Parking
Use the pay-and-display car park on Red Bank Road beside Grasmere Garden Village, or signed public parking in Grasmere village. The route starts from the village access near Easedale Road and returns by the road opposite Faeryland Tearoom.
Overview
About Silver How
Why go
- Big summit views for a compact route
- Distinctive juniper and Wray Gill approach
- Easy to reach on foot from Grasmere village
Heads up
- Steep, rocky ascent and a wet descent
- Short route with substantial climbing
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation68–367 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 Silver How, 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
Grasmere: Riverside, Gingerbread and Lake0:00 / 1:20
“You're nearing Grasmere village, where you can combine a walk beside the River Rothay with a stop for the local gingerbread.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Easedale Tarn: Waterfalls from Grasmere
- Wordsworth Grasmere: Inside Dove Cottage
- Mill Bridge: Seat Sandal and the Grasmere View
- Rydal Water and Cave from White Moss
- 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 Silver How
The walkSilver How is a 2.
Silver How is a 2.8-mile circular walk from Grasmere village to the open summit and back by a different line. The approach passes Allan Bank, follows fields and a rocky ravine, then climbs through juniper to Wray Gill. After the ford, a broad path crosses the plateau to the summit cairn. The return drops through the old Scree Gully line, follows a wall and fields, and comes back to the village road near Faeryland Tearoom.
What it feels likeThis is short on paper but not a stroll.
This is short on paper but not a stroll. The climb is steep and rocky, with uneven grass and a few gates. The way down is easier in places because of engineered steps, though the wall-side section can be wet and rough. The summit is grassy and spacious, with enough room to stop for a picnic when the weather cooperates.
Views and things to noticeThe payoff is a broad look across the vale of Grasmere and into Langdale.
The payoff is a broad look across the vale of Grasmere and into Langdale. On a clear day, the skyline includes the Langdale Pikes, Bowfell, The Band, Pike of Blisco, Helm Crag, Steel Fell, Heron Pike and Fairfield. Juniper stands out on the climb, while dry-stone walls and large erratic boulders give the lower and middle sections a distinctly worked-and-glacial character.
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.
