hikes.guideLake District

4.38 km · ~0 m ascent · ~0.5–1 h · loop · 3 summits

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Rivings and Lothwaite

4.38 km
Distance
~0.5–1 h
Typical time
~0 m
Ascent
3
Summits
Download GPX →Maps & guidebooks

Key facts

Distance 4.38 km
Ascent ~0 m
Time ~0.5–1 h
Type Loop
✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet. A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

🧭 The automated detail on this page — distance, climb, pacing and a first-pass difficulty read — is live. Hand-written field notes are being added.

Difficulty profile

LengthEasy4.38 km — a short outing.
SteepnessEasySteepest sustained pull about 0%.
TerrainModerateMostly good mountain path. desk assessment — not field-verified
NavigationModerateClear line, hard to stray. desk assessment — not field-verified
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.

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
Gates only
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Gentle descent
  • Dog: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
  • Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
  • Knees: No sustained steep descent — kind on the knees.

On the line: 3 gates

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 and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-26. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Conditions on this route

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 & 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
Elevation profile Rises from about 0 m to 0 m over 4.4 km, with the summits marked in order. 0 m 0 m 0 km 4.4 km 123

1 Rivings2 Lothwaite3 Sale Fell

~0 m
Total ascent
0 m
High point
0 m
Start height

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

This walk covers about 4.38 km with around 0 m of ascent, taking in 3 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
Rivings1.6 km0 m0:19–0:25
Lothwaite2.2 km0 m0:27–0:35
Sale Fell3.2 km0 m0:38–0:50
Finish4.4 km0 m0:53–1:10

Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.

The walk, stage by stage

Start → Rivings (1.6 km, 0 m)

Undulating section of about 1.6 km.

Rivings → Lothwaite (0.6 km, 0 m)

Undulating section of about 0.6 km.

Lothwaite → Sale Fell (0.9 km, 0 m)

Undulating section of about 0.9 km.

Sale Fell → Finish (1.2 km, 0 m)

Undulating section of about 1.2 km.

Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.

Summits bagged (3)

  • Rivings 335 m · Northern · Birkett, Synge
  • Lothwaite 345 m · Northern · Birkett, Synge
  • Sale Fell 359 m · North Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, HuMP

🅿️ Getting there & parking

Dodd Wood (paid) — 5.3 km from the start (straight line)
Forestry car park for Dodd, Carl Side and the Ullock Pike ridge onto Skiddaw.
Directions
Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid) — 5.3 km from the start (straight line)
Forest centre — Lord's Seat, Barf, Whinlatter fells, Grisedale Pike's back route.
Directions

Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

💧 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

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before travelling.

⚠️ Safety & conditions

Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast before you set off.

Make it easier or harder

Easier and harder options coming soon.

⬇️ Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

📚 Maps & guidebooks for Rivings and Lothwaite

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