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14.83 km · ~720 m ascent · ~4–5.5 h · loop · 4 summits

Home / Routes / Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

The rocky nose of Eagle Crag above Stonethwaite
Severe steepnessLoop

Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag

14.83 km
Distance
~4–5.5 h
Typical time
~720 m
Ascent
4
Summits

Photo: © Lee McCoy

Download GPX →

Key facts

Distance 14.83 km
Ascent ~720 m
Descent ~719 m
Time ~4–5.5 h
Type Loop
Start Stonethwaite
A rugged ~15 km round from Stonethwaite over three Wainwrights — the bold rocky nose of Eagle Crag, neighbouring Sergeant's Crag, and the broad whaleback of Ullscarf — returning down the quiet head of Borrowdale.

✎️ Walked and described first-hand by Lee. A serious round: the navigation over Ullscarf and Greenup Edge is boggy and featureless (a compass is essential in cloud), and the direct Eagle Crag line is steep and intricate — good-weather, sure-footed terrain. Carry OS Explorer OL4.

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.

Difficulty profile

LengthHard14.83 km — a long day out.
SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained pull about 57% around the 12.2 km mark.
TerrainModerateMostly good mountain path. desk assessment — not field-verified
NavigationHardBroad or featureless ground where navigation is serious in cloud — map and compass needed.
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 3 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

By bus: the Borrowdale Bus (78) reaches Rosthwaite at 08:33 and the last one back leaves at 20:05. At a steady pace this walk finishes about 14:05. Be off Eagle Crag by 18:25. Runs daily, including public holidays. From the summer 2026 timetable, read on 21 Aug 2026. Check the timetable before you rely on it.

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, shaded by steepness
Elevation profile Rises from about 96 m to 723 m over 14.8 km, with the summits marked in order. The area beneath is shaded by sustained steepness over a 250 m window, in the same four bands as the route’s steepness rating: Easy under 15%, Moderate 15 to 25%, Hard 25 to 35%, Severe above 35%. 723 m 96 m 0 km 14.8 km 1234

1 Lining Crag2 Ullscarf3 Sergeant's Crag4 Eagle Crag

Easy 78%Moderate 13%Hard 5%Severe 3%

~720 m
Total ascent
723 m
High point
96 m
Start height

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

This walk covers about 14.83 km with around 720 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
Not dog-friendly
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Tough descent
  • Dog: 1 ladder/squeeze stile(s) a dog can’t get through.
  • Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
  • Knees: A long, steep ~57% drop around the 12.0 km mark — hard on the knees.

On the line: 8 gates · 1 ladder stile · 4 stiles (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)
1Lining Crag4.2 km439 m1:34–2:05
2Ullscarf6.5 km630 m2:21–3:07
3Sergeant's Crag10.6 km689 m3:16–4:21
4Eagle Crag11.6 km695 m3:29–4:37
Finish14.8 km720 m4:10–5:32

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. 1

    Stonethwaite → Lining Crag (4.2 km, 439 m)

    Climb of about 439 m over 4.2 km (around 10% average).

    If you need to get off

    Retreat: Reverse your route directly back down the Greenup Gill path. It is a well-established, major thoroughfare (part of the Coast-to-Coast route) and very safe to descend. Trap: Do not attempt to cross Greenup Gill to the east side prematurely; stick to the established path on the western side of the beck until the footbridges

  2. 2

    Lining Crag → Ullscarf (2.3 km, 191 m)

    Climb of about 191 m over 2.3 km (around 8% average).

    Decision point

    From Lining Crag continue SE/S onto the broad, boggy plateau of Greenup Edge. The fence on the map is gone — follow the faint line of old metal posts and a vague trod between the bogs, picking the drier hummocks. Where a clearer path climbs onto drier grass, follow it toward the Ullscarf ridge. At a path split just past the worst bog, take the LEFT fork — the dry short-cut across a fence corner — which rejoins the post-line higher up (note this re-join point; you use it on the way back). Then climb roughly SSE to Ullscarf's small summit cairn on its anonymous plateau.

    Easy to get wrong

    Greenup Edge and the Ullscarf plateau are notoriously boggy and featureless — in poor visibility this is serious compass-and-pacing ground; leave the path and you drift into trackless bog. Take the LEFT (dry) fork at the split, not the right fork that stays in the bogs, and fix the re-join point in your memory for the return.

    If you need to get off

    Retreat: In poor visibility, retrace your bearing strictly north-west back to the Greenup Edge plateau to intercept the main Greenup Gill descent path. Trap: Do NOT bail east or south-east off the Ullscarf plateau. The ground is featureless bog that will eventually drop you into the Wythburn / Thirlmere valley, putting a massive mountain range between you and your car in Stonethwaite

  3. 3

    Ullscarf → Sergeant's Crag (4.1 km, 59 m)

    About 4.1 km with 59 m of ascent.

    Decision point

    Retrace NW from the cairn beside the old posts; at the familiar fence-corner split take the dry short-cut again (bear right) back onto Greenup Edge. On the plateau pick up the cairns heading NW/W toward the Greenup Gill descent — aim for a large rocky knoll with a distinctive summit fence post, bear right in front of it skirting a bog, and pick up a cairn marking the route. Drop gently toward the boggy head of Greenup Gill below Long Crag, swinging left beneath Long Crag's bulk (little more than hints of trod — navigate by terrain, above the worst bog, below the crags) until you meet the wall and path at the saddle between Eagle Crag and Sergeant's Crag; the last short climb to Sergeant's Crag is straightforward.

    Easy to get wrong

    There's almost no path across the head of Greenup Gill — keep above the bog and below the outcrops, and use the wall as a handrail once you reach it. In mist the cairns and the knoll's fence post are the key markers; this is the easiest place on the round to lose the line.

    If you need to get off

    Retreat: As you traverse the trackless, boggy head of Greenup Gill below Long Crag, your safest bail is to drop right (north/north-east) into the valley bottom. You will quickly intercept the main Greenup Gill path, which you can follow north straight back to Stonethwaite. Trap: Do absolutely NOT bail west/left over the ridge line. The western flanks of this ridge drop vertically into the Langstrath valley via massive, impassable crags

  4. 4

    Sergeant's Crag → Eagle Crag (1.0 km, 7 m)

    Descent of about 49 m over 1.0 km.

    Decision point

    From Sergeant's small summit cairn (a short path off the wall), continue over the top and bear slightly left down to a ladder stile over the wall — the far side is steep, descend carefully. Follow the faint path skirting the peaty head of Greenup Gill toward Eagle Crag, keeping to the RIGHT (west) side of the wall when you meet it. Follow the wall and main trod ~300 m over mostly good turf; where the path bears away from the wall, follow it to Eagle Crag's modest summit cairn on its sloping rock.

    Easy to get wrong

    When you meet the wall, keep to its RIGHT (west) side — ignore any ladder stile that would put you on the wrong side for the Eagle Crag line. The far side of the Sergeant's Crag ladder stile is steep.

    If you need to get off

    Retreat: If you reach the saddle and the weather has turned foul, do not proceed to the Eagle Crag descent. Instead, drop carefully east off the saddle down the grassy (though pathless) slopes directly into Greenup Gill to join the main valley path

  5. Eagle Crag → Finish (3.2 km, 25 m)

    Descent of about 405 m over 3.2 km.

    Decision point

    From Eagle Crag's cairn take the clear path NE off the top, dropping toward the rock terraces above Heron Crag. Thread the terraces — generally favour the central / slightly-left line where a short rocky step links them — gravitating toward the gully below. Descend the short (often wet) gully using hands for balance; at its foot bear left onto a grass-and-heather knoll, then down to the saddle behind Bleak How and the step-stile over the fence. Below the stile turn right down steep grass / bracken close to the wall, above the enclosed woodland, through a hole in the wall into the field; bear left round the field edge skirting a marshy patch, through the gates back to the bridleway by the Greenup Gill footbridge, and reverse your outward route to Stonethwaite Bridge — left across it and back up the lane to the phone box.

    Easy to get wrong

    This direct Eagle Crag line is really an ascent route — guidebooks say not to descend it, and not in poor weather (see the warnings; consider walking the round the other way to climb it instead). On the terraces, sight each one before committing — ground that felt fine on the way up looks exposed coming down — and don't go too far right where the terrace narrows above big drops. At Bleak How the step-stile's lower step has rotted away, leaving a big drop — take care and lift/assist dogs. The steep grass/bracken below is slippery when wet; stay close to the wall.

    If you need to get off

    Retreat (Pre-commitment): As the route notes heavily warn, this is a dangerous descent in wet or windy conditions. If you are at the Eagle Crag cairn and the rock is slick, your "bail" is to refuse the descent, walk back south to the Sergeant's Crag saddle, and drop into Greenup Gill. Trap: Once you commit to threading the rock terraces above Heron Crag, there is no lateral bail route. You are locked in. Do not drift too far right (east) on these terraces, as they narrow into sheer drops. If you miss the central/left gully step, climb back up and reassess; do not try to force a route down blind crags

Summits bagged (4)

  1. 1Lining Crag542 mCentral · Birkett, Synge
  2. 2Ullscarf723 mCentral · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, HuMP
  3. 3Sergeant's Crag571 mCentral · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  4. 4Eagle Crag523 mCentral · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge

In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.

Getting there & parking

Great Crag (layby) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Lining Crag, Ullscarf, Sergeant's Crag and Eagle Crag — the 'Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag' route starts 17 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Great Crag, south-west (layby) — 0.1 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Lining Crag, Ullscarf, Sergeant's Crag and Eagle Crag — the 'Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag' route starts 59 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Roadside parking for Great Crag (free) — 0.3 km from the start (straight line)
1.2 km from Great Crag. Added from the 5 Aug 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
Stonethwaite (roadside, limited) — 0.6 km from the start (straight line)
Small roadside area near the hamlet — Eagle Crag, Sergeant's Crag, Langstrath approaches.
Directions Something changed here?
🚺 Rosthwaite Village (~1413 m straight line) — Free · Accessible☕ Peathouse Tea & Coffee Shop🍺 The Langstrath Inn
Great Crag car park (paid) — 0.8 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Dovenest Top (Dovenest Crag) (Stonethwaite Fell), Thornythwaite Fell and Castle Crag — the 'The Borrowdale Fells (Rosthwaite Fell round)' route starts 174 m away. Also serves 'Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag'. Paid parking (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?

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 →

Water, shelter & getting away

🚌 Stonethwaite Village (237 m)🚌 Chapel Howe Road End (375 m)🚌 Stonethwaite Road End (390 m)🚌 Longthwaite Road End (394 m)⛺ Chapel House Farm Campsite (322 m)

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

Buses

The 77 stops at Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end, 420 m from this start. The last bus is 20:03 towards Keswick (78), 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 14.8 km (Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end, 390 m off the line).

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.

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.

  • Stonethwaite (roadside, limited)
  • Great Crag, south-west (layby)
  • Roadside parking for Great Crag (free)

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.

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.

  • Ullscarf — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00. It waits longest in midsummer — about a quarter of an hour after sunrise.
  • Sergeant's Crag — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, about a quarter of an hour later. In late September, about 07:15. It waits longest in late December — about an hour after sunrise.
  • Eagle Crag — in late March the sun reaches it around 07:00, about an hour later. In late September, about 07:45. It waits longest in late September — about an hour after sunrise. In late December, not until about 09:00.

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

  • The direct Eagle Crag route (described here in descent) is a steep, intricate line of rock terraces and a wet gully that guidebooks recommend for ascent only, and only in good weather — consider walking the round the other way to climb it, and avoid it altogether in the wet.
  • On Eagle Crag's terraces, don't go too far right where the terrace narrows above steep drops; sight each terrace before committing.
  • The Bleak How step-stile has a rotted lower step — a big step down; take care and lift or assist dogs.
  • Lining Crag's north face is near-vertical into Greenup Gill with little warning from the grassy top — keep back from the lip.
  • Greenup Edge and the Ullscarf plateau are boggy and featureless — serious navigation in mist; rely on the old fence posts, cairns and bearings.

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: In poor weather, skip the boggy Ullscarf / Greenup Edge plateau — many walkers take the Greenup Gill bridleway to Lining Crag and visit Eagle Crag and Sergeant's Crag by their easier lines, omitting Ullscarf altogether. The direct Eagle Crag terraces are best avoided in the wet.

Why this direction: The direct Eagle Crag line is described here in descent to keep the round clockwise from Stonethwaite, but it is really an ascent route. If you'd rather climb it than descend it, walk the round the other way — up Eagle Crag first, then Sergeant's Crag and Ullscarf, descending the easy Greenup Gill bridleway past Lining Crag.

Short version: turn back at about 10.1 km (drop to Stonethwaite) — roughly half the distance.

Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

Places to stay near this start

Seatoller House B&B guest house

about 1.6 km from the start, in a straight line

Two named family rooms (Rabbit and Stag), both large with a private bathroom opposite, plus a dog policy precise enough to plan around — dogs in, but never in the dining room and dried off at the back door. The catch is timing: breakfast runs 8.00–8.30 only, which is late for a long Ullscarf day, and dinner is a single 7pm sitting that must be pre-booked 48 hours ahead if you did not book direct. It also shuts for the winter.

Worth knowing: “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”

The house is 400 years old, has taken guests for more than a century, and is the largest building in the hamlet of Seatoller; every bedroom is named for a local animal — Badger, Eagle, Osprey, Otter, Owl, Rabbit, Squirrel, Stag, Hedgehog and the Bakehouse annexe.

  • Dogs “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”
  • Family rooms “Rabbit Large Family room, Private bathroom directly opposite, great views of garden & Fells”
  • Evening meal “dinner is a set menu served at 7.00pm with the exception of Wednesdays, when Dinner is not served”
  • Parking “There are 10 bedrooms all with private bathrooms, a large award winning garden surrounding the house and ample private car parking.”

Worth knowing before you book

These places state on their own site that they do not take children.

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.