Parking
Use the pay-and-display car park opposite the Patterdale Hotel, near grid reference NY396159. The walk starts beside the hotel and returns to the same place. Do not use farm entrances or block the narrow lanes.
Overview
About Birks and Arnison Crag Circular
Why go
- Two Wainwright summits in one compact circuit
- Arnison Crag gives a direct view down Ullswater
- Varied route through parkland, ridge, and rock
Heads up
- Steep 526-metre ascent for a walk under five miles
- Faint, boggy ground around Trough Head
- Limited parking in Patterdale
Arnison Crag gives the more immediate view down Ullswater towards Glenridding, while Birks looks across Grisedale to Birkhouse Moor, St Sunday Crag, and the Helvellyn range. Expect open fell, exposed rock, old walls, and patches of prostrate juniper. The lower section through Glenamara Park adds veteran oak and alder, with bluebells a durable seasonal highlight in May and June. Clear early or late light is especially good for the lake and ridge views.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation147–603 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active Lake District alerts
- ClosureChapel Stile footpath closed for retaining-wall riskPart of Footpath 543030 between Chapel Stile and Baysbrown campsite is closed because a retaining wall beside the path could collapse and material it supports could fall across the footpath.Official details
- ClosureStanley Ghyll Lower Falls footpath closed for rockfallThe section of Footpath 408037 leading towards Stanley Ghyll Lower Falls is closed because severe rockfall damage has made the path unstable and further rockfall remains a danger.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake District Tour Guide
Your drive to Birks and Arnison Crag Circular, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Patterdale: Place Fell and Arnison Crag0:00 / 1:15
“Up ahead is Patterdale, a starting point for Place Fell and a mountain walk with Ullswater spread below you.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Glenridding: Ullswater Shore and Steamers
- Helvellyn Walks from Glenridding
- Brothers Water: Woodland and Shore
- Hartsop: Hayeswater Gill and Tarn
- 298 audio storiesacross Lake District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Eurasian Otter, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 265 trails, 89 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Birks and Arnison Crag Circular
The routeThis is a 4.9-mile (7.
This is a 4.9-mile (7.9 km) circular from Patterdale, starting and finishing at the car park opposite the Patterdale Hotel. From the village, follow the lane towards Grisedale, climb through Glenamara Park and up the steep, stone-pitched path to Thornhow End, then continue to the grassy summit of Birks. The route drops beside a ruined wall to Trough Head, crosses Hag Beck, and climbs the rough ridge to Arnison Crag before descending past Oxford Crag and returning to Patterdale. Allow 3 to 3.5 hours; about 3.25 hours is a realistic sightseeing pace.
What it feels likeThe distance is modest, but 526 metres of ascent makes this a proper fell walk.
The distance is modest, but 526 metres of ascent makes this a proper fell walk. The first climb is sustained and steep, while the ridge between the two summits is grassy, uneven, and occasionally boggy. Birks has a small cairn on an open, rather plain summit. Arnison Crag is rockier, with a short clamber to its summit outcrop. The route is not technically difficult, but the faint line around Trough Head and the rough ground reward careful navigation, especially in mist.
Practical detailsDogs are allowed, but the route crosses grazed ground.
Dogs are allowed, but the route crosses grazed ground. Keep them on a lead and well clear of cattle and sheep. Parking at Patterdale is limited, so the circuit is easier when you can arrive early or use public transport. The roadside approach can be busy, and the path can become wet underfoot after rain. If you want a longer, higher outing, continue from Birks towards St Sunday Crag; that is a different and much more demanding walk than this circuit.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake District
81 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
13 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
76 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
51 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
233 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
176 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
