Hallin Fell

Start at the roadside parking opposite St Peter's Church at Martindale Hause and walk a short distance along the road toward Howtown to pick up the broad path. From there the climb rises directly up open grass, passing a small water tank, onto the summit plateau at 388 m and its large stone obelisk. Cross the shallow summit hawse to the nearby far knoll for the inland view over Martindale and Boredale, then return to the hawse and take the same broad grassy line back down to the church.

Navigation is simple in clear conditions and the path is wide and obvious for most of the way. The effort is concentrated in a sustained steep pull on grass, with rougher, rockier ground, outcrops and shallow hollows around the top. No scrambling is required. The descent is the same steep grass, which can be slippery when wet, so poles or careful footing help. Bracken encroaches on the lower slopes in high summer.

Ullswater sits almost directly below the summit, and the view runs both ways along the lake as well as inland over the quiet valleys of Martindale and Boredale and the surrounding fells. For the height gained, the outlook is unusually wide, which is the main reason people climb this fell rather than for the length of the walk.

The fell is open grazing land with little or no shade and no dependable water on the route, so carry what you need for the whole loop. The summit plateau is fully exposed to wind and passing weather, and cloud can remove the view entirely. Bring a layer even for a short outing. Dogs are welcome on the ordinary route, but livestock graze the open fell and dogs should be kept under close control throughout, and with no water source on the climb you will need to bring some for them as well.

The approach road is narrow and winding with tight hairpins, so drive slowly and expect to give way. Parking is at and near St Peter's Church and is limited, with no guarantee of a space at busy times. Arriving early on weekends and holidays is the practical answer, and it also gives you the quietest time on the summit, which sees steady traffic through the middle of the day.

If you want a longer day from the same start, a roughly 3.6-mile circuit drops from the fell to the Ullswater shoreline and returns through woodland and past Hallin Bank. It is a distinctly different walk with more distance, shade and a fainter, sometimes bracken-covered return, rather than a variation on this short summit loop.