Parking
Use the Rosthwaite National Trust car park in the village, reached from the B5289 via the village turn. The loop starts from the village access; do not substitute the Watendlath car park, which is a different access point.
Overview
About Dock Tarn, Great Crag and Watendlath Loop
Why go
- Two very different tarns plus a rocky summit
- A varied circuit through woodland, fell, and valley views
Heads up
- Boggy ground and wet fords can slow the middle section
- The climb and rough summit paths are harder than the mileage suggests
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation88–420 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 Dock Tarn, Great Crag and Watendlath Loop, 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
Rosthwaite: Dock Tarn and Great Crag0:00 / 1:05
“Rosthwaite is coming up ahead, a starting point for a walk to Dock Tarn, Watendlath and the rocky top of Great Crag.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Stonethwaite: Galleny Force and Black Moss Pot
- Seatoller: Castle Crag or Waterfall Walk
- Bowder Stone: A Woodland Giant
- Borrowdale: Graphite Under Guard
- 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 Dock Tarn, Great Crag and Watendlath Loop
The shapeThis is a circular 5.25-mile walk from Rosthwaite.
This is a circular 5.25-mile walk from Rosthwaite. That is the complete loop distance, not an out-and-back. The route links Watendlath, Dock Tarn, Great Crag, and the Stonethwaite valley before returning to the village.
What you getThe loop moves between very different Lakeland scenes.
The loop moves between very different Lakeland scenes. Watendlath is a small hanging-valley hamlet beside its broad tarn, reached by a bridleway and a historic packhorse bridge. Higher up, Dock Tarn is the quieter payoff: a rocky, reed-fringed pool set among heather, bilberry, bog cotton, and water lilies. The route then crosses rough ground near the rocky top of Great Crag, with wide views toward Langstrath, Glaramara, Greenup Edge, and the central fells, before dropping through oak woodland and back along Stonethwaite Beck.
Effort and footingThe mileage understates the work.
The mileage understates the work. Expect one very steep 230-metre climb between Stonethwaite and the high ground, plus rough rock, pitched paths, gates, stiles, and short fords. The route is signed for most of its length, but the ground around Great Crag and Dock Tarn is less formal than a surfaced park trail. Allow about four hours at a normal sightseeing pace, including stops.
Access and dogsStart at the Rosthwaite National Trust car park and follow the signed route from the village.
Start at the Rosthwaite National Trust car park and follow the signed route from the village. Dogs are allowed under close control, but the stiles, gates, fords, boggy ground, and livestock country make a lead a practical choice. This is a rewarding long outing, not a casual stroll, and it is a stronger choice than a short out-and-back to one tarn if you want a varied Borrowdale outing.
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.
