Braithwaite via Coledale Hause up Crag Hill: route map, distance and time

Follow the mine track up Coledale to Coledale Hause, then climb east on to the stony summit plateau.

Braithwaite via Coledale Hause starts at about 130 m and gains 882 m over 6.4 km to 822 m on the track. It is steep from the start: the first kilometre climbs 214 m (21%). The steepest kilometre is the one ending at 1 km, which climbs 214 m at an average of 21%, with a 500 m stretch from 3 km at about 37%. It keeps climbing at 10% to the top. About 33% of the way is steeper than 1 in 5, so expect hands-on-knees going and a slow descent.

Braithwaite via Coledale Hause at a glance

Braithwaite via Coledale Hause map

The track from the start (green) to the summit (blue), with a marker at each kilometre.

Height profile and getting to the start

Download the Braithwaite via Coledale Hause GPX

Ascent only: plan your way down. A planning track, not checked on the ground; it doesn't show safe scrambling moves. Track data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), heights from a terrain model.

Braithwaite via Coledale Hause kilometre by kilometre

Height, climb and average gradient for each kilometre of the track, with a grid reference at the end of each one to check your position on the map.

How long Braithwaite via Coledale Hause takes

Times leave out stops. Coming down the same way, the table counts the ascent once; steep descents on rough ground can be as slow as the climb.

Crag Hill summit weather for this route

• Marginal Today Monday 19 October

  Moderate drizzle, up to 8°C at the summit, feeling as cold as -2°C, summit wind 34 mph gusting 43 mph, 49% chance of rain. Rated Marginal. Sunrise 07:49, sunset 18:06.

• Marginal Tomorrow Tuesday 20 October

  Dense drizzle, up to 6°C at the summit, feeling as cold as -1°C, summit wind 26 mph gusting 32 mph, 86% chance of rain. Rated Marginal. Sunrise 07:51, sunset 18:03.

Best day of the next seven for Braithwaite via Coledale Hause: Thursday 22 October, with summit gusts around 29 mph and a 75% chance of rain.

Hour-by-hour Crag Hill forecast · 14-day forecast · Is it safe to climb Crag Hill?

Before you go, also check: MWIS Lake District forecast · Met Office mountain forecast · Weatherline fell top conditions.

What to take today

• An insulated jacket, hat and warm gloves: it feels like -2°C on top.
• Waterproof jacket and overtrousers: 49% chance of rain.
• A windproof layer, and poles for balance in gusts to 43 mph.
• Map and compass, and the skills to use them. A phone is a backup, not a plan.
• A head torch, food, water, a charged phone and a small first aid kit.

About Crag Hill

Crag Hill is the highest point of the Coledale fells, a rocky summit with a trig point at the hub of ridges between Braithwaite and Buttermere. More about Crag Hill, with the live forecast.

On the lists: Wainwright, Hewitt, Nuttall, HuMP, Birkett.

Extend the walk: tops near the summit

• Sail (773 m), 0.5 km east
• Wandope (774 m), 0.8 km south-west
• Ard Crags (581 m), 1.5 km east
• Knott Rigg (556 m), 1.5 km south
• Sand Hill (756 m), 1.6 km north
• Scar Crags (672 m), 1.6 km east

Challenges that include Crag Hill

• Hewitts · 523
• Nuttalls · 442
• Wainwrights · 214

More walks from Braithwaite / lower Whinlatter Pass car park

Routes in Peakify's guides that start within 500 m of this one, for another day from the same car park.

• Braithwaite via Coledale Hause up Grasmoor
• Braithwaite via Sleet How up Grisedale Pike
• Braithwaite via Coledale Hause up Hopegill Head
• Braithwaite via Grisedale Pike up Hopegill Head
• Braithwaite via Coledale Hause up Sail
• Braithwaite via Coledale Hause up Wandope
• Braithwaite via Coledale Hause up Sand Hill
• Braithwaite via Grisedale Pike ridge up Hobcarton Crag
• Braithwaite via Grisedale Pike ridge up Ladyside Pike

Other routes up Crag Hill

In an emergency

Call 999, ask for the police and then mountain rescue. Give your location (the start is at NY 227 237, the summit at NY 192 203), what happened and how many are in your group. If you have no signal for a call, a text to 999 works once you have registered your phone with emergencySMS: text "register" to 999 before you go.

Braithwaite via Coledale Hause: questions and answers

How far is Braithwaite via Coledale Hause?

Braithwaite via Coledale Hause is 6.4 km one way to the summit of Crag Hill. There and back by the same way is about 12.8 km.

How steep is Braithwaite via Coledale Hause?

The steepest 500 m averages about 37%, starting 3 km from the start, and 33% of the way is steeper than 1 in 5. Braithwaite via Coledale Hause climbs 882 m in all on the track.

Where do you park for Braithwaite via Coledale Hause?

Braithwaite via Coledale Hause starts from Braithwaite / lower Whinlatter Pass car park. The grid reference is NY 227 237. Braithwaite / lower Whinlatter Pass car park

Is Braithwaite via Coledale Hause suitable for beginners?

Yes, for fit walkers on a clear day. Peakify grades it Moderate: a long climb on a made path, but the top is high, exposed and colder than the start. Turn back if the cloud comes down and you can't navigate.

Is there a GPX for Braithwaite via Coledale Hause?

Yes. Download it from this page. It is an ascent-only planning track from the start to the summit, plotted on OpenStreetMap paths and not checked on the ground.