Brock Crags and Angletarn Pikes Circular

The payoff is a compact high circuit that pairs a quiet reservoir basin with a tarn ringed by knolls and craggy summits, all reached without leaving the loop or extending onto neighbouring fells.

• Leave the car park and follow Pasture Beck past the sheep pens
• Cross the Hayeswater Gill bridge and climb steadily above Hayeswater
• Traverse wet fellside below Rest Dodd near Prison Gill
• Reach Brock Crags, then Buck Crag
• Drop to Angle Tarn, the scenic centrepiece of the walk
• Climb Angletarn Pikes, with a short scramble and two rocky tops, one slightly higher than the other
• Descend to Boredale Hause, then take the pipeline track and lower valley track back to Hartsop

The climb above Hayeswater is steep and sustained. Expect very rough ground with boulders and scree, plus wet and boggy sections on the undulating shelf below Rest Dodd and across the summit plateau. Several stretches follow remote, indistinct paths, so map and compass skills are needed. Because the route passes close to crags on complicated ground near Brock Crags, Buck Crag and Angletarn Pikes, mist makes route finding poor and risky. Save this loop for a day with reliable visibility.

Red deer are regularly seen around Hartsop and on the slopes below Rest Dodd, so move quietly on the traverse. Ground-nesting birds use the open fell in spring and early summer, which is a further reason to keep to paths. Along the valley, the stone sheep pens by Pasture Beck and the pipeline track near the end reflect long-standing farming and water-supply use of these fells.

Start from the Hartsop village car park at the lane end (postcode CA11 0NZ, grid reference NY410130). It is a small village car park with an honesty box for donations rather than a formal pay machine, so bring coins. If it is full, Cow Bridge parking sits about 1km from the start and adds a short road and track link at each end. Underfoot conditions at the start include loose stone, worn tarmac, gravel and marshy grass, so wear boots with ankle support and grip from the car park onwards.

Cattle and sheep graze the valley fields and open fell along much of this route. Cattle can be inquisitive and should be given a wide berth, especially near the beck crossings and gates. Dogs are welcome but must be kept on leads because of livestock, ground-nesting birds and deer. Close all gates behind you and avoid walking between cattle and their calves.