I had mistakenly dismissed this walk a few times as both fells are fairly low. When I eventually walked the route, I discovered that the climb to Low Fell ends at one of the best viewpoints in the Lake District, especially if there’s a fresh coat of snow.
Start and End Location: Limited lay-by parking just north of Thackthwaite. Additional lay-by parking can be found further north of the village.
Start Postcode: CA13 0RP
Distance: 8.2km
Time: 2.5-3 hours
Facilities: None
GPX Download: Link below map
Grade: Easy Mountain Walk
From the parking lay-by, continue south along the road. As the road begins to climb, take the right hand public footpath, marked with a wooden signpost. The path passes between houses and climbs alongside a stream. Go through the wooden gate and follow the grassy path as it bears right through a field, with great views of Grasmoor Fells to the left.
Go through the second wooden gate and continue straight on to a third gate. Go through the gate and turn right. The wide grassy path gradually bears left around the hillside and begins to climb through the bracken.
The path eventually reaches a fence line with a wooden kissing gate. Go through the gate and continue on the well defined path to a stile and then directly to Low Fell summit.
I would recommend continuing along the path for another hundred metres or so for a great viewpoint of Crummock Water and Buttermere.
After taking in the view, retrace your steps to Low Fell and then to the fence line and wooden kissing gate.
Go through the gate and turn left. Take the lower path heading north west. The footpath soon reaches a fence and bears right. Continue alongside the fence to climb to Fellbarrow, with stunning views of the fells behind.
The summit trig point is on the other side of the fence (there's a stile if you want to hop over).
Continue following the fence line. The path bears right and descends to a stone wall and ladder stile. Do not cross the stile. Instead, turn right and follow the faint path, which runs a metre or so from the dry stone wall. The path becomes more defined and gradually moves away from the wall and towards a stream.
Cross the stream, continue straight on to meet the initial path. Turn left and retrace your steps to the parking area.
