7 MORE easy Wainwrights to bag on your holiday – Fabulous walks without the fear
Are you coming to Lakes on holiday and fancy getting in on the Wainwright bagging craze but are not quite sure where to start? Do you want big, impressive views from smaller, more modest summits? Then read on to discover some ‘easier on the legs’ walks that deliver big on views with a real sense of accomplishment.
Following on from the success of our previous blog “6 Easy Wainwrights to Bag on Your Holiday” we’ve gone one better and put together a brand new list of some of the easier Wainwright summits you can bag on your holiday.
So, if you’ve finished bragging about the half dozen Wainwrights you summited during your last Lake District holiday you can bag another 7 fells – plus brand new bragging rights too!
Like our previous list, all of the walks featured below offer straightforward routes with no scrambling to negotiate, no river crossings to navigate and no intimidating scree to concern yourself with. They can all be achieved by anyone with a basic level of fitness.
And, just like our previous list, these fells all offer spectacular scenery, and incredible, rewarding views from the top but without the daunting prospect of climbing imposing Lake District mountains such as Great Gable or Scafell Pike. And after all, a Wainwright is still a Wainwright. So grab your walking boots and map, pack up your picnic and get 7 more fells ticked off with our sequel guide to 7 More Easy Wainwrights to Bag on your Holiday!
Latrigg – circular walk – 3.5 miles
This ultra family-friendly walk has it all – woodland, open fellside and of course, fabulous views. Even the most reluctant of walkers will find little to challenge them here. The path is well-trodden and simple to follow, taking a gentle meandering approach to the top. Once reached, the views of Keswick and Derwent Water from the summit will stir your soul.
This walk starts at Spooney Green Lane on the outskirts of Kewsick. The path begins on an obvious signposted track which heads straight for the prominent Latrigg. The track crosses the A66 via a footbridge before entering Latrigg Woods. Stay with the main path as it winds its way through the woods before a gate takes you onto open fellside. Pass the entrance to Gale Ghyll Woods on your left as the path curves its way to the side of the Latrigg before zig-zagging its way towards the summit taking in incredible views of Skiddaw, Lonscale Fell and Grisedale Pike to name but a few. Once reached, the open and grassy summit has picnic places aplenty to sit back, relax and take it the incredible scenery which you now find yourself in.
Dodd – circular walk – 3 miles
Managed by the Forestry Commission, wide, easy to follow forest tracks lead to the summit of this mostly wooded fell. Colour-coded signposted routes make this an easy circular walk – with a short diversion to the summit offering incredible views down to Bassenthwaite and across to the hills beyond.
The walk begins at Dodd Wood Car Park. From here leave the cap park and pick up the green trail. We chose to complete the walk in a clockwise direction but the choice is yours! Be sure to leave the circular trail to take the short divert to the summit (or it doesn’t count!) then bask in the glorious views and the achievement of another Wainwright done and dusted!
Get the Forestry Commission Dodd Walk Route Map here.
Castle Crag
The lowest in height of all the Wainwrights, the man himself justified its inclusion in his North Western Fells guide as it “is so magnificently independent, so ruggedly individual, so aggressively unashamed of its lack of inches, that less than justice would be done by relegating it to a paragraph in the High Spy chapter.”
As such, a walk within the simply stunning Borrowdale scenery, incorporating Castle Crag, is a family-friendly, Lake District classic. Our favourite route begins in Seatoller from the National Trust’s car park and as well as taking in the summit of Castle Crag the walk also includes an optional detour to Millican Dalton’s Cave as well as an exciting section across some large rocks next to the River Derwent which young adventurers will particularly enjoy – a chain attached to the rock wall gives a helping hand
You can read the full walk description and find a route map here.
Holme Fell approx. distance up and down – 2.9 miles
The second to lowest Wainwright fell, after Castle Crag, Holme Fell makes for a short, if not a slightly steep, morning or afternoon walk for those staying in or around Coniston. The walk begins at The National Trust Glen Mary Bridge Car Park on the Coniston to Ambleside road. The walk can be made even shorter by beginning at the layby at Yew Tree Tarn if spaces are available.
Starting at the car park and facing the main road, turn right to take the path through the woods which runs roughly parallel to the road until you arrive at Yew Tree Tarn. At the tarn cross the main road and take the path following the tarn shore towards the far side of the tarn. Holme Fell is above you on your left. A gate at the left side of some mature pine trees gives access to a path coming from Yew Tree Farm. A few hundred yards along it, by a group of huge boulders, a cairn indicates the start of a path that begins to rise towards Uskdale Gap. This is the steepest part of the walk.
Your efforts are rewarded however by fabulous views across to the iconic Langdale Parks from the top of Uskdale Gap. From the gap turn left to follow the grassy path to the summit of Holme Fell – the actual summit is marked by a stone cairn on top of a rocky outcrop. The views of Coniston Water and Wetherlam from here are simply breath-taking.
Hallin Fell – approx. distance up and down 1 mile
If you’re in the market for an easy Wainwright – it really doesn’t get any easier than Hallin Fell! Wainwright even commented that the southern side could be “ascended comfortably in bare feet”! The climb maybe small but the rewards are immense.
A small car park on Martindale Hause above Howtown, Ullswater is the start of the walk. The ascent starts immediately above the car park on a wide path that leads to a level shoulder. A wide grassy path meanders its way up the fellside and the views of the valley below and the peaks around you are simply out of this world! The path continues straight on past the uppermost corner of the wall before eventually beginning to turn to the north towards the summit ridge. The higher you go the more the views open up around you. The summit is marked by an imposing columnar cairn and from here the view of Ullswater below is simply breath-taking. Make those all-important mental memories of this incredible spot before sauntering back down to the car park. Easy-peasy!
Stone Arthur – approx. distance up and down – 3 miles
This fell of modest height can be walked from one of the large lay-bys on the A591 just north of Grasmere and begins at The Swan Hotel (which incidentally has a great beer garden for some post-walk refreshments). A lane running between the hotel and its car park bears left before a footpath on your right is signposted “Greenhead Gill, Alcock Tarn”. Follow this path with woodland on your right before a gate leads you to open fellside. Through the gate turn left to follow the footpath uphill with more woodland on your left. The path bears right at the end of the woodland enclosure and crosses the sloping open fellside before joining another path above Greenhead Gill and bearing left along the spur leading to the summit. Be aware however – the summit that seemed so prominent when viewed from Grasmere is merely a rocky outcrop on the ridge to Great Rigg and Fairfield so can easily be missed! It’s marked with a small cairn atop a larger rock.
The views from here of Grasmere and across to the Coniston fells are remarkable and make the final pull up to the summit all the more worthwhile – it would be easy to spend hours up here just taking in the vista – until you remember the prospect of a cold drink in the Swan Hotel beer garden – which provides suitable motivation to begin your ascent.
Wansfell – approx. distance up and down 4.4 miles
Wansfell is a moderately-sized fell which can be walked directly from Ambleside village. Added interest can be added by taking in the impressive Stock Ghyll Force waterfalls either on your ascent or descent. The walk begins on Stockghyll Lane which can be found behind the Doi Intanon Thai restaurant in the village centre. We recommend following the signs for the waterfall then at the top of the falls turn right to find yourself at a turnstile gate which leads back on to Stockghyll Lane. A short distance further up the lane a stile on your right leads you to an obvious footpath uphill. As the incline steepens this becomes a well-laid, stone-pitched path leading you up to the Instagram favourite Wansfell Pike.
This is the destination for many walkers however Wainwright baggers beware – Wainwright’s actual summit of Wansfell lies a further mile north eastward along the ridge. The walk there is along a grassy path and is a pleasant, undulating journey with wonderful open views throughout. The true summit is marked with a stone cairn – and you may well find yourself with this beautiful corner of the Lake District all to yourself! Retrace your steps to return to Ambleside where ample refreshments await.
