Little Dale Horseshoe
Start Chapel Bridge Car Park
Getting here Parking: Little Town, Newlands (paid, small), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 77 stops at Manesty, outside Cocklety How; from there it is 2.7 km and 301 m of ascent to this start. And the same back: about 16.1 km in all, with the walk. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. Parking & buses ↓
Hardest part Hard steepness: Steepest sustained descent about 34% around the 7.1 km mark. Hard navigation: Care needed in cloud — 22 path junctions near the line. Hard – estimated from the map, not checked on the ground Hands for a few steps: short awkward scrambles on the Scope End ridge (km 6.6–7.7).
Before you choose
- The descent off Hindscarth is steep: about 34% sustained near 7.1 km, and about 43% over 250 m near 6.9 km.
- Crags are mapped close beside the path on the climb to Robinson: Blea Crags about 10 m from it near 2.4 km and Robinson Crags about 15 m near 3.5 km. Keep to the path, especially in cloud.
- The first 1.15 km or so, from Chapel Bridge, and the last 0.3 km are on lanes open to traffic; OpenStreetMap records no pavement.
- About 6.5 km of the line follows paths that OpenStreetMap does not record as public rights of way: High Snab Bank and the climb to Robinson (about 1.5 to 3.6 km), and from the low point before Hindscarth over Hindscarth and down the Scope End ridge (about 5.6 to 9.5 km); the track past Low Snab is not recorded either. The path up from the lane and the path over Robinson to the low point are public footpaths. That is a map-data note, not a ruling on access: check the access land and rights of way maps before relying on this stretch.
Hazard & incident notes: Robinson · Hindscarth
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.
See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
Route map
1 Robinson2 Hindscarth3 High Crags (Newlands)4 Red Knott5 Scope End
Easy 53%Moderate 28%Hard 19%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
Chapel Bridge Car Park → Robinson (4.5 km, 607 m)
From the car park, cross Chapel Bridge over Newlands Beck and follow the lane west and west-south-west. At about 0.75 km the lane bends south-west, and at about 1.15 km the line leaves it for a public footpath south-south-west, through gates at about 1.25 and 1.4 km. From about 1.5 km the path climbs steeply west on to the ridge OpenStreetMap names High Snab Bank, then runs south-west and south-south-west along it, with the mapped crags of Blea Crags about 10 m from the path near 2.4 km. From about 2.8 km it climbs steeply again, south-west and west-south-west, past Robinson Crags, mapped about 15 m away near 3.5 km, and on south-west to the top of Robinson at about 4.5 km.
WaypointsChapel Bridge Car Park, Chapel Bridge, the lane, High Snab Bank, Blea Crags, Robinson Crags, Robinson (738 m).
Easy to get wrongCrags are mapped close beside the path on the climb, at Blea Crags near 2.4 km and Robinson Crags near 3.5 km. Keep to the path.
If you need to get offBack the way you came, down High Snab Bank to the lane: about 4.5 km from the top to the car park.
- 2
Robinson → Hindscarth (2.1 km, 160 m)
From the top of Robinson head south on a public footpath, down to the low point at about 5.6 km, about 45 m from the crag OpenStreetMap names Littledale Edge. From there the line climbs north-east to the top of Hindscarth at about 6.6 km.
WaypointsRobinson, Littledale Edge, Hindscarth (727 m).
Decision pointOn Robinson's broad top the line takes the public footpath towards Hindscarth.
If you need to get offBack over Robinson the way you came, or on over Hindscarth: from the low point at about 5.6 km the line on is about 5.1 km to the car park.
- 3
Hindscarth → High Crags (Newlands) (1.1 km, 3 m)
From Hindscarth the line heads north-north-east and then north, steeply down the ridge: the steepest descent of the walk, about 34% sustained near 7.1 km. It then goes on along the ridge to High Crags at about 7.7 km.
WaypointsHindscarth, the ridge, High Crags (529 m).
Easy to get wrongThe descent off Hindscarth is the steep part of the walk, with about 43% over 250 m near 6.9 km.
If you need to get offThe line on down the ridge is the way off: about 3.1 km from High Crags to the car park.
- 4
High Crags (Newlands) → Red Knott (0.6 km, 8 m)
Go on north-north-east and north-east along the ridge, with the crag OpenStreetMap names High Crags about 30 m from the line near 8.1 km, to Red Knott at about 8.3 km.
WaypointsHigh Crags, Red Knott (452 m).
If you need to get offThe line on is the way off: about 2.5 km to the car park.
- 5
Red Knott → Scope End (0.5 km, 12 m)
The ridge goes on north-east to Scope End at about 8.8 km.
WaypointsRed Knott, Scope End (412 m).
If you need to get offThe line on is the way off: about 2 km to the car park.
Scope End → Finish (2.0 km, 4 m)
From Scope End the path drops steeply north-east down the end of the ridge, past old mine levels mapped about 20-40 m from it near 8.8 and 9.2 km, to the foot of the ridge at about 9.5 km. A short path then joins a track at about 9.8 km, which goes past Low Snab and over a bridge on Scope Beck at about 10.45 km to the lane; the lane leads back to Chapel Bridge.
WaypointsScope End, Low Snab, Scope Beck, the lane, Chapel Bridge Car Park (finish).
If you need to get offThe line itself is the way down: about 2 km from Scope End to the car park.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Planned route · not yet walked
Summits bagged (5)
- 1Robinson738 m
- 2Hindscarth727 m
- 3High Crags (Newlands)529 m
- 4Red Knott452 m
- 5Scope End412 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
More about this walk
The start is Chapel Bridge Car Park at Little Town. Scope End, Hindscarth & Dale Head from Little Town starts there too and goes up the same Scope End ridge that this walk comes down.
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.
Getting there and back
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 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.
- Little Town, Newlands (paid, small) — at the start
- Rowling End, south (layby) — at the start
- Littletown Glamping, Newlands (paid) — a 420 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
The 77 stops at Manesty, outside Cocklety How. From there it is 2.7 km and 301 m of ascent to this start — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 16.1 km in all, with the walk. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. It returns on 22 March 2027. Confirmed with the operator: its last day on 29 August 2026, its return on 16 October 2026. The last bus is 18:54 towards Keswick (77), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Chapel Bridge Car Park, beside the lane at Little Town, is at the start. 4 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap contributors, Cumbria extract of 24 July 2026, checked 17 October 2026)
- Limitation Steep fell paths over Robinson and Hindscarth: not a pushchair route. (OpenStreetMap contributors, Cumbria extract of 24 July 2026, checked 17 October 2026)
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: Steepness and navigation (estimated from the map, not checked on the ground); terrain not assessed; exposure not assessed on the ground
Five independent axes, not one score. None of them was set on the ground: they 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Robinson | 4.5 km | 607 m | 1:55–2:32 |
| 2Hindscarth | 6.6 km | 767 m | 2:36–3:27 |
| 3High Crags (Newlands) | 7.7 km | 769 m | 2:49–3:45 |
| 4Red Knott | 8.3 km | 777 m | 2:58–3:56 |
| 5Scope End | 8.8 km | 789 m | 3:05–4:06 |
| Finish | 10.8 km | 793 m | 3:29–4:37 |
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: No mapped stiles, but the ground underfoot has not been assessed; not a buggy line on what we know.
- Knees: A long, steep ~43% drop over 250 m around the 6.9 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 34% around the 7.1 km mark.
- Drops and exposed ground: Not assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. 11 mapped crag feature(s) near the line — check the airy sections.
- Rock and scrambling: Hands for a few steps: short awkward scrambles on the Scope End ridge (km 6.6–7.7). Ground underfoot: Not assessed.
- Stiles and gates: Only gates and kissing gates are mapped: no stile a dog can’t get through. That is the barriers alone; check the route’s steep or rocky ground before you bring a dog. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 2026-10-17)
- 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: 2 gates
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 2026-10-17. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Grange-in-Borrowdale — 2.9 km from this start
- Walks from Lodore Falls — 3.4 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.
