Stone Arthur from Grasmere
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Key facts
Difficulty profile
Five independent axes, not one score — all field-checked on the ground here, with nothing left as a desk estimate.
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.
1 Stone Arthur
Easy 36%Moderate 38%Hard 26%Severe
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 6.82 km with around 516 m of ascent, taking in 1 summit. 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: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A long, steep ~31% drop around the 4.6 km mark — hard on the knees.
On the line: 6 gates · 2 kissing 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 (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-20. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Stone Arthur | 3.3 km | 461 m | 1:25–1:54 |
| Finish | 6.8 km | 516 m | 2:13–2:57 |
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
Start → Stone Arthur (3.3 km, 461 m)
You can start from the laybys on the A591, but the true trail begins just beside the Swan Hotel in Grasmere. Head down the walled track next to the hotel, which quickly leads to a gate opening out onto the fellside. Immediately after passing through this gate, take the left fork and begin the steep climb up the rocky path running alongside the dry stone wall. The path will eventually veer to the right before bringing you back around for the final rocky push to the summit
WaypointsThe Swan Hotel (A591), walled track, fellside gate, Stone Arthur summit
Decision pointThe route is well signposted from the valley floor. Look for the public footpath sign by the Swan Hotel, and a clear wooden signpost pointing left to "Stone Arthur" at the fork just after the fell gate
Easy to get wrongDo not let the short distance fool you—this is a steep, strenuous slog with a 14% average gradient that feels like a staircase in places. The lower slopes are often heavily covered in bracken during the summer months, but the route itself is not too difficult mechanically. The terrain transitions from grass and dirt to noticeably more rugged, rocky ground as you approach the top
If you need to get offBecause this is a direct ascent, simply turn around and retrace your steps down the clear path back to the main road
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs Stone Arthur → Finish (3.5 km, 56 m)
Leave the summit and simply retrace your exact ascent route. Descend the rocky staircase, follow the path alongside the wall back down to the fell gate, and walk the walled track to finish back at the Swan Hotel
WaypointsStone Arthur summit, fellside gate, The Swan Hotel finish
Decision pointThe path is highly visible and naturally funnels you directly back to the gate and walled track. As you descend, the noise of the A591 main road below will also act as an auditory guide drawing you back to the start
Easy to get wrongThe descent is the exact reverse of the climb. While the steepness can put a lot of pressure on tired knees, it is a fast, highly direct walk out with no hidden surprises
If you need to get offYou are on the main exit route; simply continue descending to the main road
Summits bagged (1)
- 1Stone Arthur504 m
Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate.
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 →
Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Buses
The 555 stops at Grasmere, at School, 120 m from this start. Last bus: Monday to Friday 20:46 towards Keswick (555); Saturday 20:46 towards Keswick (555); Sunday 18:36 towards Keswick (555). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 555 passes this route at 1.4 km (Dunmail Raise, at Winterseeds, 560 m off the line). It passes again at 6.7 km.
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.
- Red Bank Road, Grasmere (W&F, paid)
- Stone Arthur (layby)
- Nab Scar (layby)
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.
Toilets and refreshments
At Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid), the closest parking we hold to where this route starts:
Distances are straight lines from the car park, not walking routes. Opening hours change; none of this is checked daily.
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.
- Stone Arthur — in late March the sun reaches it around 07:00, about an hour later. In late September, about 07:45. It waits longest in midsummer — about an hour after sunrise. In late December, not until about 09:15.
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
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 and harder options coming soon.
Places to stay near this start
From Grasmere: 11 places