11.71 km · ~530 m ascent · ~3–4.5 h · loop · 2 summits
Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 1 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 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 Mellbreak North Top2 Mellbreak (Mellbreak South Top)
Easy 75%Moderate 14%Hard 5%Severe 6%
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 11.71 km with around 530 m of ascent, taking in 2 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.
On the line: 9 gates · 2 kissing gates · 2 step-over stiles · 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 2026-07-26. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Mellbreak North Top | 2.8 km | 396 m | 1:13–1:37 |
| 2Mellbreak (Mellbreak South Top) | 4.0 km | 475 m | 1:35–2:07 |
| Finish | 11.7 km | 530 m | 3:14–4:17 |
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.
Start from the valley floor near Loweswater, crossing the fields to the imposing northern base of Mellbreak. The path aggressively attacks the steep nose of the fell, zig-zagging relentlessly up a loose, scree-filled chute nestled between the crags before topping out abruptly on the grassy northern summit
Kirkstile Inn (vicinity/start), northern scree chute, White Crag (flanks), Mellbreak North Top (509m)
The northern nose is hemmed in by crags on either side; keep to the central scree chute where the wear is obvious. The steepness acts as its own handrail—there is simply no other viable way up through the bluffs without entering serious climbing territory
This is one of the most fiercely steep and unyielding ascents in the western Lakes. The scree path is heavily eroded, highly mobile, and requires using hands in places for balance. In summer, the lower slopes are swamped with dense bracken, obscuring the start of the path, while descent of this route is universally discouraged due to the steep, sliding rock
Because descending the loose scree chute is arguably more dangerous than climbing it, if you feel out of your depth early on, turn back immediately. Once you are high in the chute, your safest option is to push to the summit and use the grassy southern descent to bail
Leave the North Top and drop gently southwards into the wide, spongy depression that separates the two peaks. Pick your way through the boggy patches along faint, meandering sheep trods before making the short, easy final pull up onto the slightly higher, rocky crown of the South Top
North Top, central saddle depression, Mellbreak South Top (true summit, 512m)
Keep the steep western drop towards Mosedale on your right-hand side as a broad, directional handrail. The path is braided and indistinct through the bog, so maintain a steady southerly bearing until the ground begins to visibly rise towards the South Top
The saddle between the tops is a notorious peat bog that rarely dries out, demanding a zig-zagging approach to avoid ankle-deep black muck. While the gradient is minimal, thick hill fog frequently caps this ridge, turning the gentle grassy expanse into a disorienting, featureless void
Do not attempt to drop east directly to Crummock Water from the saddle, as the ground consists of treacherous, hidden crags and steep scree. If needed, head west off the saddle, dropping down the steep but grassy slopes into the desolate Mosedale valley
Descend the steep, grassy southern nose of Mellbreak towards the flat expanse of Black Beck and the Mosedale valley floor. From here, swing sharply north-east, picking up the rugged, undulating shoreline path that skirts the entire western edge of Crummock Water, weaving through ancient woodland and rocky lakeside outcrops all the way back to your starting point
Southern descent slope, Black Beck, Scale Force (vicinity), Crummock Water western shoreline, Lanthwaite Wood (vicinity)
Once you reach the valley floor, the expansive body of Crummock Water becomes an infallible, continuous handrail. Keep the lake on your right and follow the shoreline path northwards until it gently spits you back out into the Loweswater pastures
The initial descent off the South Top is fiercely steep grass that turns to a slick slip-and-slide in the rain. The 7.7 km walk-out along the lake is highly deceptive; it is not a flat stroll but a surprisingly rough, rocky, and root-choked path that undulates constantly. When lake levels are high after heavy rain, sections of this path completely flood, forcing awkward detours into the steep banking
Once on the lake shore, you are effectively on your escape route, though it is a long, inescapable walk out with no road access on the western side of the lake. Stick to the shoreline path diligently, as the steep, craggy eastern flanks of Mellbreak loom directly above you, barring any lateral escape
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
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.)
The 77 stops at Lanthwaite Green Farm (opp). From there it is 3.2 km and 118 m of ascent to this start — a walk in before the walk. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day, and it is not daily before then — a bus on 31 of the 56 days from 7 September. We don’t know when it returns. Confirmed with the operator, 29 August 2026. The last bus is 18:03 towards Keswick (77), 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 77 passes this route at 9.5 km (Lanthwaite Green Farm (opp), 930 m off the line).
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Short version: turn back at about 3.3 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
about 0.9 km from the start, in a straight line
Foulsyke was a 16th-century manor house; the three cottages are its former barn and stables, and you reach the courtyard through an arched carriage entrance dated 1797.
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).