Dunkery Beacon routes, easiest to hardest: times, distances and GPX

Peakify lists 2 measured routes up Dunkery Beacon, traced on OpenStreetMap paths from the start to the summit. Distances and ascent are one way, to the top.

Dunkery Beacon routes, easiest to hardest

Sorted by grade, easiest first: Easy, Moderate, Hard, then Scramble. Routes with the same grade keep the order in which Peakify's editors listed them.

Dunkery Beacon route times by Naismith's rule

The times above use Naismith's rule: 5 km/h on the flat plus 10 minutes for every 100 m of ascent, rounded to the nearest 5 minutes. "There and back" doubles the distance and counts the ascent once, for coming down the same way. Naismith assumes a fit walker and no stops, so add time for breaks, a heavy pack, rough or snowy ground, and a group that moves at its slowest member's pace.

Each Dunkery Beacon route

Dunkery Gate

A wide stony track climbs through heather to the summit cairn. It starts from Dunkery Gate roadside parking. 1.1 km one way with 134 m of ascent. About 0h 25m to the summit and 0h 40m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Easy.

Webber's Post

You walk through heather and over the northern slopes on moorland paths to the cairn. It starts from Webber's Post car park, above Horner. 3.2 km one way with 294 m of ascent. About 1h 10m to the summit and 1h 45m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

Dunkery Beacon route GPX

This page doesn't offer a GPX download. To get a GPX file for a Dunkery Beacon route, use the Peakify iPhone app: open Dunkery Beacon, plan the route in the route planner (or import a GPX you already have), save it, then choose Export GPX on the saved route. GPX export is part of Peakify Pro.

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Before you pick a route

The grade describes the ground in fair weather. Wind, rain, cloud and ice change it: a Moderate path can be hard to follow in mist, and a scramble in strong gusts is a different proposition from the same rock on a calm day. Check whether it is safe to climb Dunkery Beacon today and the Dunkery Beacon 14-day forecast before you set off, and allow for the walk out in daylight.

Planning a day on Dunkery Beacon routes

The walking times above use Naismith's rule, which assumes a fit walker on good paths with short stops. Most groups take longer: add a quarter for a mixed group, more for children or heavy packs, and plan the descent as carefully as the climb, because tired legs and fading light cause more trouble on the way down than on the way up.

Start early. Car parks at popular starts fill by mid-morning in summer and at weekends, and an early start leaves spare daylight if the weather turns or the walk takes longer than planned. In winter, work back from sunset and leave a margin of at least an hour.

Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, even on a well-trodden path; a phone battery fails fastest in cold, wet weather. Pack a waterproof jacket and trousers, a warm layer, a hat and gloves in every season, plus food, water and a head torch. Tell someone your route and when you expect to be back.

If you are new to Dunkery Beacon, choose the easiest route in the table for a first ascent and save the harder lines for a settled day when you know the mountain. Turning back is always an option; the summit will still be there.

Questions about Dunkery Beacon

What is the easiest route up Dunkery Beacon?

Start at Dunkery Gate and follow the broad track to the summit cairn.

How much time does each Dunkery Beacon route take?

Dunkery Gate: about 0h 25m up and 0h 40m there and back. Webber's Post: about 1h 10m up and 1h 45m there and back. Times are by Naismith's rule (5 km/h plus 10 minutes per 100 m of ascent), before stops.

Can I get a GPX file for a Dunkery Beacon route?

Not from this page. In the Peakify iPhone app, plan the route in the route planner (or import one), save it, then choose Export GPX on the saved route. GPX export is part of Peakify Pro.