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13.56 km · ~671 m ascent · ~3.5–5 h · loop · 7 summits

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Bassenthwaite Lake from the rocky top of Barf, with cloud hanging over the fells across the water
Severe steepnessLoop

Whinlatter Loop

13.56 km
Distance
~3.5–5 h
Typical time
~671 m
Ascent
7
Summits

Photo: © Lee McCoy

Download GPX →Walked by Lee, July 2026

Key facts

Distance 13.56 km
Ascent ~671 m
Descent ~670 m
Time ~3.5–5 h
Type Loop
A quiet north-western round above Whinlatter that opens with a brutal 32% climb onto Graystones. After that it is undulating grass and forest over Broom Fell, Lord's Seat and Barf — boggy in places, and Lord's Seat is marked by the remains of an old fence post rather than a cairn.
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

LengthModerate13.56 km round.
SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained pull about 56% around the 0.3 km mark.
TerrainModerateGraded on the ground.
NavigationModerateGraded on the ground.
ExposureEasyGraded on the ground.

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 5 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, shaded by steepness
Elevation profile Rises from about 163 m to 526 m over 13.6 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%. 526 m 163 m 0 km 13.6 km 1234567

1 Graystones2 Graystones (Graystones North Top)3 Broom Fell4 Lord's Seat5 Barf6 Whinlatter Top7 Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter)

Easy 85%Moderate 10%Hard 1%Severe 5%

~671 m
Total ascent
526 m
High point
163 m
Start height

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

This walk covers about 13.56 km with around 671 m of ascent, taking in 7 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 ~21% descent around the 10.4 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.

On the line: 7 gates · 2 step-over stiles · 5 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 2026-07-19. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
1Graystones0.9 km291 m0:40–0:53
2Graystones (Graystones North Top)1.2 km292 m0:44–0:59
3Broom Fell3.5 km419 m1:24–1:51
4Lord's Seat4.6 km483 m1:44–2:18
5Barf5.8 km497 m1:59–2:39
6Whinlatter Top9.1 km659 m2:55–3:53
7Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter)9.8 km659 m3:03–4:04
Finish13.6 km671 m3:50–5:06

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

    Start → Graystones (0.9 km, 291 m)

    Climb of about 291 m over 0.9 km (around 32% average).

    From the parking area near Darling How / Scawgill Bridge, cross Aiken Beck and immediately begin a relentless, calf-burning ascent up the grassy slopes and gorse alongside the boundary fence and wall, heading directly toward the summit plateau

    Waypoints

    Scawgill Bridge, Aiken Beck, Graystones summit plateau

    Decision point

    The boundary fence and wall serve as a direct, unmissable handrail up the steep slope

    Easy to get wrong

    A brutal 32% average gradient right from the start. Once the steepness finally eases near a broken wall, the true summit can be confusing. I've made this mistake before: the nearest high grassy ground to the right of the ascent is actually the Birkett top. The official Wainwright top sits to the left (west) across a small col on a shaly outcrop

    If you need to get off

    Turn back and carefully descend the steep grass slope directly to the parking area

  2. 2

    Graystones → Graystones (Graystones North Top) (0.3 km, 2 m)

    Undulating section of about 0.3 km.

    A short, virtually flat stroll across the summit area connecting the various high bumps of the Graystones plateau

    Waypoints

    Graystones Wainwright summit, Graystones North Top

    Decision point

    Keep the ruined wall nearby as a reliable frame of reference

    Easy to get wrong

    Straightforward, easy navigation over undulating grass to bag the secondary top

    If you need to get off

    Retrace steps south to the main ascent path and drop back down to Scawgill Bridge

  3. 3

    Graystones (Graystones North Top) → Broom Fell (2.2 km, 126 m)

    Climb of about 126 m over 2.2 km (around 6% average).

    From the Graystones tops, descend to Widow Hause, cross the stile, and take the obvious path ascending steadily up the steepening slopes to the large, well-built summit cairn of Broom Fell

    Waypoints

    Widow Hause, Darling How plantation boundary, Broom Fell summit cairn

    Decision point

    Handrail the plantation fence down to the hause, then follow the distinct path upward. The tall summit cairn on Broom Fell is an excellent visual target

    Easy to get wrong

    A moderate 6% climb. The depression at Widow Hause can hold water, but the path up Broom Fell is clear and less severe than the initial climb of the day

    If you need to get off

    At Widow Hause, follow the forest boundary down to pick up the forestry tracks leading back to Darling How

    A small stone cairn on a grassy summit dome, the top half of the fell lost in flat white cloud with rocky outcrops breaking through the grass
    The tall drystone column on the summit of Broom Fell with a lower beehive cairn beside it, a fence running past over a broad grassy top under heavy cloud
    © Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
  4. 4

    Broom Fell → Lord's Seat (1.2 km, 64 m)

    Climb of about 64 m over 1.2 km (around 5% average).

    Cross the step stile by the Broom Fell cairn and follow the obvious, slightly boggy path south-east to the rounded, bare top of Lord's Seat

    Waypoints

    Broom Fell step stile, Lord's Seat summit

    Decision point

    A very clear, well-trodden path connecting the two fells

    Easy to get wrong

    A gentle, undulating ridge walk. The summit of Lord's Seat lacks a traditional cairn; look for the rusted remains of an old fence post marking the high point

    If you need to get off

    Retrace steps to Broom Fell or push forward to pick up the wide forestry tracks south of Lord's Seat

    A broad, featureless grassy top rising gently into low cloud, with rough tussocks and pale dead grass filling the foreground
    © Lee McCoy
  5. 5

    Lord's Seat → Barf (1.2 km, 14 m)

    Descent of about 95 m over 1.2 km.

    Drop eastwards from Lord's Seat, crossing the marshy depression before a short rise to the rugged, craggy edge of Barf overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake

    Waypoints

    Lord's Seat, marshy col, Barf summit

    Decision point

    Barf is visually distinct with its craggy eastern face. Follow the main trod across the wet ground

    Easy to get wrong

    The transit across the depression between these fells can be extremely boggy, especially after heavy rain

    If you need to get off

    Retreat to Lord's Seat; do not attempt to descend the steep, hazardous scree of Barf's eastern face directly to the lakeside

    A stony, eroded section of path over exposed rock scattered with boulders and old fence-post stumps, with conifer plantation dropping away below and the fells opposite hidden in cloud
    A narrow peaty path winding along the open ridge toward a rocky knoll, with cloud spilling over the plantation edge on the right
    © Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
  6. 6

    Barf → Whinlatter Top (3.3 km, 162 m)

    Climb of about 162 m over 3.3 km (around 5% average).

    Retrace your steps back from Barf toward the forest boundary and dive into the Comb Plantation (Ullister Hill woods), navigating the meandering forest roads before breaking out onto Tarbarrel Moss and ascending the eastern slopes of Whinlatter

    Waypoints

    Comb Plantation, Tarbarrel Moss, Whinlatter eastern summit

    Decision point

    Strict attention to forest road junctions is required until you finally emerge onto the open expanse of Tarbarrel Moss, where Whinlatter becomes visible

    Easy to get wrong

    This route goes straight through dense forest where there isn't much sunlight, leaving the ground persistently boggy. Furthermore, GPS signal is incredibly sparse under the heavy tree cover, making navigation tricky

    If you need to get off

    Stay on the main gravel forest roads, which will eventually wind their way safely down to the Whinlatter Visitor Centre or Darling How

    Bassenthwaite Lake and the farmland beyond seen through breaking cloud from a rocky summit, with wisps of mist rising off the wooded slopes below
    © Lee McCoy
  7. 7

    Whinlatter Top → Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter) (0.7 km, 0 m)

    Undulating section of about 0.7 km.

    Head west from the eastern top, following the ridge path across the grassy plateau to the western top (Brown How), which is marked by a stone wind shelter

    Waypoints

    Whinlatter Top (East), Brown How (West Top) wind shelter

    Decision point

    The wind shelter on Brown How serves as a clear visual marker across the plateau

    Easy to get wrong

    An easy, flat transition between the twin summits of Whinlatter

    If you need to get off

    Push forward to begin the descent; do not drop north directly into the steep ravine of Aiken Beck

  8. Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter) → Finish (3.8 km, 12 m)

    Descent of about 340 m over 3.8 km.

    Descend the steep, grassy western flanks of Brown How down to the boundary wall. After crossing the wall, turn left immediately and keep walking until you intersect the wide, established path leading back down to the start

    Waypoints

    Brown How descent, boundary wall crossing, wide return path

    Decision point

    The boundary wall at the bottom of the steep descent is your definitive cue to turn left

    Easy to get wrong

    The initial descent off Brown How is steep and hard on the knees. Most importantly, do not make the mistake I made: as you descend and cross the wall, it is incredibly tempting to continue straight through the wooded area to reach a path that looks close on the map. This leads directly into very difficult terrain and challenging ground conditions. You must turn left immediately after crossing the wall to find the safe track

    If you need to get off

    Once on the wide path, you are on the primary, safe exit route back to the parking area with no further navigational traps

Summits bagged (7)

  1. 1Graystones455 mNorth Western · Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  2. 2Graystones (Graystones North Top)450 mNorth Western · Wainwright, Synge
  3. 3Broom Fell510 mNorth Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  4. 4Lord's Seat552 mNorth Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Marilyn
  5. 5Barf469 mNorth Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  6. 6Whinlatter Top525 mNorth Western · Birkett, Synge
  7. 7Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter)517 mNorth Western · 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

Spout Force, Whinlatter (free) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)
Small car park for Spout Force and the Whinlatter northern fells.
Directions Something changed here?
Spout Force Waterfall (free) — 0.5 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Kirk Fell (Lorton), Graystones (Graystones North Top), Graystones and Broom Fell — the 'Kirk Fell and Broom Fell' route starts 473 m away. Also serves 'Whinlatter Loop'. Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Roadside parking for Graystones (free) — 0.5 km from the start (straight line)
0.8 km from Graystones. Added from the 5 Aug 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
Swinside (layby) — 1.8 km from the start (straight line)
Nearest fells: Swinside (0.8 km), Dodd (Lorton) (1.1 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Hobcarton (free) — 1.9 km from the start (straight line)
Nearest fells: Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter) (0.6 km), Whinlatter Top (0.7 km), Hobcarton End (1.1 km). Free (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 →

💧 No mapped drinking water or shelter on this route — that doesn’t mean there is none, and never drink untreated from a beck. (Facilities data © OpenStreetMap contributors.)

Buses

The 77 stops at Lorton Winder Hall (near). From there it is 2.5 km and 150 m of ascent to this start — a walk in before the walk. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day, and it is not daily before then — a bus on 31 of the 56 days from 7 September. We don’t know when it returns. Confirmed with the operator, 29 August 2026. The last bus is 17:56 towards Keswick (77), 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 8.5 km (Whinlatter, in Visitors Centre, 830 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.

  • Spout Force, Whinlatter (free)
  • Whinlatter Top (verge)
  • Roadside parking for Graystones (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.

  • Graystones (Graystones North Top) — 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 a quarter of an hour after sunrise.
  • Broom Fell — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:15.
  • Lord's Seat — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
  • Barf — 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 a quarter of an hour after sunrise. In late December, not until about 08:45.
  • Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.

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

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

Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

Places to stay near this start

Croftlands Cottages guest house

about 4.7 km from the start, in a straight line

This is the only address in the whole 3-mile radius that publishes a way to deal with the state you come off Whinlatter in: "Hosepipes are available for muddy boots, bikes and paws." plus "A washing machine and additional freezer are stored here." in Jasmine's attached garage. It is also the only self-catering here that claims a physical connection to the start's forest - "Nestled at the base of Whinlatter Forest Park with direct access to the walking and cycling trails" - and the only one where a car-free party can step off the bus at the door, the X5 stopping "outside Fox Howe and Squirrel cottages". Three cottages sleeping 4, 4 and 2 means a family and grandparents can take two of them.

Their directions page warns that the postcode will strand you: CA12 5SA covers the whole of Thornthwaite, so sat nav will not find the cottages once you are in the village - you navigate by the brown Thornthwaite Gallery sign and a slate nameplate by a bus shelter. They also say an osprey nest is visible from the cottage grounds between April and August.

  • Dogs “All three of our holiday cottages are dog friendly with Jasmine Cottage and Fox Howe being able to accommodate two each and Squirrel Cottage one.”
  • Family rooms “Jasmine Cottage Sleeps 4 with patio & views”
  • Parking “Private off road parking beside the cottages”
  • Children “No child mention of any kind on either Croftlands page or the Jasmine page. Swept for child|children|kids|infant|cot|high chair|toddler|baby|adults only|minimum age|over 18|years of age: zero hits. Whole cottages sleeping 4 are let, not family rooms - "Jasmine Cottage Sleeps 4 with patio & views"”

Embleton Spa Hotel hotel

about 4.8 km from the start, in a straight line

This is the only property in the radius with an indoor plan for the half of the family that is not walking: "Free use of pool and gym during your stay with us" plus a bar and restaurant doing breakfast, a drop-in lunch and an evening menu, so a wet Tuesday needs no car. It is also the only one that scales from a family bedroom sleeping 4 up to apartments for eight or ten, and the only one reachable without a car - the hourly Penrith-Keswick-Workington bus stops 50 yards away. Their apartments are named after the fells, and one of them is Whinlatter.

The hotel is a converted 18th-century Lakeland farmhouse, and its self-contained apartments are named after lakes and fells - Bassenthwaite sleeps 8, Whinlatter and Skiddaw sleep 5 each. Their bus stop has a name: 'Embleton, Wheatsheef'.

  • Dogs “Swept for dog|dogs|pet|pets|four-legged|furry across all three cached pages: zero hits. Neither welcomed nor banned anywhere in the cache - ask before booking.”
  • Family rooms “Buttermere family ensuite bedroom sleeps 4”
  • Evening meal “Bar/restaurant with breakfast, drop-in lunch menu and evening menu.”
  • Packed lunch “Swept for packed lunch|pack lunch|picnic across all three cached pages: zero hits.”
  • Parking “Swept for parking|car park|off road|driveway|garage: one hit, and it is a direction rather than a facility - "Our driveway is 100 metres ahead on the right." No car park is claimed.”
  • Children “Ullswater Family Apartment Windermere Family Apartment”

High Swinside Holiday Cottages

about 1.4 km from the start, in a straight line

At 1.37 km from the start it is the only property in this radius that can take a large party under connected roofs: three cottages sleeping 2, 5 and 9, two of which join through a lockable door to sleep 11-12. That is the extended-family or walking-club answer here, and it comes with a 7kw EV charger, hot tubs and hens - plus the honest catch that the shop and pub are a 20 and 35 minute walk, so an evening meal means a drive or a walk back in the dark.

One of the three, High Swinside Cottage, was built in the 1800s as a farm workers' cottage and still has its beamed ceilings; the owners leave fresh free-range eggs from their own hens and note that Tesco and Sainsburys will deliver to the door.

  • Dogs “Dog friendly 7kw EV Charger Good Wi-fi Hot tubs in a superb setting”
  • Family rooms “Alternatively it can be linked to Little Swinside to sleep 11 overall (via lockable connecting door).”
  • Parking “Swept for parking|car park|off road|driveway|garage: zero hits. They list a 7kw EV charger, which implies somewhere to leave a car, but no parking is actually claimed - do not assume it.”
  • Children “Swept for child|children|kids|infant|cot|high chair|toddler|baby|adults only|minimum age|over 18|years of age: zero hits on the cached page. Capacity is stated instead - "Three Holiday Cottages sleeping 2, 5, or 9 (2 of the cottages can be connected to sleep 11-12)"”

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.

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