windshelters, the ridge to Great Rigg is approximately south and of a Fairfield is one of the highest peaks in the Eastern Fells, towering over its neighbors at an altitude of 873m. It’s a more straight-forward hike than, say the Coledale Round or Newlands Horseshoe and it’s easy to … Ascent: 3,500 feet. The Fairfield Horseshoe is a superb walk from Rydal taking in a number of Wainwright fells. Spend five minutes with me on this blog, and you won’t go wrong. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Low Pike can be tackled head on with a short scramble. One of the best places to stay close to the trailhead for Fairfield Horseshoe is the delightful Haven Cottage, which still retains traditional old features like wooden beams and feature fireplaces. It was a nice place and there was a nice town nearby. Become a Contributor at 10Adventures and share your adventures! Another great place to stay near the Fairfield Horseshoe trail is Rydal Lodge. Bear left off the main path if this is This might not be what you expect to see in the rugged countryside of the Lake District, but local fighter pilots actually use the valley as a training ground. is for the best. This walk takes you to the top of the following hills: Nab Scar, Low Pike, High Pike (Scandale), Heron Pike North Top, Heron Pike (Rydal), Hart Crag, Great Rigg, Fairfield, and Dove Crag; and includes 8 Wainwrights, 9 Birketts, 6 Nuttalls, 4 Hewitts, 1 Marilyn, and 1 HuMP. Either way, the joy of Fairfield is experienced from its summit, which provides some of the finest views over the Eastern Fells that you’ll get anywhere in the Lakes. At 4.7km from the start, you’ll come to a stonewall and take the protruding stone steps over it and then continue uphill. and the gate the other side. From here the path is pretty evident, curving in the horseshoe around to your right and coming back down on the hills on the other side of the valley. As Lake District legend Alfred Wainwright noted, Fairfield is a somewhat deceptive mountain: from the south it appears as a fairly unassuming, grassy horseshoe, but from the north, hikers can appreciate its dramatic precipices and deep, dark valleys. Fairfield Horseshoe Walk Pictures These are the recent pictures I took whilst completing the Fairfield Horseshoe for my Lake District Walks website with some fantastic views of Grasmere village and Rydal valley to name but a few of the great Lakeland views. to ensure the correct way off is taken. Soon after, you go through a metal gate and head straight down the road, passing some buildings from the University of Cumbria. Date of walk: 3rd March 2013. Length - 11.0 miles / 17.9 km. Date of walk: 2nd June 2016. It's not the only long horseshoe walk in the Lakes (see my Route 4579, The Kentmere Horseshoe, for another) but it is probably the most accessible and the most popular. Classic Lake District Walks – The Fairfield Horseshoe Details. overlooking much of Lakeland. Weather: Sun and blue skies. Stick right close to the stone wall, but your boots may get a bit muddy. It starts and finishes in the centre of Ambleside and takes in 8 Wainwrights. Follow this path and after 2.3km from your starting point in the car park, take a track that heads off to the right. According to legend, the crown of the ancient king of Cumberland, Dunmail, was cast into the tarn after his death in battle. The Fairfield Horseshoe is a great day out for everyone, although a long walk the pace is steady allowing time to bask in the glory of this stunning part of the Lakes. Best done anti-clockwise in my view. best to use a compass. Although it can get very busy in summer and during the school holidays, Ambleside is a lovely and convenient base for your Lake District walking adventure. The summit plateau of Fairfield is really amazing, The views are good all round but are best of all from the peak of plateau of Fairfield, The Helvellyn walk is one of the classics in the beautiful Lake District. footpath signs to help you, and bear left onto the track again signposted A path leads invitingly due north past Fairfield which is OK if intending to go on to Cofa Pike and St Sunday Crag, but to continue the horseshoe you need to head east instead. A shorter version is detailed in walk 1170 . The Fairfield Horseshoe is understandably one of the most popular ridge walks in the Lake District. A high skyline walk that showcases some of the best views in the Lake District. The work we do on this web site, both researching and writing up walks, takes a lot of our time but doesn't make us a great deal of money. The Fairfield Horseshoe is a classic circular walk boasting some exceptional views within the heart of the Lake District National Park. Rydal Road car park would be Distance: 12.1 miles. Time - 8 hours 50 minutes. The Fairfield horseshoe perfectly defines all the characteristics of a great horseshoe route. Ascent - 3400 feet / 1030 metres . Maps contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2011 and paths © OpenStreetMap Contributors,CC-BY-SA, 2011, Inevitably things change on the ground so if you think this walk needs updating please, note that gradients are usually grossly exaggerated, 4 - pathless/high plateau/minor scrambling, Buy walk in Adobe/PDF format to print or for your phone or tablet, An Ambleside Waterfalls Wander - Stockghyll Force and Blue Hill Wood, Red Screes and Middle Dodd from Ambleside, Wansfell Pike, Troutbeck, and Skelghyll Wood, Stone Arthur, Great Rigg, Heron Pike and Nab Scar, Steel Fell, Calf Crag, Gibson Knott and Helm Crag, Easedale Tarn, Codale Tarn, and Tarn Crag, Waterfalls and the Cathedral Cavern, from Elterwater, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. The start up Nab Scar from Ambleside is hard and steep but once on the ridge it's relatively easy going. This is today’s route, from the south, you can see that it forms a clear impressive horseshoe (AW Fairfield 3). Copyright © 2020 10Adventures Inc. All rights reserved. Alternatively, crossing to the west side via a ladder stile may be better, or take a wide sweep to the east to avoid this hollow. Hill data is derived from Database of British and Irish hills which is licensed under a A very scenic but strenuous walk! Stay on the left-hand side of the road and after about 10 minutes cross over a bridge. Looking to the Fairfield Horsehoe from Heron Pike. Your path crosses a bridge and then passes through a gate. 275m later continue on the left, ignoring a path heading off to the right (which goes back to Rydal). It's nice to see the lovely town of Ambleside from the top. At High Pike the wall has fallen down and is easily crossed: you may wall gradually disappears. As you continue down along the stone wall you’ll notice a path running along the other side of it. NY 375045). Local conditions can and do vary considerably. The Fairfield Horseshoe is an absolute classic Lake District walk and This hike isn't a strenuous, requires a certain level of fitness, but I'm sure you wouldn't expect less from the Lake District. Nab Scar finally comes into view with Mila out in front! Everything was lovely! The main way we fund this work is by selling our walks as PDFs for printing. Fabulous views from the top of the Fairfield Horseshoe. Ascent; 3,600 feet. into the Kirkstone Road. The Fairfield horseshoe includes seven other Lake District fells. This is a high level route so choose a good day to make the most of the views. From the collection of cairns and Any thoughts of this being an easy walk are however soon forgotten as you take on a steep 1,000 ft ascent to Nab Scar, the first summit on the route. Check out the Helvellyn Walk, Scafell Pike Walk, or the Old Man of Coniston. Follow the lane to Nook End Farm. One of the advantages of this route around the Fairfield Horseshoe is that the trail begins and ends in Ambleside itself, meaning you can stumble into a cosy pub for some refreshments when you’ve finished your walk. a number of ladder stiles to climb. When the road splits in three go straight down Nook Lane, continuing downhill and straight when another road comes out on the right. Any day you can wake up and walk directly from your lodging to the trail is a great one! This route allows you to do just that, and the hike around Fairfield Horseshoe is one of the best Ambleside walks there is. This 16th century lodge is located in Rydal village, surrounded by stunning scenery. At the bottom of Nab Scar turn left just above Rydal Hall on to the footpath Nook Lane. the path finds an easy grass ramp to climb. It's now barely 1.0km (0.6 miles) back to the town, and car park. Fairfield Horseshoe Walk. If you like this walk then why not try one of our other nearby walks: Unless otherwise stated the text in this walk is the copyright of Hug Solutions Ltd trading as The Hug and the photographs are the copyright of Elizabeth Oldham. ridge to Great Rigg. A fantastic walk covering eight Wainwrights in one walk! The Fairfield Horseshoe covers a grand total of eight ‘Wainwrights’, the iconic summits identified by Alfred Wainwright in his Pictorial Guide To The Lake District Fells. Skirting Low Brock Crag Of course the views are excellent. Thoroughly enjoyed this decently challenging walk. A wide skirt below the patch, away from the wall may be At 9.0km from the start, you reach Fairfield and a series of stone wind shelters. Weather forecasts only tell part of the day's unfolding story. Whilst navigation is a largely a case of keeping left, the summit area of It was a breathtaking place as my friends told me! - I'd previously been up most of the fells involved, but had never made a point of doing the actual Horseshoe. Above the crags is the "Deep Bog" as mentioned in the introduction above. From the summit of Fairfield turn south, this is a sharp left but it is The walking is generally good underfoot so the long distances pass quickly. Grade - mod/hard. Low Pike, High Pike, Dove Crag and Hart Crag form the outward route with the return over Great Rigg, Heron Pike and Nab Scar back to Ambleside via Rydal. want a change of scenery after all the boggy bits. They often fly below the ridgeline, meaning that you can even see the heads of the pilots as they zoom past, descending low into the valley. This wall now on your left will be your friend for some time. east ridge of Fairfield, before finally bearing right to the summit. After meeting at Rydal Mount we set out walking clockwise around the Fairfield Horseshoe route. If you have already purchased the walk then you if you are logged in you can find it in your rucksack (link top right on any page) in a format suitable for printing. The walk begins at Ambleside and heads towards Rydal Mount, the historic home of William Wordsworth.You climb to Heron Pike and then onto Great Rigg and Fairfield before returning to Ambleside via Dove Crag, High Pike and Low Pike. From the centre of Ambleside take the Kirkstone Road for a short way turning down the first lane on the left. The Route. Area: Eastern Lake District. path lies round the other side. It was interesting to watch the weather almost constantly changing with clouds forming in the valleys before they lifted as I reached the top of Fairfield. Leaving Rydal Road car park turn right, at the mini-roundabout bear left For them, perhaps, Fairfield is the Paris Hilton of the horseshoe world – well-connected, pretty, but ultimately devoid of any substance. Although the Fairfield Horseshoe is the most popular route, it’s also possible to climb Fairfield via the Deepdale Horseshoe, another stunning Lake District walk. Download free Fairfield Horseshoe GPS walking route file: Nab Scar, Heron Pike, Great Rigg, Fairfield, Hart Crag, Dove Crag, High Pike and Low Pike NB: This Ambleside is the de facto capital of the Lake District, and is a busy, bustling town with plenty of attractions for keen hikers. One of the unusual features of a walk around the Fairfield Horseshoe is the chance of catching a glimpse of a few fighter jets sweeping down through the valley! After taking a break, continue on the path to the right going east across the ridges. 685m after the start of the bog, go left and away from the fine stonewall along a clear stony path. Reaching the road at Scandale Bridge bear left and cross the One of the Lakeland walker’s favourite circular walks, the Fairfield Horseshoe really is a classic. How long does it take to walk the Fairfield Horseshoe? Views along the way are fantastic subject to the weather. Looking for more great walks in the Lake District? High Pike section of the east ridge can be particularly boggy. Outline of Route Ambleside - Nab Scar - Heron Pike - Great Rigg - Fairfield - Hart Crag - Dove Crag - High Pike - Ambleside (Grid ref. I have problems with my knees. The Fairfield Horseshoe is classic ridge walking and an essential addition to every fellwalker’s CV. Awesome views of mountains and lakes wherever I look. This wonderful route explores the peaks that surround the beautiful town of Ambleside and is a Lake District’s classic! Walkers: Andrew and James. Whichever route you choose, this ‘fair fell’ will offer you a wonderful day out hiking in the Lake District. Reaching the next gateway go through and bear left keeping on the track which then bears right. Nab Scar is part of the long southern ridge of Fairfield. to Ambleside. Along the way (16.1km there is a noticeable bog that could be trouble after a lot of wet weather. It now lies there waiting for the king to rise again. 590m after this, you’ll reach a track – go right and continue downhill. Or as we did thread a meandering line testing Area: Eastern Lake District. rapidly by the rest of us. The Fairfield horseshoe is a popular Lake District walk starting and finishing in Ambleside (Grid ref. We prefer to be on the path that keeps the stone wall on our right. signposted "Ambleside". Pay attention – a few areas can get muddy, especially after heavy rains. You can start this wonderful Fairfield Horseshoe walk right from Ambleside. Its a great walk and a popular route , As distance goes it is not excessively far: 16.4km (10.2 miles), it's the ups and downs The east side of the Low Pike to Our video is a guided walk of the popular Fairfield Horseshoe in the Lake District, Cumbria. Looking for more great walks in the Lake District? each footstep carefully lest a foot disappeared into the peat followed There is also free bicycle storage. better, perhaps. The walk around Fairfield Horseshoe is 18.3km, and takes approximately 6-8 hours. Fairfield Horseshoe. Thursday, 24th May was forecast to be a fine sunny day, so I made another trip to the Lake District with the idea of walking the Fairfield Horseshoe. Nat Park - Lake District - Lake District Eastern Fells. on both ridges that take their toll. From the car park head north over the bridge and turn left onto Rydal Road, passing a police building. What is Along the way you will pass gates on your right, but continue down on the path, with the stone wall on your right. Do not underestimate the seriousness of this walk. It's also right next to the trail-head. Easy unsubscribe links are provided in every email. Just north of Fairfield, you’ll find the enigmatic Grisedale Tarn, a high mountain lake steeped in local myth. The Fairfield Horseshoe is a legendary lakeland walk and one that should not be missed! This is an exceptionally well built wall, running most of the way back down to the valley bottom. The Fairfield Horseshoe. Across the street is the car park, and there is a bridge just to your left on the other side of the road. deserves its popularity, rewarding the walker with fine views When you come to a bigger road go right and then left at a traffic circle. your wish. No spam. Just keep climbing and ignore any tracks which lead off the ridge top. Route: The Fairfield Horseshoe. A much-loved classic and deservedly so, the walk around the stunning Fairfield Horshoe from Ambleside should be on everyone's to-do list, even if they have already done it! Please use the "Buy walk in Adobe/PDF format to print or for your phone or tablet" link on the walk page to do that. To complete this challenging walk, you will…, The Old Man of Coniston walk is a Lake District classic, offering fabulous views and a satisfying day out on…, The wonderful Scafell Pike walk takes you to the highest peak in England and is much prettier and more interesting…, Today for free and be the first to get notified on new updates. road to the pavement. Fairfield can be confusing in mist. The Fairfield horseshoe includes seven other Lake District fells. 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