Parking
Start at Mardale Head Car Park at the end of the road beside Haweswater. The lot has about 25 spaces and no services; bring what you need and take waste away.
Overview
About Branstree and Selside Pike from Mardale Head
Why go
- Two summits in one remote loop
- Historic Old Corpse Road return
- Big Haweswater views
Heads up
- Boggy open fell and indistinct paths
- Steep, rough descent
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation262–710 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 Branstree and Selside Pike from Mardale Head, 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
Haweswater and Mardale Head0:00 / 1:18
“You're nearing Mardale Head at the southern end of Haweswater, where steep fells rise around the reservoir and the walks begin beside the water.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Swindale: Walk to the Lower Falls
- Sadgill: Grey Crag and Tarn Crag
- Burnbanks: The Village Built for a Dam
- 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 Branstree and Selside Pike from Mardale Head
The routeA circular fell walk of 5.8 miles (9.
A circular fell walk of 5.8 miles (9.3 km) from Mardale Head, taking in two quiet fells above Haweswater. Allow about 3.5 hours to complete the whole loop, with published timings running from roughly 3 to 4 hours depending on pace and conditions. Total ascent is around 556 to 579 metres (1,800 to 1,900 feet).
How it unfoldsThrough the gate at the car park and up the steady climb of Gatescarth Pass.
- Through the gate at the car park and up the steady climb of Gatescarth Pass.
- Off the pass for the grassy pull onto Branstree, the high point of the day.
- Along the ridge beside the fence line to the summit shelter on Selside Pike.
- Down over Selside End onto the Old Corpse Road, past old ruins and waterfalls to the road.
- A final mile on the reservoir-side path back to the start.
Difficulty and footingRated 7/10, hard.
Rated 7/10, hard. The work is front-loaded on Gatescarth Pass, then the ground turns rough open fell with peat and bog that gets properly squelchy in wet weather. The drop off Selside End on the Corpse Road is steep and stony, so knees and poles earn their keep. Boots with real grip and a tolerance for wet feet are the right call.
Route-findingThe pass and the Corpse Road are clear. The link between them is not.
The pass and the Corpse Road are clear. The link between them is not. The grassy ascent to Branstree is indistinct, and the ridge across to Selside Pike is best followed by keeping the fence line as your guide. Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, since there is little to navigate by once you are on the plateau in poor visibility.
SceneryBig views back over Haweswater and into the head of Mardale, with remote, empty country either…
Big views back over Haweswater and into the head of Mardale, with remote, empty country either side of the ridge. The descent is the historical highlight: the Old Corpse Road was once used to carry the dead out of the valley, and it passes abandoned stone buildings and waterfalls on the way down.
Access and parkingStart from Mardale Head Car Park at the end of the road beside Haweswater.
Start from Mardale Head Car Park at the end of the road beside Haweswater. It holds about 25 vehicles, is free, and has no services, so no toilets, water or shop. It is a remote end-of-road access point, so bring what you need and take all waste away with you.
DogsDogs are welcome on the public route.
Dogs are welcome on the public route. Sheep and cattle graze the fells and the valley floor, so keep dogs close and on a lead around livestock.
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.
