

    Easy to get wrong

    Peat-hagged moor with no clear trodden line — the fences are your handrails. Greycrag Tarn is a peat-restoration area and is often dry, so don't rely on open water as a marker. Two similar cairns sit ~40 m apart; the main top is the obvious one.

    A tall, carefully stacked cairn of flat slates on a rock outcrop, with a wide expanse of pale moor grass and the low country beyond
    A vast, almost featureless plateau of bleached moor grass under heavy grey cloud, with a low rise on the skyline ahead
    © Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
  8. 8

    Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) → Great Howe (Longsleddale) (1.3 km, 7 m)

    Descent of about 153 m over 1.3 km.

    Decision point

    From Grey Crag follow the path WSW along the fence to the fence corner (the Harrop Pike junction). Instead of continuing to Harrop Pike, bear LEFT (SW, then S) along the fence toward Great Howe, over shallow peat hags, dropping gently to its rocky top and survey column.

    Easy to get wrong

    Easy to carry straight on to Harrop Pike at the fence corner — bear left for Great Howe. The survey column confirms you're on the right knoll above Sadgill.

    A cairn of angular blocks on a rocky, lichen-covered summit, with rolling moorland and the distant lowlands under a bank of grey cloud
    © Lee McCoy

  9. Great Howe (Longsleddale) → Finish (4.1 km, 192 m)

    Descent of about 229 m, with about 192 m of climbing, over 4.1 km.

    Decision point

    Descend SW beside the fence to the gate/step-stile into the steep field above Sadgill. Follow the path down to the valley track at Sadgill, then the lane south-west through Sadgill, and take the byway west, climbing to about 350 m and dropping back to the start at Hollow Moor, about 2.7 km from Sadgill.

    Easy to get wrong

    Find the gully before you drop in — it's the only easy way down through the crags and the bracken hides it. The rock in the gully is greasy when wet; take your time.

    A stony track climbing between drystone walls into a steep-sided valley, with crag and scree on the fellsides ahead
    © Lee McCoy

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked in part · km 0.0–1.3, km 16.6–17.9 from the map

Escape routes

  • At about 2.6 km: descend to Hallow Bank (Kentmere) — Emergency escape only: from the Shipman Knotts–Kentmere ridge a steep descent left (slightly behind you) drops to Hallow Bank — but that's the Kentmere side, not back to Sadgill, so you'd face a valley walk round to the car.
  • At about 3.1 km: descend to Hallow Bank, below Goat Scar — About half-way up Kentmere Pike a sharp left doubles back below Goat Scar down to Hallow Bank — steep, and again on the Kentmere side rather than Sadgill.
  • At about 5.8 km: descend to Sadgill via Gatescarth Beck — The clean cut before the Sleddale moors: from Harter Fell drop to Brownhowe Bottom and follow the distinct track through Settle Earth and along Gatescarth Beck to Sadgill, then the wood, Stile End and High Lane back to the start.

Escape lines chosen from the map by someone who has walked part of this route; not every descent has been walked. In poor visibility a marked descent can be safer than retracing a ridge.

Make it easier or harder

Easier: Shorten by cutting back to Sadgill from Harter Fell down Gatescarth Beck (Brownhowe Bottom), which skips the long, wet Sleddale moorland leg; the two Hallow Bank descents off the Kentmere ridge are steep emergency escapes only (they land in Kentmere, not at the car).

Harder: Add Harrop Pike from the fence corner between Grey Crag and Great Howe for the full Sleddale circuit.

Why this direction: Go clockwise: up the firm Kentmere ridge (Shipman Knotts, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell) first while fresh, leaving the pathless, boggy Sleddale moors (Tarn Crag, Grey Crag, Great Howe) for the return.

Summits bagged (8)

  1. 1Shipman Knotts587 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  2. 2Kentmere Pike731 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Hewitt
  3. 3Harter Fell (Mardale)779 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, HuMP, Hewitt
  4. 4Little Harter Fell681 mFar Eastern · Birkett
  5. 5Branstree712 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, HuMP, Hewitt
  6. 6Tarn Crag (Sleddale)664 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Marilyn, Hewitt
  7. 7Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)638 mFar Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Hewitt
  8. 8Great Howe (Longsleddale)494 mFar Eastern · Birkett

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 and the Met Office mountain forecast 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.

  • 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.
  • Kentmere Pike — 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.
  • Branstree — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
  • Tarn Crag (Sleddale) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
  • Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
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

Hollow Moor (layby) — 0.0 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) — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)
1.2 km from Shipman Knotts.
Directions Something changed here?
Hollow Moor car park — 1.2 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?
1 more place to park near the start
Kentmere Institute (donation, very limited) — 1.2 km from the start (straight line)
Tiny: about eight spaces, so arrive early, and do not assume the verges are allowed. Kentmere Horseshoe: Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick, Kentmere Pike. The box is a donation box, not a machine (OpenStreetMap, 2026-07-24 extract).
Directions Something changed here?

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.

Every option near this start, on the parking map →

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 expect them to fill on the same mornings. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off.

  • Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited) — joins the loop at about km 15.1 of 17.9: a 30 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there
  • Hollow Moor (layby) — at the start
  • Shipman Knotts (verge) — a 210 m walk to the start

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

No bus we hold serves this start. The nearest stop we hold is the 508 at Troutbeck, opposite Limefitt Park, 6.5 km away on foot: a walk of its own, not a way to the start.

Toilets and refreshments

The essentials

  • Arrival Hollow Moor layby, beside the start: free, as mapped. 6 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (our parking audit, from OpenStreetMap, checked 10 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 Paths are faint across Cocklaw Fell and the Sleddale plateau: save the round for good visibility and avoid the Tarn Crag and Grey Crag moors in thick hill fog. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)

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.)

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; terrain not assessed; exposure not assessed on the ground

Walked in part, from Sadgill in May 2026: the Kentmere ridge, Harter Fell, Branstree, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag and Great Howe. The byway and path between Hollow Moor and the ridge at each end were not walked for this guide.

LengthHard17.86 km — a long day out.
SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained descent about 37% around the 14.6 km mark.
TerrainNot assessedThe map holds no grading for what is underfoot on this line, so we don’t guess. A rating appears once the ground is assessed.
NavigationHardBroad or featureless ground where navigation is serious in cloud — map and compass needed. Hard – graded by Lee on the ground, on the stretches he walked
ExposureNot assessedNot assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. Graded from slope only (~40% max); treat exposure as unverified. Exposure (drops, scrambling, how bad a slip would be) needs the ground, so a map estimate is not given a grade here and does not count towards the overall grade.

Five independent axes, not one score. One of the five was set on the ground; the rest are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground. This line was walked in part, so a grade set on the ground covers the stretches Lee walked; km 0.0–1.3, km 16.6–17.9 are from the map.

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

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
1Shipman Knotts2.2 km320 m0:59–1:18
2Kentmere Pike4.0 km473 m1:35–2:07
3Harter Fell (Mardale)5.8 km559 m2:06–2:47
4Little Harter Fell7.0 km565 m2:20–3:07
5Branstree8.4 km700 m2:51–3:48
6Tarn Crag (Sleddale)11.0 km864 m3:38–4:50
7Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)12.4 km916 m4:01–5:20
8Great Howe (Longsleddale)13.8 km923 m4:17–5:42
Finish17.9 km1114 m5:26–7:13

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
Mostly gates
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Tough descent
  • Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
  • Knees: A long, steep ~40% drop over 250 m around the 14.4 km mark — hard on the knees.

With a dog

Hardest for a dog here: drops and exposed ground (estimated from the map). The steepest stretch is a sustained descent of about 37% around the 14.6 km mark.

  • Drops and exposed ground: Not assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. Graded from slope only (~40% max); treat exposure as unverified.
  • Stiles and gates: Stiles of unmapped type at 1.5, 2.7 and 16.3 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 9 July 2026)
  • Rock and scrambling: Ground underfoot: Not assessed.
  • Ways off early: Marked on this route at about 2.6 km: Hallow Bank (Kentmere); at about 3.1 km: Hallow Bank, below Goat Scar; at about 5.8 km: Sadgill via Gatescarth Beck. The escape routes section below has the detail.
  • 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: 11 gates · 3 step-over stiles · 3 stiles (type unmapped)

Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us. Barrier data as of 9 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Places to stay near this start

Also nearby, but not independent

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.

Walks from places nearby

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.

All routes →
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17.48 km · ~1142 m · walked February 2025
Mardale Horseshoe
15.33 km · ~929 m · walked in part
Two Birketts from Mardale Head
9.6 km · ~550 m · walked in part