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Mardale Head Horseshoe – High Street from Haweswater

By Dave Roberts   

on February 26, 2018    4.5/5 (2)

Posted as a walk in – England, Europe, Lake District National Park, Lake District's Far Eastern Fells

Mardale Head Horseshoe – High Street from Haweswater

Route Essentials

Route Summary

An ascent of High Street form Mardale Head and Haweswater. You can extend the route over Harter Fell if you want a longer walk.

See the end of the article for local information about parking, public transport facilities, pubs and cafes.

Distance

12.12 km

Ascent

788 m

Time

4 hours

Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.

Start Location

Mardale Head

Difficulty

Hard Walk

Hazards

Nothing specific.

Weather Forecast:

Met Office Lake District Mountain Weather

Check out our Best Mountain Weather Forecast?
Remember that we cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent. Read up on Mountain Safety , Navigation and what equipment you’ll need. 

Mardale Head Horseshoe – High Street from Haweswater Ordnance Survey Map and GPX File Download

View the full route map

Download file for GPS

Mardale Head Horseshoe – High Street from Haweswater

When approaching the mountain of High Street in the Lake District from Mardale Head or Haweswater, the route up High Street via High Stile is more popular, with our choice via Kidsty Pike on the day being influenced by the winter conditions. We were carrying full winter camping kit – so didn’t want the added complication of scrambling or tacking overly steep ground. That’s not to say that this walk via Kidsty Pike and Rampsgill Head is second rate, as it provides excellent views and a longer walk than the High Stile alternative. You could easily continue the walk over Harter Fell, Branstree and Selside Pike, but a snow camp had left us damp and exhausted – and in need of a full English.

Mardale Head Horseshoe – High Street from Haweswater Route Description

1 –The walk up High Street starts from the car park at the far end of Haweswater. A good path can be followed north west from the car park, over a footbridge and then turn right along the lakeside. This path needs to be followed, keeping an eye out for a path that takes you left and uphill to cut off the peninsula of The Rigg.

2 – This is where the path for High Stile starts off, so ensure you don’t follow this left up the ridge, instead descending slightly to the footbridge in Riggindale.

3 – Cross the bridge and start the ascent up to the knoll of Kidsty Howes along a grassy path. It becomes steeper as you ascend but is the steepest climb of the day.

4 – Once on the grassy ridge up Kidsty Pike, the views towards High Stile and High Street start to open up, which is one of the advantages this walk has over ascending High Stile. Kidsty Pike is barely a bump on the ridge before you finally reach the summit of Rampsgill Head. Baggers will surely want to dog leg to High Raise, which is 10m higher, but we left it out on the day as we didn’t want to walk any further than needed as we were laden with snow camping equipment.

5 – There’s an unwelcome descent to the col before the final steady pull to the summit of High Street only 1.3 km and 130m of ascent. Ensure that you cross and then follow the path along the stone wall that you can follow to the summit, rather than staying on the bridleway as this contours around the summit.

6 The summit of High Street like most flat topped mountains is rather unremarkable, but the wall provides welcome shelter providing the wind isn’t blowing along it. Better views can be found by walking to the edge of the plateau, but something we didn’t want to do in these conditions!

7– It’s now a steady walk down over Mardale Ill Bell, which barely counts as a mountain. It provided a decent snow pitch for us however!

8 From the summit of Mardale Ill Bell, it’s a steep descent on the path to the col at Nan Bield Pass– there’s a welcome shelter here from the wind.

9 From Nan Bield Pass, the path descends a god path to the tarn of Small Water from which it’s an easy to follow few kilometres back to the car park.

Local Information and Recommended Maps and Guidebooks

Route Summary:

An ascent of High Street form Mardale Head and Haweswater. You can extend the route over Harter Fell if you want a longer walk.

This walk includes the 4 Wainwrights of High Street, Rampsgill Head, Kidsty Pike, Mardale Ill Bell

This walk includes the 2 Hewitts of High Street, Rampsgill Head

This walk includes the 3 Nuttalls of High Street, Rampsgill Head, Kidsty Pike

Route Start Location: Mardale Head

Distance
 Ascent
 Time
12.12 km 788 m 4 hours

Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.

Activivity Type: Hard Walk

Summits and Places on this Route

Facilities

none

Hazards

Nothing specific.

Remember that we cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent. Read up on Mountain Safety , Navigation and what equipment you’ll need.

Parking : CA10 2RP

Car park at Mardale Head

Public Transport:

none

Traveline for UK Public Transport

Weather Forecast:

Met Office Lake District Mountain Weather

Check out our Best Mountain Weather Forecast?

Recommended Maps: 

Guidebooks:

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Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts founded Walk Eryri in 2004, with the aim of providing routes that are off the beaten track. Walk Eryri is now part of Mud and Routes which continues to provide more off beat routes and walks in Snowdonia and beyond. Dave has been exploring the hills of Eryri for over thirty years, and is a qualified Mountain Leader. Dave also established Walk up Snowdon, Walk up Scafell Pike and Walk up Ben Nevis just to mention a few.

More Posts by Dave Roberts

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