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12.53 km · ~655 m ascent · ~3.5–5 h · loop · 2 summits

Home / Routes / Walla Crag and Bleaberry Fell from Keswick
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Walla Crag and Bleaberry Fell from Keswick

12.53 km
Distance
~3.5–5 h
Typical time
~655 m
Ascent
2
Summits
Download GPX →Maps & guidebooks

Key facts

Distance 12.53 km
Ascent ~655 m
Descent ~651 m
Time ~3.5–5 h
Type Loop
A proper fell day that starts and finishes on foot from Keswick — no car needed. Walla Crag gives one of the great Derwentwater views for very little effort; Bleaberry Fell behind it is a rougher, boggier, quieter proposition that most people skip. Together they make a satisfying half-day horseshoe straight out of the town.
✎️ 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

LengthModerate12.53 km round.
SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained pull about 39% around the 3.5 km mark.
TerrainModerateGood paths out of Keswick, but the ground between Walla Crag and Bleaberry Fell is peaty and can be heavy going after rain. (Editorially assessed from the documented character of the route, not computed from gradient; not yet personally walked.)
NavigationModerateBleaberry Fell’s top is broad and indistinct; in cloud the line back down to Walla Crag is easy to lose. (Editorially assessed from the documented character of the route, not computed from gradient; not yet personally walked.)
ExposureModerateThe walking line is safe — but Walla Crag’s summit edge is an unfenced drop straight down to Derwentwater. Keep well back, especially with children or a dog. (Editorially assessed from the documented character of the route, not computed from gradient; not yet personally walked.)

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 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 82 m to 585 m over 12.5 km, with the summits marked in order. 585 m 82 m 0 km 12.5 km 12

1 Walla Crag2 Bleaberry Fell

~655 m
Total ascent
585 m
High point
83 m
Start height

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

This walk covers about 12.53 km with around 655 m of ascent, taking in 2 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
Tough descent
  • Dog: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
  • Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
  • Knees: A long, steep ~36% drop around the 6.9 km mark — hard on the knees.

On the line: 12 gates · 3 kissing gates · 2 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 2026-07-14. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
Walla Crag4.1 km355 m1:25–1:53
Bleaberry Fell6.6 km622 m2:21–3:07
Finish12.5 km655 m3:36–4:47

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

The walk, stage by stage

Start → Walla Crag (4.1 km, 355 m)

Climb of about 355 m over 4.1 km (around 9% average).

Walla Crag → Bleaberry Fell (2.4 km, 267 m)

Climb of about 267 m over 2.4 km (around 11% average).

Bleaberry Fell → Finish (6.0 km, 33 m)

Descent of about 508 m over 6.0 km.

Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.

Summits bagged (2)

  • Walla Crag 379 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  • Bleaberry Fell 590 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge

🅿️ Getting there & parking

Keswick town (various paid) — 0.1 km from the start (straight line)
Hub for the Northern and North Western fells; bus interchange for the Ramblers.
Directions
Gale Road / Latrigg top (free) — 2.3 km from the start (straight line)
Free car park at the road end behind Latrigg — shortest way up Skiddaw via Jenkin Hill.
Directions

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

💧 Water, shelter & getting away

💧 possible water source (121 m)🛖 map (3 m)🚺 map (122 m)🚺 map (123 m)🚌 Keswick Park Hotel (143 m)🚌 Daleview Hotel (196 m)🚌 The Daleview Hotel (203 m)🚌 Greta Bank (248 m)⛺ Keswick YHA (200 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 555
Kendal – Staveley – Windermere – Ambleside – Rydal – Grasmere – Thirlmere (Wythburn & Swirls) – Keswick
Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside
Year-round, roughly hourly. The backbone bus of the A591 — ideal for Helvellyn (Wythburn/Swirls), Fairfield, the Central fells and anything around Grasmere/Rydal. From Penrith, take the X4/X5 to Keswick and change.
Stagecoach X4 / X5
Penrith – Rheged – Threlkeld – Keswick – Braithwaite – Cockermouth – Workington
Catch it from: Penrith
Year-round, frequent. From Penrith this is your way into Keswick and the Northern fells — Threlkeld/Scales stops serve Blencathra directly, Braithwaite serves the Coledale fells.
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.
Stagecoach 78 “Borrowdale Rambler”
Keswick – Lodore – Grange – Rosthwaite – Seatoller
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 or X4/X5)
Year-round, frequent in season. Serves all the Borrowdale starts — Glaramara, the Scafells and Great Gable via Seathwaite (alight Seatoller, 20 min walk up the lane).

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before travelling.

⚠️ Safety & conditions

  • Walla Crag’s summit edge is unfenced and drops steeply to Derwentwater. It is a viewpoint, not a scramble — stay back from the edge.
  • The col between the two fells holds water. Expect bog, and boots rather than trainers.

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

⬇️ Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

📚 Maps & guidebooks for Walla Crag and Bleaberry Fell from Keswick

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