Carrock Fell and High Pike

A closed circular loop of 6.2 miles (10.0 km) with about 525 m of climbing, starting and finishing at the same roadside spot above Stone End Farm. Reckon on around 4 hours, or 3.5 to 4.5 depending on your pace and how long you sit about on the tops.

You go up almost immediately on Rake Trod, following the line of Further Gill Sike to the bouldery top of Carrock Fell at roughly 647 m, where the remains of an ancient hillfort ring the summit and there is a stone wind shelter. From there the walk turns into a broad, open moorland traverse over Round Knott and Miton Hill, past Drygill Head, to High Pike at about 649 m with its trig point, cairn shelter and memorial seat. The descent runs down over West Fell and past old mine workings, then follows Carrock Beck back down the valley to the start near 240 m.

Call it a 6 out of 10. The hard part is the first mile: steep, loose and gritty, with rock where you may want a hand down or two, and not much firm footing to trust. No scrambling skill is needed, but it is a genuine haul. After that the ridge is easier walking and the return is gradual, though the ground stays rough underfoot throughout.

Between the two summits expect boggy patches and grassy paths that fade in and out, so you are picking a line as much as following one. That is fine in clear conditions, when you can see where you are heading, and much more awkward in low cloud. Take a map and the ability to use it, and be willing to turn back on the ridge if visibility closes in. There is very little shelter once you are up, apart from the two summit wind shelters.

Dogs are welcome on the rights of way and access land here, and there are no stiles on the loop, which helps. The durable rule to plan around: on open access land they must be on a lead no longer than 2 m from 1 March to 31 July, and on a lead at all times near livestock. You will meet sheep, and possibly fell ponies, so keep them close.

Parking is a small roadside area just above Stone End Farm, near the old quarry on the Mosedale Common side of the valley. It is informal and limited, not a car park with facilities, so arrive early if you want a space and park considerately. Carry all your water. There is a stream near the start and a ford near the end, but nothing dependable to drink from on the tops.

Carrock Fell is a geological oddity, with different rock types meeting on either side of Further Gill Sike, which is why the summit feels so bouldery and broken compared with the smooth grassy moorland beyond it. The old mine workings on the descent are part of the same story. It gives the loop two very different halves: rocky and abrupt, then wide and quiet.