A difficult route in Central Fells. Check the GPS track on Outdooractive for full details of the route, waypoints, and terrain.
Starting Point: Stonethwaite campsite/car park (NY 257 139)
Terrain: Farm path, road through Stonethwaite, track along Stonethwaite Beck, path, footbridge, beck-side path, steep climb through col, zigzag path over Heron Crag, Eagle Crag summit, col (boggy), crags path, Sergeant's Crag summit, path toward Long Crag, wild walk to Greenup Edge (navigation required), boggy descent, ridge path to Ullscarf, wild walk northwest (no paths — navigation essential) over High Saddle through Coldbarrow Fell, route to Green Combe, Dock Tarn path, Great Crag summit, marshy descent (unmarked path), Puddingstone Bank, Brund Fell summit (short rocky scramble), path southeast and south, return paths, Cumbria Way, Stonethwaite Bridge, road return IMPORTANT — MOUNTAIN SAFETY: This is a long, serious and demanding Lake District mountain walk with nearly 1,000m of ascent over 20 kilometres. The route includes two substantial wild walking sections with no clear paths — one from Long Crag to Greenup Edge and a longer section from Ullscarf northwest over High Saddle and through Coldbarrow Fell. Good navigation skills, map, compass and GPS are essential for both sections. Full mountain kit required.
One of the finest and most demanding Borrowdale days in this entire collection — five Wainwrights across 20 kilometres and nearly 1,000 metres of ascent, with two substantial wild walking sections that separate this walk from anything straightforward. Eagle Crag announces itself with a superb view back down Borrowdale, and Sergeant's Crag follows as a worthy companion before the route swings into the high interior via Long Crag and the first wild section to Greenup Edge. Ullscarf, often overlooked in favour of its higher neighbours, delivers a genuinely impressive 360-degree panorama across Grasmere and the eastern fells. The wild walk northwest from Ullscarf over High Saddle through Coldbarrow Fell is the most navigationally demanding section of the day — long, pathless and requiring consistent attention to direction. Dock Tarn, Great Crag and the short scramble to Brund Fell provide a fine and varied finale, with 360-degree views from the last summit a fitting reward for the effort of the day. The Cumbria Way return along Stonethwaite Beck brings everything neatly full circle. A walk for experienced mountain walkers who enjoy a genuine navigational challenge.