Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
The walk starts from the Patterdale Hotel car park. It climbs through the old deer park of Glenamara and up the ridge past Thornhow End, skirting Birks, to the summit of St Sunday Crag, which looks across Grisedale to Helvellyn. The path drops to Deepdale Hause and down to Grisedale Tarn under Fairfield and Dollywaggon Pike. The return follows the valley path down Grisedale past Ruthwaite Lodge and back to Patterdale.
It is 14.2 km with 749 m of ascent; allow about 5¾ hours. The grade is Hard: a long climb and a steep, loose descent.
The descent from Deepdale Hause is steep and loose, and a slip there could be serious. Cattle graze Glenamara Park and upper Grisedale, and the valley path is boggy in places. Near the tarn, the Brothers' Parting Stone marks where William and John Wordsworth last met, in 1800.
The Patterdale Hotel car park charges a fee. The 508 bus runs from Penrith station to Patterdale.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Up through Glenamara Park and along the ridge to St Sunday Crag
- Down to Grisedale Tarn and back along the length of Grisedale
- The Brothers' Parting Stone near the tarn marks where William and John Wordsworth last met, in 1800
Summits on the way
- Birks · passed close by
- St Sunday Crag 841 m
Getting there
Start: Patterdale Hotel car park · Pay and display. 54.53509, -2.93553
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Windermere: Booking.com → Expedia →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.
