Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Stonethwaite
Getting here Parking: Stonethwaite lane (layby), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 77 and 78 stop at Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end, a 430 m walk from this start. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Severe steepness: Steepest sustained climb about 45% around the 2.6 km mark. Hands for a few steps: the gully and rock terraces up Eagle Crag (km 0.0–3.2).
Before you choose
- The direct Eagle Crag route (climbed here, not descended) is a steep, intricate line of rock terraces and a wet gully that guidebooks recommend for ascent only, and only in good weather — avoid it altogether in the wet, and do not come back down it.
- On Eagle Crag's terraces, don't go too far west, towards Heron Crag's cliff, 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 up from below; 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.
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) (opens in new tab) reaches Rosthwaite at 08:33 and the last one back leaves from Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end at 20:03, Tuesday to Sunday only. At a steady pace this walk finishes about 14:05. Be off Lining Crag by 14:24, to be down at least an hour before dusk on 1 November; that is earlier than the last bus needs. The last bus is from the operator’s timetable, checked 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November. 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.
See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
Route map
1 Eagle Crag2 Sergeant's Crag3 Ullscarf4 Lining Crag
Easy 80%Moderate 13%Hard 4%Severe 3%
Heights on this chart and its high point are read from the track itself (a terrain model sampled along the line, or a GPS recording), so a top can differ from its listed height, usually reading lower.
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
The elevation profile is under the map; the stage notes follow.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Stonethwaite → Eagle Crag (3.2 km, 446 m)
Decision pointFrom the phone box walk down the lane and turn left across Stonethwaite Bridge, then right on the bridleway, which runs south-east with Stonethwaite Beck on your right. At the Greenup Gill footbridge, cross the gill and leave the bridleway for the field, through the gates. Keep right round the field edge, skirting a marshy patch, to a hole in the wall. Through it, climb the steep grass and bracken close to the wall, above the enclosed woodland, to the step-stile over the fence on the saddle behind Bleak How. Beyond the stile climb onto a grass-and-heather knoll and bear right into the foot of the short, often wet gully. Climb the gully using hands for balance, then thread the rock terraces above Heron Crag, generally favouring the central line where a short rocky step links them and keeping off the west side above Heron Crag's cliff, to Eagle Crag's modest summit cairn on its sloping rock.
Easy to get wrongOnce 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 west on these terraces, towards Heron Crag's cliff: that is the side where they narrow into sheer drops. If you lose the central line, go back to the last point where you were sure of it and reassess; do not try to force a way up blind crags.
If you need to get offRetreat (Pre-commitment): As the route notes warn, the nose is no place to be in wet or windy conditions. If the rock is slick when you reach the step-stile behind Bleak How, do not go on up: go back down the way you came to the Greenup Gill bridleway and Stonethwaite. Once you are on the terraces, do not plan on coming back down them, because the Eagle Crag hazard notes advise against descending the nose; the way off is over the top and on by the next stage.
- 2
Eagle Crag → Sergeant's Crag (1.0 km, 70 m)
Decision pointFrom Eagle Crag's cairn follow the path south-south-east to meet the wall, and cross it by the stile there. Follow the wall and the main trod south for about 300 m over mostly good turf, keeping to the wall's west side, with the wall on your left. Where the path leaves the wall, follow the faint path skirting the peaty head of Greenup Gill and climb to Sergeant's Crag's small summit cairn, a short path off the wall.
Easy to get wrongBetween Eagle Crag and Sergeant's Crag, keep to the west side of the wall, on your left as you head south; ignore any ladder stile that would put you on the wrong side of it.
If you need to get offRetreat: If the weather turns on Eagle Crag's top, do not go back down the nose. Carry on over Sergeant's Crag and the head of Greenup Gill to Greenup Edge, and take the Greenup Gill path down past Lining Crag to Stonethwaite, leaving out Ullscarf. The slopes straight off the saddle between Eagle Crag and Sergeant's Crag are pathless, and we have not checked a line down them.
- 3
Sergeant's Crag → Ullscarf (3.7 km, 228 m)
Decision pointFrom the cairn head south, over the wall by the ladder stile (take care: the ground on its north side is steep), and drop to the wall and path at the col south of Sergeant's Crag. From the col head south-east, then east-north-east, across the boggy head of Greenup Gill beneath Long Crag's bulk: little more than hints of trod, so navigate by terrain, above the worst bog and below the crags. Rise gently to a cairn marking the route, skirt a bog and bear left in front of a large rocky knoll with a distinctive summit fence post, and follow the cairns onto Greenup Edge. There, meet the faint line of old metal posts and follow it north-north-east toward Ullscarf. At the path split, 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 north to Ullscarf's small summit cairn on its anonymous plateau.
Easy to get wrongDo absolutely NOT bail west over the ridge line. The western flanks of this ridge drop vertically into the Langstrath valley via massive, impassable crags.
If you need to get offRetreat: As you cross the trackless, boggy head of Greenup Gill below Long Crag, keep going to Greenup Edge and, instead of turning north for Ullscarf, take the Greenup Gill path down past Lining Crag to Stonethwaite. Do not go back over Eagle Crag: its nose is not a way down. We have not checked a line straight down into the gill from here.
- 4
Ullscarf → Lining Crag (2.8 km, 12 m)
Decision pointHead back south from the cairn beside the old posts. At the familiar fence-corner split, take the dry short-cut again (bear right), and follow the clearer path down off the drier grass 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 the line you came in on from Long Crag bears off south-west, keep west, then north-west, down to the top of Lining Crag.
Easy to get wrongDo 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.
If you need to get offRetreat: In poor visibility this stage is already the way off: keep to the post line down to Greenup Edge and take the main Greenup Gill path past Lining Crag.
Lining Crag → Finish (4.2 km, 1 m)
Decision pointFrom the top of Lining Crag the bridleway drops north-north-west, steeply at first, into Greenup Gill, then follows the gill north-west down the valley, fording several side streams, until it meets the outward bridleway above Stonethwaite Beck. Follow that back to Stonethwaite Bridge, turn left across it, and go back up the lane to the phone box.
Easy to get wrongDo not attempt to cross Greenup Gill to the west side prematurely; stick to the established path on the east (right) bank of the gill, with the water on your left as you descend, until the footbridges.
If you need to get offRetreat: This stage is the way off. The Greenup Gill path is a well-established, major thoroughfare (part of the Coast-to-Coast route) and leads straight back to Stonethwaite.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, April 2026
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 round is described anticlockwise from Stonethwaite so that the direct Eagle Crag line is climbed, not descended: guidebooks recommend it for ascent only, and the Eagle Crag hazard notes advise against coming down it. The way down is the Greenup Gill bridleway past Lining Crag.
Summits bagged (4)
- 1Eagle Crag523 m
- 2Sergeant's Crag571 m
- 3Ullscarf723 m
- 4Lining Crag542 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
More about this walk
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.
Conditions and timing
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How to read these times
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.
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.
Getting there and back
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
Positions are approximate.
Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.
If the parking is full
There is no real plan B by car here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so expect them to fill on the same mornings. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off. The bus below is the exception: it is not limited by car-park space, though it runs to a timetable and can be full.
- Stonethwaite village (roadside, free) — at the start
- Stonethwaite lane, south-west (layby) — at the start
- Stonethwaite lane (layby) — at the start
- By bus: buses stop at Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end, a 430 m walk from the start. A bus is not affected by a full car park. Its return times are under Buses.
We never say whether anywhere has spaces today. Walks to the line are measured along mapped paths (OpenStreetMap), not in a straight line. How we choose these places.
No signal when you get there? RoutePark keeps this list on your phone: choose this walk’s GPX at home, keep it, and it opens offline.
Buses
The 77 and 78 stop at Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end, a 430 m walk from this start. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (78): Tuesday to Sunday 20:03. 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 0.0 km (Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end, 390 m off the line).
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Two small laybys by the start in Stonethwaite, about 25 m and 50 m away: free and unsurfaced, as mapped. No capacity is recorded for them. 24 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (our parking audit, from OpenStreetMap, checked 10 August 2026)
- Toilets No toilets are mapped within 250 m of the start. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments No café or pub is mapped within 250 m of the start: bring what you need. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation The direct climb of Eagle Crag is steep rock terraces and a wet gully, for ascent only and only in good weather: avoid it in the wet, and never come back down it. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 1 October 2026)
Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Planning detail
How each grade on this page is set, and the timings stage by stage.
Difficulty profile
Severe overall — hardest: Steepness; terrain not assessed; exposure not assessed on the ground
Five independent axes, not one score. One of the five was set on the ground; the rest are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground.
How we grade: each axis is Easy, Moderate, Hard or Severe, and a route between two bands takes the higher one. Length: under 8 km, 8–14 km, 14–20 km, over 20 km. Steepness, the steepest 500 m of the track: under 15%, 15–25%, 25–35%, over 35%. Terrain, navigation and exposure are judged rather than measured, and each note says why. How we grade.
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Eagle Crag | 3.2 km | 446 m | 1:23–1:51 |
| 2Sergeant's Crag | 4.2 km | 516 m | 1:42–2:16 |
| 3Ullscarf | 7.9 km | 744 m | 2:49–3:45 |
| 4Lining Crag | 10.7 km | 755 m | 3:24–4:31 |
| Finish | 14.8 km | 756 m | 4:14–5:37 |
A fast–steady range from Naismith’s rule, deliberately on the slow side. Breaks, weather, rough ground and the slowest person in your party all add to it. How we time walks.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A long, steep ~34% drop over 250 m around the 10.7 km mark — hard on the knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: stiles and gates. The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 45% around the 2.6 km mark.
- Stiles and gates: A ladder stile at 4.3 km, mapped on OpenStreetMap, that a dog may not get through. Livestock, ground and water are not assessed. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 9 July 2026)
- Drops and exposed ground: Not assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. Graded from slope only (~57% max); treat exposure as unverified.
- Rock and scrambling: Hands for a few steps: the gully and rock terraces up Eagle Crag (km 0.0–3.2). Ground underfoot: Not assessed.
- Ways off early: None recorded for this route.
- Livestock, shade and water: Not recorded for this route yet. We never call a stream safe for a dog to drink, so carry enough for both of you. The lead rules, and what to do around cattle, are on dogs on the fells.
On the line: 5 gates · 1 ladder stile · 3 stiles (type unmapped)
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 9 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
- Seatoller House B&B (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 1.6 km
We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Stonethwaite — 0.3 km from this start
- Walks from Borrowdale — 0.9 km from this start
Straight-line distance from this walk’s start. Those lists hold the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km of the town, ranked nearest first.