hikes.guideLake District

17.02 km · ~792 m ascent · ~4.5–6.5 h · loop · 5 summits

Home / Routes / Walla Crag, Bleaberry Fell, High Seat, High Tove and Armboth Fell
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Walla Crag, Bleaberry Fell, High Seat, High Tove and Armboth Fell

17.02 km
Distance
~4.5–6.5 h
Typical time
~792 m
Ascent
5
Summits
Download GPX →Maps & guidebooks

Key facts

Distance 17.02 km
Ascent ~792 m
Descent ~792 m
Time ~4.5–6.5 h
Type Loop
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Difficulty profile

LengthHard17.02 km — a long day out.
SteepnessHardSteepest sustained pull about 30% around the 4.4 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 4 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 90 m to 600 m over 17.0 km, with the summits marked in order. 600 m 90 m 0 km 17.0 km 12345

1 Walla Crag2 Bleaberry Fell3 High Seat4 Armboth Fell (Birkett)5 High Tove

~792 m
Total ascent
600 m
High point
99 m
Start height

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

This walk covers about 17.02 km with around 792 m of ascent, taking in 5 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 ~29% descent around the 11.7 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.

On the line: 12 gates · 3 kissing gates · 3 step-over stiles · 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 2026-07-19. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
Walla Crag2.3 km305 m0:58–1:18
Bleaberry Fell4.8 km564 m1:54–2:32
High Seat6.6 km635 m2:23–3:10
Armboth Fell (Birkett)9.7 km687 m3:05–4:06
High Tove10.7 km731 m3:21–4:28
Finish17.0 km792 m4:43–6:17

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

The walk, stage by stage

Start → Walla Crag (2.3 km, 305 m)

Climb of about 305 m over 2.3 km (around 13% average).

Walla Crag → Bleaberry Fell (2.5 km, 260 m)

Climb of about 260 m over 2.5 km (around 10% average).

Bleaberry Fell → High Seat (1.8 km, 70 m)

Climb of about 70 m over 1.8 km (around 4% average).

High Seat → Armboth Fell (Birkett) (3.1 km, 52 m)

About 3.1 km with 52 m of ascent.

Armboth Fell (Birkett) → High Tove (1.0 km, 44 m)

About 1.0 km with 44 m of ascent.

High Tove → Finish (6.3 km, 61 m)

Climb of about 61 m over 6.3 km (around 1% average).

Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.

Summits bagged (5)

  • Walla Crag 379 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  • Bleaberry Fell 590 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  • High Seat 609 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, HuMP
  • Armboth Fell (Birkett) 479 m · Central · Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  • High Tove 515 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge

🅿️ Getting there & parking

Great Wood, Keswick (NT, paid) — 1.0 km from the start (straight line)
Under Walla Crag on the Borrowdale road.
Directions
Hawse End / Skelgill Bank, Catbells (roadside, limited) — 2.0 km from the start (straight line)
Very limited roadside parking — better to use the 77 bus or the Keswick launch to Hawse End.
Directions

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

💧 Water, shelter & getting away

🛖 map (2 m)🚺 map (18 m)🚌 Barrow Bay jetty (64 m)🚌 Derwentwater Youth Hostel (S bound) (99 m)🚌 Derwentwater Youth Hostel (N bound) (104 m)⛺ Derwentwater Independent Hostel (316 m)

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

🚌 Buses

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).
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.

⚠️ 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 9.0 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.

⬇️ Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

📚 Maps & guidebooks for Walla Crag, Bleaberry Fell, High Seat, High Tove and Armboth Fell

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work →

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