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9.69 km · ~568 m ascent · ~2.5–4 h · loop · 4 summits

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Swarth Fell and Loadpot Hill

9.69 km
Distance
~2.5–4 h
Typical time
~568 m
Ascent
4
Summits
Download GPX →Maps & guidebooks

Key facts

Distance 9.69 km
Ascent ~568 m
Descent ~575 m
Time ~2.5–4 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

LengthModerate9.69 km round.
SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained pull about 41% around the 2.0 km mark.
TerrainModerateMostly good mountain path. desk assessment — not field-verified
NavigationHardCare needed in cloud — ~26% featureless high ground. 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.

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.

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 169 m to 671 m over 9.7 km, with the summits marked in order. 671 m 169 m 0 km 9.7 km 1234

1 Swarth Fell (Ullswater)2 Loadpot Hill3 Brownthwaite Crag4 Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)

~568 m
Total ascent
671 m
High point
233 m
Start height

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

This walk covers about 9.69 km with around 568 m of ascent, taking in 4 summits. 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 only
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Tough descent
  • 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 ~39% drop around the 9.1 km mark — hard 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).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
Swarth Fell (Ullswater)2.9 km374 m1:12–1:36
Loadpot Hill4.4 km511 m1:44–2:19
Brownthwaite Crag7.5 km525 m2:22–3:09
Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)8.4 km566 m2:37–3:29
Finish9.7 km568 m2:53–3:50

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

The walk, stage by stage

Start → Swarth Fell (Ullswater) (2.9 km, 374 m)

Climb of about 374 m over 2.9 km (around 13% average).

Swarth Fell (Ullswater) → Loadpot Hill (1.5 km, 137 m)

Climb of about 137 m over 1.5 km (around 9% average).

Loadpot Hill → Brownthwaite Crag (3.0 km, 14 m)

Descent of about 247 m over 3.0 km.

Brownthwaite Crag → Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) (0.9 km, 41 m)

Undulating section of about 0.9 km.

Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) → Finish (1.3 km, 3 m)

Descent of about 188 m over 1.3 km.

Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.

Summits bagged (4)

🅿️ Getting there & parking

Martindale, St Peter's church (free, limited) — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)
Quiet side of Ullswater — Hallin Fell, Steel Knotts, Beda Fell, Pikeawassa.
Directions
Aira Force (NT, paid) — 3.9 km from the start (straight line)
For Gowbarrow Fell and the path toward Great Dodd via Dockray.
Directions

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

💧 Water, shelter & getting away

🚌 Hause Farm (183 m)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.

🚌 Buses

Stagecoach 508 “Ullswater Bus”
Penrith – Pooley Bridge – Aira Force – Glenridding – Patterdale (summer services continue over Kirkstone Pass to Troutbeck and Windermere)
Catch it from: Penrith · Windermere (summer only)
The key route from Penrith for the Eastern and Far Eastern fells: Helvellyn from Glenridding, Place Fell, the Hartsop fells. The summer Kirkstone extension drops you at the pass for Red Screes and Caudale Moor.

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

Short version: turn back at about 6.5 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.

⬇️ Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

📚 Maps & guidebooks for Swarth Fell and Loadpot Hill

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