A circular tour of Thornthwaite Crag, High Street and Hayeswater

STD

High Street [FE]

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Blea Water

INDY May 30, 2025 Hartsop, Thornthwaite Crag, Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Hayeswater Blea Water

Start Point, Map

Titbits

Obstacle

Distance 13.29 km, Time 4.53 h, Total Ascent 785 m Imperial | Metric

INDY SAYS: The second part to Thornthwaite Crag was steep and rocky, but once on the ridge there were grassy paths. I had a good swim in Hayeswater and on the way home the sun came out and we stopped off in Ullswater for another swim!

Low drifting clouds

Forecast is cloudy with possible slight afternoon improvement.
We decide to have another go at High Street but this time from the Hartsop side.

It is drizzling and dark when we arrive

But that, says Indy, is no reason to hang about. Come on !

We can see most of our route up the valley

But the path up to Threshwaite Mouth is not so clear

Much of this path is criss crossed by streams

A break in the clouds affords us a glimpse of Windermere in the distance

The push to Thornthwaite Crag is rocky and steep

Thornthwaite Crag summit with its impressive cairn is shrouded in clouds

No views, we can't even see Mardale Ill Bell, our next objective

It's a relatively straightfoward walk though, here we are at the summit

Despite the fact that we are totally shrouded in clouds, we venture off the path towards Blea Water Crag. Wainwright notes that there is a great spot for viewing Blea Water from here.
Unbelievably, as we arrive, the clouds part for about 2 minutes offering us lovely views of Blea Water and Haweswater. Blink and you would have missed it.

From Blea Water Crag, off the path, as the clouds part just long enough to reveal a fantastic view of Blea Water and Haweswater reservoir beyond

Indy in the foreground of this picture from Blea Water Crag, off the path, as the clouds part just long enough to reveal a fantastic view of Blea Water and Haweswater reservoir beyond, May 30, 2025

Indy in the foreground of this picture from Blea Water Crag, off the path, as the clouds part just long enough to reveal a fantastic view of Blea Water and Haweswater reservoir beyond, May 30, 2025

As we make our way to High Street, we are still in the clouds

At the summit of High Street, much of the cloud is behind us

And the view opens ahead

Our first view of Hayeswater

Indy at the summit of The Knott

She is so excited on approaching the water that she runs far ahead

The usual... and a picnic lunch

Due to a broken bridge downstream, we ford the water here

Numerous waterfalls in Hayeswater Gill

This is the old filter house, our walk is nearly over

The waterfalls of Hayeswater Gill

Streams joining the Gill

As the sun makes a brief appearance, we stop off in Ullswater on the way home

Start: Hartsop

Car park at the far end of Hartsop Village (honesty box). [Grid Ref: NY 40999 13007] [GPS 54.508922, -2.912745] View on map

Route

Hartsop, Thornthwaite Crag, Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Hayeswater
Distance 13.29 km, Time 4.53 h, Total Ascent 785 m
Wainwright Pictorial Guide: The Far Eastern Fells

Fells

Thornthwaite Crag 784 m
Mardale Ill Bell 760 m
High Street 828 m
The Knott 739 m

Titbits

High Street - High Street is named after the Roman road that crossed the fell between AD 70 and AD 150. The road connected two major Roman forts: Brougham (near Penrith) and Galava (Ambleside). This was a remarkably ambitious engineering feat - the Roman road runs at a higher altitude than any other Roman road in England.
The Romans probably chose the fell-top route because the gentle slopes and flat summit plateau were easier to traverse than the densely forested and marshy valleys below, which were susceptible to ambush.
Beyond its Roman significance, High Street held cultural and social importance in the 18th and 19th centuries when its flat summit was used as a venue for summer fairs. Annually on 12 July, people from the surrounding valleys gathered to return stray sheep to their owners, and the event also featured games, wrestling, and horse racing. This tradition is why the summit is also known as Racecourse Hill.

Obstacle

The main bridge over Hayeswater Gill, (the Eastern of the two 'FBs' on the route map], had been destroyed in a storm. After trying unsuccessfully to find a sensible alternate route to the Filter House footbridge, we decided to ford the Gill where it leaves Hayeswater. Caution was warranted over wet rocks, and the water came completely over and into one of my my boots. Not that important at the end of a hike, but you wouldn't want it at the beginning (May 30, 2025)

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Please do your own research to verify current routes and information on car parking, bus services and so on

Route maps from Ordnance Survey are scaled 1:25000 unless otherwise indicated.
Distance, Hike Time and Total Ascent as supplied by OS. Image shows planned route.
Distance 13.29 km, Time 4.53 h, Total Ascent 785 m

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