From the Newlands Round to the Mosedale Horseshoe, here are the best summit-bagging ridge walks in the Lake District – featuring epic views and maximum adventure
Hidden away in a quiet, remote corner of north-west England, the Lake District is an idyllic landscape – a place of towering peaks, pristine lakes, wobbly dry stone walls, white-washed farm buildings, and green fields of Herdwick sheep. It is achingly pretty, the place that inspired Potter, Wordsworth, Coleridge and Wainwright, and achieved UNESCO World Heritage status in 2017. But, perhaps more than anything else, the Lake District is known as a hiking paradise, where hillwalkers from across the globe visit to tick off classics including Scafell Pike (England’s highest mountain), Great Gable, Helvellyn, Blencathra, Cat Bells and many more.
And what better way could there be to experience Lakeland’s iconic mountains than with a circular ridge walk? There is just something magical about a high-level, summit-bagging, horseshoe-shaped route. You get high, stay high, and walk a tightrope of ridgelines connecting different peaks, before returning to your start point in a satisfying loop. The completeness of it all feels just right, like coming full circle. It’s as if the mountains were designed for this very purpose, as if you’re supposed to hike them in this way. Plus with this type of walking the views, adrenaline and excitement stays high all day long.
The Lake District is blessed with a myriad of famed horseshoe ridge walks. Which ones are the best? It’s a hotly debated topic, sure to inspire arguments late into the night in pubs across Cumbria. Coledale, Deepdale, Newlands, Mosedale and Kentmere all lay claim to the title, but there are some lesser-known candidates too. Inov8 ambassador and prolific hiker James Forrest, who has completed four full rounds of the Wainwrights including a record-breaking continuous round in 2020, suggests his favourites. Here is his round-up of 7 of the Best Horsehose Ridge Walks in the Lake District.
1. Coledale Round – 18km, 1,500m ascent, 8 hours
The Coledale Round, or Coledale Horseshoe if you prefer, is a high-level, summit-bagging loop of Coledale Beck – the stream that flows north-east from Eel Crag to Braithwaite, nestled in the steep-sided valley between Grisedale Pike and Outerside, near Keswick. It is one of the finest walks in the north-western fells, and a versatile Lakeland classic with an almost endless array of options.
Think of it as a tapas set menu, with tasty optional extras. The basic meal features six dishes - Outerside, Scar Crags, Sail, Crag Hill, Hopegill Head and Grisedale Pike – a gastronomic delight that will satisfy most palates. But ravenous connoisseurs won’t be able to resist ordering sides of Barrow, Causey Pike, Wandope and Grasmoor, while the greediest of all will find room (somehow) for a dessert of Whiteless Pike and Whiteside.
2. Newlands Round – 17.3km, 1,181m ascent, 7 hours
The Newlands Round – a high-level, summit-bagging loop of Newlands Beck – sticks to the high ridges, and bags six Wainwrights along the way. It’s located to the west of Keswick and the shores of Derwent Water, and is perhaps best-known for being the ridge walk that starts (or finishes) with Cat Bells, that dinky-yet-dramatic Lakeland classic. On the eastern section of this round you’ll bag Cat Bells, Maiden Moor and High Spy; on the western leg it’s all about the twin tops of Hindscarth and Robinson; but it’s the bit in the middle that steals the show.
From Dale Head, the highest point of the route at 757m, and the literal and spiritual apex of the walk, the views over the shapely Newlands Valley are truly something to behold. Indeed, Wainwright described them as “extensive views of great merit”, labelling Dale Head “the most satisfying summit”.
3. Mosedale Horseshoe – 17.2km, 1,306m ascent, 8 hours
Lakeland has its lion share of epic mountain horseshoe walks: Coledale, Deepdale, Newlands, Kentmere – the list goes on. But, perhaps, the greatest of all these high-level, circular ridge walks is the Mosedale Horseshoe. Starting at Wasdale Head, under the shadow of Scafell Pike, this route loops the remote, bowl-like valley of Mosedale via a series of iconic peaks.
The walk ticks off five Wainwrights – Pillar, Scoat Fell, Steeple, Red Pike and Yewbarrow - and serves up stunning views of others including the Scafell Massif and Great Gable. It’s a rough and rugged hike, with steep ascents and a touch of scrambling. It’ll test your legs and your fitness, but it’s well worth the graft. Is it the greatest ridge walk in the Lakes? We’ll leave you to decide.
4. Deepdale Horseshoe – 15.6km, 1,080m ascent, 6 hours
Ticking off six Wainwrights in a delightful day of skyline crest hiking from Patterdale, the Deepdale Horseshoe – a summit-bagging ridge walk forming a high-level loop of Deepdale Beck – is one of Lakeland’s best. The highlights are fast-flowing, whether it’s the panoramas of Ullswater from Arnison Crag, the sweeping and shapely ridgeline of St Sunday Crag, the grandstand views north-west to Helvellyn and Striding Edge from Deepdale Hause, or the surprisingly gnarly cone-shaped peak of Cofa Pike.
Or, in other words, it’s a slice of Patterdale perfection that’s tricky to beat. The six Wainwrights ticked off on this walk are Arnison Crag, Birks, St Sunday Crag, Fairfield, Hart Crag and Hartsop Above How.
5. Kentmere Horseshoe – 21.2km, 1,330m ascent, 8.5 hours
Wainwright-baggers almost universally love the Kentmere Horseshoe, or Kentmere Round, as it is sometimes known. It is their chance to bag nine Wainwrights (Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick, Thornthwaite Crag, High Street, Mardale Ill Bell, Harter Fell, Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts) during a long day of efficient peak-bagging – and, if Sour Howes and Sallows are added into the mix, a whopping 11 tops can even be achieved in a single outing.
The Kentmere Horseshoe has given many Wainwright enthusiasts a big boost towards the magical 214. But it would be wrong to suggest this route is only for box-tickers. It is one of the Lake District’s classic horseshoe walks – and rightfully so. It might not have the drama or majesty of others, such as Newlands or Mosedale, but the Kentmere Horseshoe is still a must-do for lovers of Lakeland.
Starting in the quaint village of Kentmere, this high-level clockwise loop offers a long but thoroughly enjoyable day of airy ridge walking, packed with beautiful views and a sense of tranquillity and remoteness. Add it to your bucket-list now.
6. Fusedale Round – 12.1km, 721m ascent, 4.5 hours
Away from the hustle and bustle of other parts of Ullswater, Fusedale has a remote feel to it – quiet, understated and hidden. This little-known valley is located just to the east of Martindale and, while its neighbour is famed for Lakeland’s only deer forest, Fusedale rarely receives attention from the minds of hikers. Yet this valley offers a delightful horseshoe ridge walk.
The Fusedale Round bags five Wainwrights - Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa), Wether Hill, Loadpot Hill, Arthur’s Pike and Bonscale Pike – and completes a high-level loop of Fusedale Beck. While the rounded, grassy plateau of Wether and Loadpot is a tad boring, the smaller fells save the day. Steel Knotts has a statuesque rocky tor of acute sharpness crowning its summit, while Bonscale Pike and Arthur’s Pike serve up first-rate views over Ullswater.
7. Hartsop Horseshoe – 9.4km, 831m ascent, 4.5hours
There is something wonderful about a horseshoe walk. The looping circularity of it all has an appealing logic and neatness. When you get high, you stay high – and along the tops and on the ridges is exactly where you get the best views, freshest air and strongest sense of freedom and escapism. Nowhere is this sensation stronger than on this lesser-known and under-rated horseshoe walk, which should be up there in every list of the very best.
Starting in the picturesque village of Hartsop, this high-level round visits four Wainwrights – Hartsop Dodd, Stony Cove Pike, Thornthwaite Crag and Gray Crag – and completes a logical loop of Pasture Beck, sticking to the sweeping ridgelines. It offers glorious views north, down Patterdale to Ullswater, and south, over Troutbeck Tongue to Windermere. And at less than six miles, it delivers superb bang for your buck.
