A difficult route in Far Eastern Fells. Check the GPS track on Outdooractive for full details of the route, waypoints, and terrain.
Starting Point: Layby, Swindale Lane (NY 521 142)
Terrain: Road, beck-side path, Old Corpse Road, open fell, summit ridge, wall, boggy col, wild walking, quad bike track, beck crossing, footbridge, fell path, Nabs Crags descent Notable features: Swindale Head, Old Corpse Road, Selside Pike (655m — Wainwright 1), Branstree (713m — Wainwright 2), Tarn Crag (664m — Wainwright 3), Grey Crag (638m — Wainwright 4), Harrop Pike, Little Mosedale Beck, Mosedale Beck, Nabs Crags, Dodd Bottom, 4 Wainwrights IMPORTANT — MOUNTAIN SAFETY: This is a long and serious walk of over 20 km with more than 800m of ascent, crossing remote and exposed high fell country. The section from Harrop Pike to Mosedale Beck involves wild walking over pathless ground with no clear trail. Full mountain kit is essential. Check the weather forecast carefully before setting out.
A magnificent and demanding circular walk through the quiet eastern fells of the Lake District, taking in four Wainwrights across a long and varied ridge before a wild walking return through the remote Mosedale country. The outward leg via the Old Corpse Road to Swindale Head sets the historical tone immediately — this ancient route once carried the dead over the fells to Shap for burial, and its character is still evident as it climbs steeply around Thorny Knott. The four-summit ridge from Selside Pike to Branstree, Tarn Crag and Grey Crag covers fine and rarely walked high country, with Branstree the highest point at 713m and its unusual ground-level circular trig point a curiosity worth noting. Grey Crag, the most easterly of today's Wainwrights, marks the turn for Harrop Pike and the start of the walk's most adventurous section. The pathless descent from Harrop Pike through long grass and watercourses to Mosedale Beck is genuine wild walking — the quad bike tracks provide reassuring guidance, but good navigation skills are essential. The reward for finding the footbridge is a fine valley return through Nabs Crags, with the waterfalls adding a dramatic finish to the descent before the clear path brings you back through Dodd Bottom to Swindale Head. The cloud was down on the day, but this is a walk that would shine on a clear day — the views across Haweswater and the eastern fells from Selside Pike and Branstree alone would make the effort worthwhile. A brilliant, challenging walk in a wonderfully quiet corner of the Lake District.