Uldale Fells Circular | 8 Miles

June 26, 2023 LAKE DISTRICT WALKS

If you’re looking for a quieter part of the Lake District to hike, the Northern Fells could be the place for you. Nestled in the shadow of the mighty Skiddaw are the Uldale Fells, a collection of smaller, rounder fells that get significantly less footfall than the honeypot summits. This 8 mile walk bags 5 Wainwrights: Longlands Fell, Brae Fell, Great Sca Fell, Meal Fell and Great Cockup.

The Northern Fells comprises 24 fells including Skiddaw and Blencathra to the north of Keswick, set apart from the other ranges. They tend to be more moorland in appearance than mountainous (with the exception of Blencathra with Sharp Edge). Avoiding the tourist routes in the Northern Fells means you often have the trail to yourself and it’s a great place to come for a quieter walk in the Lake District.

This Uldale Fells walk starts near Over Water, a reservoir with no public access, near Bassenthwaite. There is a small parking area nearby, where we were able to park for free. We set off south-east along the country lane, turning left at the junction and climbing the winding hill. We came to a gate with a wooden signpost for the Cumbria Way, and followed this up to the north-east before it dog-legs round to the summit of Longlands Fell (483m). There is a stone cairn to mark the summit of this fell (as there is with all of these – the summit photos aren’t that exciting!). If you like piles of stones, this could be the walk for you!

A cairn, a pile of stones at the summit of Longlands Fell

Longlands Fell summit cairn

From Longlands Fell we set off to the south, dropping down slightly before climbing back to to the summit of Lowthwaite Fell. The path then heads east over Broad Moss before we took a route north to the summit of Brae Fell (586m).

Brae Fell summit cairn

We then set off south towards the summit of Little Sca Fell and Great Sca Fell (651m). Great Sca Fell is the highesy of the 4 Uldale Fells of Longlands Fell, Meal Fell and Great Cockup, and is the lowest of the Sca Fells, with the others being Scafell and Scafell Pike.

Great Sca Fell summit cairn

From Great Sca Fell the route starts to descend then climbs up to the summit of Meal Fell (550m) where there is a stone shelter, a great spot for some lunch. From Meal Fell we dropped down onto the Trusmadoor, a rocky ravine cutting through the fells, then set off up the hillside to the summit of Great Cockup (526m) from where there are some rather lovely views down over Bassenthwaite and over to Skiddaw.

A view of the Uldale Fells, rolling green hills with a grey cloudy sky

A view down the Trusmadoor

Meal Fell summit cairn looking back to Great Sca Fell

A stone cairn at the summit of Great Cockup

The summit of Great Cockup with stunning views

We walked roughly north-west over Orthwaite Bank, over the Open Access Land, to reach the roadway and then followed the road back to the car parking area.

This was a relatively easy Lake District walk, ticking off 5 Wainwrights in quick succession. You could also add in Knott (710m) after Great Sca Fell, but I’d promised Hols an afternoon chilling at the campsite so we didn’t. Binsey is also very nearby and would be an easy one to add on.

Need a list of the Wainwrights organised by book? I thought so!

Uldale Fells Circular Walk