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13.27 km · ~649 m ascent · ~3.5–5 h · loop · 4 summits

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Heather-clad slopes of Gowbarrow falling away to Ullswater, the lake winding between rolling fells under a bright, cloud-dappled sky
HardLoopPlanned

Swineside Knott & Gowbarrow

13.27 km
Distance
~3.5–5 h
Typical time
~649 m
Ascent
4
Summits

Photo: © Lee McCoy

Download GPX →Maps & guidebooks

Key facts

Distance 13.27 km
Ascent ~649 m
Descent ~641 m
Time ~3.5–5 h
Best season Any season in good visibility — this is a route for the views, so pick a clear day. The higher moorland can be wet and rough underfoot.
Type Loop
A satisfying loop over the heather tops of Gowbarrow above Ullswater, starting from the busy Aira Force car park — but climbing quickly away from the waterfall crowds onto quiet, rolling moorland that most of them never reach. The round takes in Brown Hills, Swineside Knott and Common Fell before the open summit of Gowbarrow Fell, a Wainwright with one of the finest views over Ullswater, which stays with you for much of the way. Moderate, with one steep early pull — save it for a clear day and let the lake do the rest.
✎️ 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

LengthModerate13.27 km round.
SteepnessHardSteepest sustained pull about 34% around the 3.0 km mark.
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.

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 159 m to 551 m over 13.3 km, with the summits marked in order. 551 m 159 m 0 km 13.3 km 1234

1 Brown Hills2 Swineside Knott3 Common Fell4 Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit)

~649 m
Total ascent
551 m
High point
159 m
Start height

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

This walk covers about 13.27 km with around 649 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
Mostly gates
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Steep in places
  • Dog: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
  • Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
  • Knees: A sustained ~23% descent around the 5.7 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.

On the line: 14 gates · 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 and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
Brown Hills3.6 km395 m1:23–1:51
Swineside Knott4.0 km395 m1:27–1:56
Common Fell5.0 km401 m1:40–2:13
Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit)9.2 km635 m2:54–3:52
Finish13.3 km649 m3:44–4:58

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

The walk, stage by stage

Start → Brown Hills (3.6 km, 395 m)

Climb of about 395 m over 3.6 km (around 11% average).

Brown Hills → Swineside Knott (0.3 km, 0 m)

Undulating section of about 0.3 km.

Swineside Knott → Common Fell (1.0 km, 6 m)

Undulating section of about 1.0 km.

Common Fell → Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit) (4.3 km, 234 m)

Climb of about 234 m over 4.3 km (around 5% average).

Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit) → Finish (4.0 km, 14 m)

Descent of about 307 m over 4.0 km.

Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.

Summits bagged (4)

🅿️ Getting there & parking

Aira Force (NT, paid) — 0.5 km from the start (straight line)
For Gowbarrow Fell and the path toward Great Dodd via Dockray.
Directions
Dockray (roadside) — 1.9 km from the start (straight line)
Verge parking for the Dodds and Matterdale Common.
Directions

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

💧 Water, shelter & getting away

💧 possible water source (25 m)💧 possible water source (59 m)🚌 Aira Force - Park Brow Foot (90 m)🚌 Park Brow Foot - Aira Force (94 m)

💧 Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is usually a tap or public supply, but never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock or a carcass upstream and leave you seriously ill. Run it through a filter or purifier (a LifeStraw, Sawyer Squeeze or HydraPak) or bring it to a rolling boil first.

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 7.7 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.

⬇️ Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

📚 Maps & guidebooks for Swineside Knott & Gowbarrow

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