Parking
Roadside parking on the approach to Stonethwaite is limited. Walk into the hamlet to start at the bridge, and do not use resident-only spaces or block farm access.
Overview
About Eagle Crag, Sergeant's Crag and Ullscarf
Why go
- Three distinct summits with a dramatic crag scramble
- Quiet, rugged high fell scenery
- Waterfalls and valley views on the return
Heads up
- Boggy, pathless ground makes navigation demanding
- Steep rocky scrambling is unsuitable for inexperienced walkers
- Dogs face stiles, scrambling, and rough exposed ground
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation97–717 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 Eagle Crag, Sergeant's Crag and Ullscarf, 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
Stonethwaite: Galleny Force and Black Moss Pot0:00 / 1:02
“You're coming up on Stonethwaite, where a walk into Langstrath brings you to Galleny Force and the deep pool of Black Moss Pot.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Rosthwaite: Dock Tarn and Great Crag
- Seatoller: Castle Crag or Waterfall Walk
- Seathwaite and the Corridor Route
- Bowder Stone: A Woodland Giant
- 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 Eagle Crag, Sergeant's Crag and Ullscarf
Route and effortThis is a 9.1-mile loop from Stonethwaite, returning to the hamlet.
This is a 9.1-mile loop from Stonethwaite, returning to the hamlet. Allow about six to eight hours for the full circuit, not the short minimum times sometimes quoted for fast fell walkers. The route starts on a good valley path beside Stonethwaite Beck, crosses the footbridge near Greenup Gill, then turns steeply uphill toward Bleak How and Eagle Crag.
The high groundThe approach to Eagle Crag becomes steep grass, a wet rocky gully, and hands-on scrambling over…
The approach to Eagle Crag becomes steep grass, a wet rocky gully, and hands-on scrambling over rough terraces. From the summit, an easier ridge leads south to Sergeant's Crag. The route then crosses faint, often boggy ground below Long Crag to Greenup Edge before climbing the broad, mostly pathless plateau to Ullscarf. Expect navigation to matter more than the summit height suggests.
ReturnFrom Ullscarf, retrace the high ground to Greenup Edge, then pick up the cairned Greenup Gill…
From Ullscarf, retrace the high ground to Greenup Edge, then pick up the cairned Greenup Gill path and descend past Lining Crag. The lower descent is steep and rough, with cascades in the gill before the gates and bridge return you to Stonethwaite. The finest views are the Borrowdale valley from Eagle Crag and the crag-and-fell panorama around Ullscarf.
Practical notesThis is a hard, varied fell day rather than a tidy marked trail.
This is a hard, varied fell day rather than a tidy marked trail. Dry, clear weather gives the best footing, route-finding, and photography, while spring and autumn bring attractive colour but can make the boggy plateau wetter. Keep dogs under close control around livestock and assess whether they can safely manage the scrambling, stiles, and steep rocky ground.
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.
