Silver How routes, easiest to hardest: times, distances and GPX

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

Silver How 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.

Silver How 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 Silver How route

Grasmere

A lane leaves the village and a path climbs through bracken and juniper to the rocky summit. It starts from Grasmere village. 2.5 km one way with 344 m of ascent. About 1h 5m to the summit and 1h 35m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Easy.

Elterwater

You climb north from Elterwater over the fell side and follow paths through the knolls to the top. It starts from Elterwater village car park. 2.5 km one way with 327 m of ascent. About 1h 5m to the summit and 1h 35m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

Silver How route GPX

This page doesn't offer a GPX download. To get a GPX file for a Silver How route, use the Peakify iPhone app: open Silver How, 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 Silver How today and the Silver How 14-day forecast before you set off, and allow for the walk out in daylight.

Planning a day on Silver How 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 Silver How, 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 Silver How

What is the easiest route up Silver How?

Grasmere has the easiest grade of the 2 routes listed here (Easy).

How much time does each Silver How route take?

Grasmere: about 1h 5m up and 1h 35m there and back. Elterwater: about 1h 5m up and 1h 35m 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 Silver How 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.