A difficult route in North Western Fells. Check the GPS track on Outdooractive for full details of the route, waypoints, and terrain.
Starting Point: National Trust car park, Honister (NY 225 135)
Terrain: Road, gate, clear path winding steeply up, disused quarry, slope steadies slightly, summit, cairn, across Hindscarth Edge, path split (right-hand path), retrace steps (remember turns), optional extension to Robinson available.
This is a rewarding out-and-back walk to two Wainwright summits from Honister, perfect for filling a spare few hours with visits to the beautiful Newlands Valley viewpoints. No better place to view the valley than from Dale Head and Hindscarth. The clear path winds steeply from the gate up to the disused Yewcrag Quarry where the slope steadies slightly before continuing to Dale Head's summit with those amazing views. The Newlands Valley spreads straight ahead, Catbells and Maiden Moor stand to the right, Great Gable and the Scafells dominate looking back, while Robinson, Hindscarth, and the Coledale Fells fill the left - 360-degree Lake District views so comprehensive that Pen y Ghent in the Yorkshire Dales was visible in the distance. Turning left at the cairn leads across Hindscarth Edge before the right-hand path climbs to Hindscarth where those views await once more. The return retraces steps with critical turns to remember - left at NY 215 157 and right at NY 222 153. For those with more time than I had, an optional extension at NY 214 157 going straight on reaches Robinson, another Wainwright, adding approximately 150 metres of ascent and descent plus 1-1.5 miles. A quick out and back perfectly filling spare few hours in the beautiful Newlands Valley.