Meet time: 9.15am (Highly recommend getting parked up before 9am)
Start time: 9.30am
Estimated finish time: 2.30pm – 3pm
Start point: The gravel car park at the eastern end of Hartsop Village (end of the Road). Please ask the walk leader for further directions.
Postcode: N/A
Distance: 6.7 miles (10.78 kilometres)
Ascent: About 2815 feet (858 metres)
Ramblers walk grading: A (Strenuous)
Car parking: At the start point, plus Brothers Water car park (next to Cow Bridge) half a mile to the west.
It is the responsibility of each walker to make sure they understand where to park. If you are not sure where the car parking/meeting point is, you must contact the walk leader at the latest the day before the walk. You should not rely on mobile phones or postcodes. There is often no mobile reception near walk meeting points and postcodes are for the nearest place nearby but should only serve as a guideline. Please allow plenty of time to find a parking space so that walks can start promptly.
Description: There is something about the fells around the south of Hartsop and Brothers Water that makes them very steep but very distinctive. One of these steep fells is Gray Crag, which will be the first mountain of this small horseshoe walk around the valley of Threshthwaite (Pasture Beck). The mountains of this horseshoe are: Gray Crag, Thornthwaite Crag, Stony Cove Pike and Hartsop Dodd.
The walk begins by following the track that heads east and deep into the valley that is Hayeswater Gill. After a mile of moderate ascent we take a faint muddy trod that winds it way up the steep northern side of Gray Crag. After much cursing and soul-searching up this steep ascent, it peters out to a very thin but long plateau that is Gray Crag.
The Wainwright itself is on the northern tip of the plateau coming in at 699 metres. It has beautiful views of Hayeswater down below and many of the eastern fells, little to large, can be seen such as Helvellyn. There is also a fascinating view looking south from the summit above Threshthwaite Mouth and this is of the southern stretch of Windermere.
From here, the walk becomes a lot more easier as it’s a quick and gentle ascent to Thornthwaite Crag which is the highest mountain of the day coming in at 784 metres. This is one of those tall mountains in the eastern Lakes which has commanding views of the southern side of the Lake District- truly magnificent!
Then the walk gets interesting as we follow the path and the stone wall to Threshthwaite Mouth which is a mountain pass dividing the valley of Threshthwaite to the north from the Troutbeck valley to the south. There are very interesting views from this mountain pass though soon all eyes turn to its western side which is a bit of a scramble through gravel and small rock faces.
Once the scramble is done we come to the rather plateau-like mountain of Stony Cove Pike, and it is only close to the summit does this plateau truly reveal itself. Now Stony Cove Pike is 763 metres high, and we will be going to this, but the Wainwright summit is Caudale Moor about half a mile to the west; and Caudale Moor is 755 metres high. Red Screes dominates the view to the southeast, but the northwards is surprisingly different as all the mountainous terrain immediately northwards is lower than Caudale Moor.
The final Wainwright comes about via a slight descent from Caudale Moor to Hartsop Dodd. We follow a grassy trod and keep the stone wall to our right. The “cairn” is a bit hard to spot on Hartsop Dodd (618 metres) but it is a good mid-level mountain. At last comes the true descent down which is steep and unrelenting- but once it’s done we are literally back at the car park.
The Threshthwaite Horseshoe is much shorter than other horseshoes, and once Gray Crag is done the walk becomes a lot more easier, nicer and interesting. This is definitely a walk for anyone who has never been to the Far Eastern Fells before or has never been to these particular Wainwrights.
Please contact Miles on 07842 783319 by 10pm on Friday 26 July if you are coming on this walk (text or phone, or message on Facebook (Miles Saunders-Priem); or message on Whatsapp).
Please check the weather and bring appropriate clothing (waterproofs and spare warm clothing), footwear and enough food and water. The leader reserves the right to turn away any walker not suitably equipped. The leader may cancel the walk or modify the route dependent on conditions.
Car sharing may be possible – please contact the walk leader to arrange.
New members: please note the walk leader may ask for more information about your walking experience. This is to ensure you have the fitness required to complete the walk that is planned safely.