Welcome to The Lake District Walker
Scafell Pike from Seathwaite
Helvellyn & Striding Edge
The Fairfield Horseshoe
Scafell Pike from Wasdale
Langdale Pikes
Blencathra & Sharp Edge
High Raise
Harrison Stickle
Sergeant Man
Helm Crag
Loughrigg
All Central Fells
Helvellyn
Fairfield
Red Screes
Sheffield Pike
St Sundays Crag
All Eastern Fells
High Street
High Raise
Thornthwaite Crag
Harter Fell
Wansfell
All Far Eastern Fells
Skiddaw
Blencathra
Carrock Fell
Bannerdale Crags
Latrigg
All Northern Fells
Grasmoor
Grisedale Pike
Dale Head
Causey Pike
Catbells
All North Western Fells
Scafell Pike
Bowfell
Coniston Old Man
The Crinkles
Wetherlam
All Southern Fells
Great Gable
Pillar
High Stile
Haystacks
Haycock
All Western Fells
Walking Weekends
Evening Walks
Scottish Walks
Welsh Walks
Yorkshire Walks
Challenge Events
Yorkshire 3 Peaks
Ben Nevis by the CMD Arete
All Ben Nevis Routes
Snowdon & Crib Goch
All Snowdon Routes
All Routes Outside the Lake District
Which ghyll is best for me?
Full Diary
Private Events
Activity Days
Rock Climbing
A fun packed scramble down the ghyll, packed with slides, dives and a few great jumps
Duration: Up to 3 hours
A great scramble up an impressive gorge, great jumps along the way
Duration: Up to 3 hours
A longer day taking on the most exhillerating Gorge in the Lake District
Duration: 5-6 hours
Which Nav course is best for me?
Special Offer Navigation Courses
Beginners Navigation Course
Advanced Navigation Course
NNAS Navigation Courses
Private Navigation Courses
Lake District Winter Skills Courses
Scottish Winter Skills Courses
Private Winter Skills Courses
ML Refresher Courses
A wide range on navigation courses
From Beginners to NNAS Gold
A variety of courses for anyone looking to take their Mountain Leader qualification, or looking to inprove their skills
Scafell Pike from Seathwaite
Helvellyn & Striding Edge
The Fairfield Horseshoe
Scafell Pike from Wasdale
Langdale Pikes
Blencathra & Sharp Edge
Low Level Walks
Easier Fell Walks
Moderate Fell Walks
Harder Fell Walks
Challenges
Evening Walks
Yorkshire 3 Peaks
10 Peak Challenge
24 Peak Challenge
Lakes 3000's Challenge
Borrowdale 10 Challenge
Challenge Events
Navigation Courses
Winter Skills Courses
ML Refresher Courses
NNAS Navigation Courses
First Aid Courses
All Skills Courses
Can't find the event you want listed on our website?
Book a guide here and sort out the details later.
For long days or climbing please ring
Scafell Pike from Seathwaite
Scafell Pike from Wasdale
Scafell & Scafell Pike
Scafell Pike from Langdale
Scafell Pike from Eskdale
All Scafell Pike routes
Helvellyn & Striding Edge
Helvellyn from Wythburn
Helvellyn, Raise & Whiteside
Fairfield & Helvellyn
Helvellyn Overnight Walks
All Helvellyn routes
Stickle Gill, Langdale
Stoneycroft Gill, Newlands
Church Beck, Coniston
The Esk Gorge
All Ghyll Scrambles
Scafell Pike from Seathwaite
Bowfell & The Crinkles
Helvellyn from Wythburn
Great End from Seathwaite
High Street from Hartsop
The Fairfield Horseshoe
Ben Nevis
Snowdon
Yorkshire 3 Peaks
Ring of Steall
Tryfan & the Glydders
All Options
The Ennerdale Horseshoe is a popular round often completed by fell runners in just a few hours, but as a walker it provides a long physically, and mentally demanding challenge. Starting from the western end of Ennerdale Water the route soon climbs up the fellside to join the long ridge that climbs to the Buttermere Fells. The route continues up and over Green Gable before turning westward to ascend over Kirk Fell . Now on the return leg the fells that surround Pillar are traversed before we turn north after Haycock to finish over the much gentler slopes just above Ennerdale Water.
This challenge is sure to push you to your limits, but there aren't many better ways to find where they are.
Summits included on this route:
Great Borne616 metres / 2021 feet
Starling Dodd858 metres / 2815 feet
Red Pike (Buttermere)755 metres / 2477 feet
High Stile807 metres / 2648 feet
High Crag744 metres / 2441 feet
Haystacks597 metres / 1959 feet
Brandreth715 metres / 2346 feet
Green Gable801 metres / 2628 feet
Great Gable (Optional)682 metres / 2238 feet
Kirk Fell802 metres / 2631 feet
Pillar892 metres / 2927 feet
Scoat Fell841 metres / 2759 feet
Haycock797 metres / 2615 feet
Caw Fell690 metres / 2264 feet
Crag Fell525 metres / 1716 feet
Starting from the car park at the western end of Ennerdale Water we start to make our way a short way around the lake clockwise before climbing the fellside over Herdus to our first of many summits, Great Borne. Now above 600m we follow the ridge to the east over Starling Dodd to join the main Buttermere Fells. As we reach Red Pike we are greeted with fantastic views down into Buttermere. We will traverse across High Stile and High Crag before descending to Scarth Gap. From Scarth Gap we will scramble up the western face of Haystacks and to its lovely tarn topped summit.
On our second lowest summit of the day, we now start to re-ascend and make our way across the gentle ground to the summit of Brandreth where we can see into the Borrowdale Valley. We continue southwards a short distance to the summit of Green Gable, and if you are feeling energetic we can also take in the giant Great Gable.
From either of these summits we make our way to Beck Head, and onto the second half of the journey. After tackling Kirk Fell's steep eastern face we take in both of its summits before again descending into the Black Sail pass.
The re-ascent starts again and we climb up the gentle slopes over Looking Stead to the flat top of Pillar, from where we gain superb views back down to Ennerdale Water, and of our entire route. We turn westwards and over Scoat Fell to the fine rocky summit of Haycock.
Every summit from this point onwards is lower, however the ground still undulates along the way. We walk over the long grassy Caw Fell before dropping into the woods. We emerge from the woods with our final short climb up to the summit of Crag Fell. After soaking up the views of our entire route we will descend steeply back to the car park.
The Ennerdale Horseshoe is a very long day out entailing lots of ascent or descent, and will therefore be very physically demanding. It should only be tackled by experienced hill walkers or very fit people. Most of the route can be completed in separate walks via The Buttermere Fells Extended, Above Ennerdale and Pillar from Wasdale. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your suitability to this walk.
Each participant will be required to bring suitable equipment for their chosen event, please see Kit List tab above.
Group Size | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Per Person | £200 | £110 | £80 | £60 | £50 | £42 | £37 | £33 | £33 | £33 |
Per Group | £200 | £220 | £240 | £240 | £250 | £252 | £259 | £264 | £297 | £330 |
Group Size | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
Per Person | £42 | £40 | £40 | £38 | £38 | £37 | £35 | £33 | £33 | £33 |
Per Group | £462 | £480 | £520 | £532 | £570 | £592 | £595 | £594 | £627 | £660 |
Group Size | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 |
28 | 29 | 30 |
Per Person | £35 | £33 | £31 | £29 | £28 | £28 | £28 | £28 | £28 | £28 |
Per Group | £735 | £748 | £713 | £696 | £700 | £728 | £756 | £784 | £812 | £840 |
Group Size | 31 | 32 | 33+ |
Per Person | £29 | £28 | £27 |
Per Group | £899 | £896 |
Where to meet: Bowness Knott, Ennerdale
Postcode: CA23 3AS (approximate)
Grid Reference: NY 109 153
From Cockermouth: Follow the A5086 south from Cockermouth, until shortly after the Lamplugh Tip pub is passed to the right turn left, on the road signposted to Kirkland and Ennerdale Bridge.
Follow the road to Kirkland turning left at the crossroads in the village, at the end of this road turn right at the t-junction.
Follow the road down the hill, turning left at the junction into Croasdale, continuing on this road to the Bowness Knott Car Park, crossing the cattle grid, we will meet in the larger car park to the left.
There are no bus services to Bowness Knott.
Stagecoach bus timetables can be viewed here
Summer Events:
(November - March)
Winter Events:
(April - October)
The Following equipment may also be useful if owned:
The following equipment will be provided by The Lake District Walker should winter conditions require:
Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases.
What happens if the weather is bad?
We plan to walk whatever the weather, unless it is dangerous to do so.
Mountain weather can be a little unpredictable, but we do keep an eye on the forecasts leading up to walks, should the forecast mean that the walk is not possible then we will contact you as soon as we have the forecast and offer you the following options:
Are dogs allowed on this walk?
Yes, dogs are allowed on all our walks.
However we do cross farmland and common land where animals will be grazing, there will be large sections of the walk, if not all, where dogs will be required to be on a lead.
There are sections of this walk across rough ground and boulders and as such this walk may not be suitable for all dogs.
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