West of Grasmere
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Grasmere Village
Getting here Parking: Red Bank Road, Grasmere (W&F, paid), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 555, 559, 599 and X8 stop at Grasmere, opposite Heaton Cooper Studio, a 320 m walk from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Hard distance: 15.44 km — a long day out.
Before you choose
- Blea Rigg: Ridge-upon-ridge of rocky knolls, several tarns and a web of faint, poorly-marked paths make this a genuinely confusing place — it's not always obvious which outcrop is the summit. Carry a compass and a 1:25k map, and be deliberate about your line, especially in cloud.
- Silver How: The Grasmere-facing side is steep and craggy, and the lower reaches are broken — only a few lines get safely off the summit plateau. Don't improvise a descent down the craggy east side; keep to the known paths.
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.
See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
Route map
1 Tarn Crag (Easedale)2 Codale Head3 Sergeant Man4 Blea Rigg5 Swinescar Pike6 Silver How
Easy 89%Moderate 11%HardSevere
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
Start → Tarn Crag (Easedale) (5.1 km, 515 m)
Leave Grasmere and head up the Easedale valley. Follow the well-made path past the cascades of Sour Milk Gill up to Easedale Tarn. From the tarn, leave the main thoroughfare and tackle the steep, rocky, and often wet ascent up the eastern flanks to the summit of Tarn Crag.
WaypointsGrasmere Village, Sour Milk Gill, Easedale Tarn, Tarn Crag summit.
Decision pointEasedale Tarn serves as a massive water handrail. Aim for the craggy high ground looming directly behind it.
Easy to get wrongA long 5.1 km approach. The initial walk to the tarn is heavily trafficked and pitched with stone, but the final 10% pull up Tarn Crag is rough, far less defined, and demands a significant shift in effort.
If you need to get offTurn around and descend the clear, well-trodden paths back from Easedale Tarn to Grasmere.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 2
Tarn Crag (Easedale) → Codale Head (1.6 km, 214 m)
Head west from Tarn Crag across the broad, boggy watershed. Pick a line up the steepening grassy slopes, on paths OSM maps (on the ground they may be faint), to reach the high, undulating summit of Codale Head.
WaypointsTarn Crag summit, Codale Head.
Decision pointFollow faint trods where visible, keeping a general westerly bearing toward the rising skyline.
Easy to get wrongThis is a tough 14% climb over very wet ground. The terrain is deeply boggy and energy-sapping, making it a pure physical slog with little rocky interest.
If you need to get offRetreat to Tarn Crag; dropping directly off the flanks here into the remote valleys below is steep and trackless.
- 3
Codale Head → Sergeant Man (0.5 km, 15 m)
A short, undulating stroll south-west across the high grassy plateau to the prominent, rocky nipple of Sergeant Man.
WaypointsCodale Head, Sergeant Man summit.
Decision pointSergeant Man is a striking, rocky prominence that stands out clearly from the surrounding grassy dome, serving as a distinctive visual target.
Easy to get wrongMechanically very easy after the slog to Codale Head, but this high plateau is fully exposed to the prevailing winds. On Sergeant Man, steep slopes fall away south to Bright Beck and Stickle Tarn, and one approach runs alongside a steep drop into Dungeon Ghyll with an awkward rocky section.
If you need to get offNo way down from here has been checked for this guide: whether to go on along the route or turn back depends on the weather and the party.
- 4
Sergeant Man → Blea Rigg (2.1 km, 21 m)
Descend south-east from Sergeant Man, navigating a complex, undulating ridge line composed of numerous rocky outcrops, boggy hollows, and false summits until reaching the true top of Blea Rigg.
WaypointsSergeant Man descent, Blea Rigg summit.
Decision pointKeep the Easedale valley well down to your left (east). Weave between the outcrops while maintaining a strict south-easterly heading.
Easy to get wrongThis 2.1 km section is notoriously confusing. The ridge is a chaotic jumble of knolls and tarns. While the net elevation is a descent, the constant up-and-down over rocky bumps is incredibly tiring. Checking my Garmin fēnix 6 Pro is always handy here to confirm I'm actually on the true summit, as several rocky bumps vie for the title.
If you need to get offNo way down from the ridge to Easedale Tarn has been checked for this guide; the ground is steep, pathless and rough.
© Lee McCoy - 5
Blea Rigg → Swinescar Pike (2.1 km, 47 m)
Continue south-east along the knobbly ridge, dropping into marshy depressions and crossing over the minor, rocky bump of Swinescar Pike.
WaypointsBlea Rigg, Lang How (skirted), Swinescar Pike.
Decision pointFollow the braided paths along the crest, keeping the view of Grasmere in sight ahead.
Easy to get wrongMore of the same complex terrain. The dips hold water and require weaving to keep boots dry, though the main path becomes slightly more defined as you progress. Ridge-upon-ridge of rocky knolls, several tarns and a web of faint, poorly-marked paths make Blea Rigg a genuinely confusing place — it's not always obvious which outcrop is the summit.
If you need to get offPush forward towards Silver How for the usual descent path.
- 6
Swinescar Pike → Silver How (1.4 km, 41 m)
A short, undulating walk across the final stretch of the ridge to the highly popular, grassy and rocky summit of Silver How.
WaypointsSwinescar Pike, Silver How summit.
Decision pointThe paths funnel together as you approach the prominent summit of Silver How.
Easy to get wrongEasy walking on increasingly clear, heavily trodden paths. Silver How offers one of the absolute best vantage points in the Lakes, looking directly down over Grasmere and Rydal Water. Silver How is criss-crossed by many paths, not all on OS maps, among a clutter of similar rounded tops.
If you need to get offYou are on the final fell; proceed to the main descent.
© Lee McCoy Silver How → Finish (2.6 km, 11 m)
Descend the steep, often pitched eastern paths down the nose of Silver How. Follow the clear trails into the woods around Allan Bank, and walk the lanes directly back into the center of Grasmere.
WaypointsSilver How descent, Allan Bank woodland, Grasmere Village finish.
Decision pointThe village of Grasmere is visible for almost the entire descent, acting as a massive visual magnet. The tracks through the lower woods are clearly marked.
Easy to get wrongA rapid 314 m descent. The path is heavily trafficked, well-maintained, and stepped in places, but the steep gradient is a final, jarring test for tired knees.
If you need to get offYou are on the final exit route; simply continue down to the village.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, March 2025
Summits bagged (6)
- 1Tarn Crag (Easedale)549 m
- 2Codale Head732 m
- 3Sergeant Man736 m
- 4Blea Rigg542 m
- 5Swinescar Pike411 m
- 6Silver How394 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
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.
- Tarn Crag (Easedale) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00. It waits longest in midsummer — about half an hour after sunrise.
- Sergeant Man — 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.
- Blea Rigg — 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.
- Silver How — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:15. It waits longest in midsummer — about half 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
Driving an electric car? Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid) has a verified public charger 39 m away (about 350 m from where this walk starts) — Grasmere Stock Lane (LA22 9SJ), 3 kW. Over about 4.5 hours on the hill that is up to 14 kWh, which is a ceiling and not a promise. EV charging near this start → (checked 2026-08-05).
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.
- Red Bank Road, Grasmere (W&F, paid) — at the start
- Nab Scar (layby) — a 750 m walk to the start
- Silver How (layby) — joins the loop at about km 0.4 of 15.4: a 30 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there
- By bus: buses stop at Grasmere, opposite Heaton Cooper Studio, a 320 m walk from the start. This walk starts and ends in Grasmere, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Grasmere on a weekday: 23:01 towards Kendal (555), 21:53 towards Ambleside (555), 20:53 towards Windermere (555). A bus is not affected by a full car park, but check the timetable before you rely on it.
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 555, 559, 599 and X8 stop at Grasmere, opposite Heaton Cooper Studio, a 320 m walk from this start. This walk starts and ends in Grasmere, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Grasmere: the 555 towards Kendal at 23:01 Monday to Saturday, 19:30 on Sunday; the 555 towards Ambleside at 21:53 Monday to Saturday, none on Sunday; the 555 towards Windermere at 20:53 Monday to Saturday, 20:00 on Sunday; the 599 towards Bowness on Windermere at 19:15 every day. From Grasmere, opposite Heaton Cooper Studio; checked against the operator's timetable, 24 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 555 passes this route at 0.4 km (Grasmere, opposite Heaton Cooper Studio, 30 m off the line). Other services cross it too — 516 at 11.1 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Red Bank Road car park, beside the start: pay and display, with charges from 08:00 to 20:00 every day, bank holidays included. 6 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (Westmorland and Furness Council, Red Bank Road car park, checked 30 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 Thirteen Valleys Kitchen is mapped about 55 m from the start, with more cafés in the village. Opening hours are not recorded here. 53 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation Blea Rigg is ridge upon ridge of rocky knolls and faint paths, and it is not always obvious which outcrop is the summit: carry a compass and a 1:25,000 map. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of where this route starts (information boards within 150 m; benches and shelter within 50 m):
Distances are straight lines from where this route starts, not walking routes. Opening hours are as mapped and change; none of this is checked daily.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.
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
Hard overall — hardest: Length
Five independent axes, not one score. Three of the five were 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tarn Crag (Easedale) | 5.1 km | 515 m | 1:53–2:30 |
| 2Codale Head | 6.7 km | 729 m | 2:34–3:24 |
| 3Sergeant Man | 7.2 km | 743 m | 2:41–3:34 |
| 4Blea Rigg | 9.4 km | 764 m | 3:09–4:11 |
| 5Swinescar Pike | 11.5 km | 810 m | 3:39–4:51 |
| 6Silver How | 12.9 km | 852 m | 4:00–5:19 |
| Finish | 15.4 km | 863 m | 4:32–6:01 |
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: No mapped stiles; terrain Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground, but the going for wheels is not recorded; not a buggy line on what we know.
- Knees: A sustained ~30% descent over 250 m around the 13.7 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: drops and exposed ground.
- Drops and exposed ground: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. Graded on the ground.
- Stiles and gates: Only gates and kissing gates are mapped: no stile a dog can’t get through. That is the barriers alone; check the route’s steep or rocky ground before you bring a dog. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 20 July 2026)
- Rock and scrambling: Ground underfoot: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. Graded on the ground.
- 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: 11 gates · 3 kissing gates
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 20 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
From Grasmere: 11 places
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Grasmere — 0.3 km from this start
- Walks from Elterwater — 2.7 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.
