Parking
Use the small grassy roadside area at Greendale beside the first building you reach, around grid reference NY144056. It holds roughly 10 cars. Do not block gates, lanes, or access to the cottages.
Overview
About Greendale and Middle Fell Walk
Why go
- Big Wastwater and Scafells views from a quieter fell
- Tarn, summit, and valley scenery in one circuit
- A satisfying mountain day without the crowds of Scafell Pike
Heads up
- Steep climbing and rough ground for a short distance
- Boggy patches, exposed drops, and little shelter
The walk earns its distance with a changing sequence of views. Greendale Gill and open fell pasture lead to Greendale Tarn, a small mountain tarn in a hollow between the ridges. Higher up, Middle Fell opens the view across Wastwater to the Scafells and back into Wasdale. Expect grass, heather, and scattered rock rather than woodland shade. The full Greendale Round over Seatallan and Buckbarrow is a separate, longer outing if you want a bigger day in the same corner of the fells.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation83–558 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 Greendale and Middle Fell Walk, 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
Greendale: Middle Fell or Three Summits0:00 / 0:59
“You're nearing Greendale, the starting point for a quieter walk up Middle Fell and into the hills above Wastwater. For a satisfying outing of about three hours, I'd choose the three-and-a-half-mile Middle Fell circuit.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Nether Wasdale: A Piece of York Minster
- Wast Water at Overbeck
- Crossbills: A Beak for Opening Cones
- Scafell Pike from Lake Head
- 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 Greendale and Middle Fell Walk
The routeThis is a 3.
This is a 3.5-mile circular walk from Greendale, with the lower approach retraced on the way back. Allow about three hours. The path climbs from the roadside, reaches the rough ground around Greendale Tarn, continues over the summit area of Middle Fell, and returns on a separate upper line before descending the same lower access. The listed route is 5.6 km; the stored map draws the complete circuit, including that retraced lower stem.
Access and dogsPark on the small grassy roadside area at Greendale, beside the first building you reach,…
Park on the small grassy roadside area at Greendale, beside the first building you reach, around grid reference NY144056. The space is for roughly 10 cars and sits about 0.4 miles from Wastwater. Dogs are welcome under close control, but this is grazing country, so keep them close and leashed where needed.
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.
