A circular tour of Thornthwaite Crag, High Street and Hayeswater

STD

High Street [FE]

INDY May 30, 2025 Hartsop, Thornthwaite Crag, Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Hayeswater
Distance 13.29 km, Time 4.53 h, Total Ascent 785 m Imperial | MetricWainwright Pictorial Guide: The Far Eastern Fells

INDY SAYS: The final 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!

A 'Hartsop Round' - Thornthwaite Crag, Mardale Ill Bell and High Street. Then on to The Knott and descent via Hayeswater where Indy has a good swim. Ullswater stop off.

Start point, map and route information at bottom of page

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.

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:
Car parking in the car park at the far end of Hartsop Village [NY 40999 13007]
Route:
Hartsop, Thornthwaite Crag, Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Hayeswater Distance 13.29 km, Time 4.53 h, Total Ascent 785 m
Route maps from Ordnance Survey are scaled 1:25000 unless mentioned otherwise.
Km, hike time and metres of ascent as supplied by OS. Planned route

Route Map and Details

You are viewing in HD mode with full size images. To switch to STD mode, click here