Fairfield Horseshoe from Ambleside — Lake District National Park
Fairfield Horseshoe from Ambleside — Lake District National Park
4.8
(438)
3,706
hikers
Fairfield Horseshoe from Ambleside — Lake District National Park
06:01
17.7km
890m
Hiking
The Fairfield Horseshoe from Ambleside offers a challenging circular hike through the Lake District National Park, renowned for its incredible panoramic views. This difficult route covers 11.0 miles (17.7 km) with a significant elevation gain of 2918 feet (889 metres), typically taking around 6 hours and 1 minutes to complete. You will encounter varied terrain, from grassy paths and rocky climbs to some scrambles, all while enjoying expansive vistas of Lake Windermere, Rydal Water, and Grasmere, with the dramatic crags of Fairfield's northern side adding to the visual appeal.
Planning your visit requires a good level of fitness and experience, as this is considered a full-day mountain walk. Be prepared for potentially boggy sections, especially on the east side of the horseshoe, and steep, tricky descents. While paths are generally well-defined, navigation can be challenging on Fairfield's broad summit, particularly in poor visibility, so carrying a compass and knowing how to use it is essential to stay on track.
This trail is celebrated as a classic fell walk, offering one of the most satisfying circular routes in the region. It allows you to 'bag' numerous Wainwright peaks, including Fairfield, Hart Crag, and Dove Crag, all in one outing. The route also features a long dry stone wall on its eastern side, which aids navigation, and passes historical sites like Rydal Mount, once home to William Wordsworth, adding a cultural layer to your adventure.
Last updated: April 23, 2026
Tips
Your route passes through a protected area
Please check local regulations for:
Waypoints
Start point
Parking
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4.72 km
View of Windermere from High Pike
Highlight • Viewpoint
Tip by
6.37 km
Dove Crag summit
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8.71 km
Fairfield Summit
Highlight • Trail
Tip by
10.1 km
Great Rigg summit
Highlight • Viewpoint
Tip by
12.3 km
Heron Pike
Highlight • Viewpoint
Tip by
17.7 km
End point
Parking
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
10.2 km
5.50 km
1.24 km
682 m
< 100 m
Surfaces
9.67 km
3.35 km
2.16 km
1.31 km
944 m
< 100 m
< 100 m
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Elevation
Highest point (860 m)
Lowest point (50 m)
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Weather
Powered by Foreca
Wednesday 6 May
13°C
4°C
41 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 17.0 km/h
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This route was planned by komoot.
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Trail Reviews
Very windy and cold well worth the trip, brilliant views and well worth the effort, especially my partner shoe brilliant 👏👏👏👏
This is the longest walk I've undertaken with my parents in the Lake District, it's also the walk with the most amount of ascent. So we were sure to select a day in May with lots of daylight and we started early. The Fairfield Horseshoe is a Lake District classic, whether walked clockwise or anti-clockwise, the route loops either side of Rydal Beck summitting Fairfield at the head of the valley. We chose to hike anti-clockwise as most of the rocky terrain is in the area surrounding Low Pike and High Pike. We all prefer to ascend over steep rocky ground than descend over it. As Fairfield is just right of centre in the Lake District National Park, it's a great place to take in views of the surrounding fells and valleys. Mum said "This was a challenging route but one that I really enjoyed. My walking poles really helped power me uphill and they also gave me reassurance on the way down. Having four points of contact with the ground is really helpful. The Highland Cattle and Belted Galloways on Low Pike were so calm and placid, it was amazing to see them grazing so high up a fell!" We started from the main pay and display car park in Ambleside where there are also toilets and easy access to an abundance of cafes and pubs.
Starting altitude 60 8 Peaks * Low Pike (508) * High Pike (656) * Dove Crag (792) * Hart Crag (823) * Fairfield (873) * Great Rigg (766) * Heron Pike (612) * Nab Scar (455)
Stats say 5.5 hours, actually 9.5 hours with stops and chats. Lovely day!
A very foggy loop of Fairfield from Ambleside. Heron Pike, Great Rigg and Fairfield, then back via hart Crag, Dove Crag, High Pike and Low Pike.
I forgot to start the app, so I missed the start of the walk, I have never done anything like this before, going up I found easy but going down took its toll, the scenery was stunning and we were very lucky with the weather cool but with little wind.
Consists of 8 Wainwright's - Fairfield 13th highest, Hart Crag 27th Highest, Dove Crag 37th Highest, Low Pike 172nd Highest, High Pike 108th Highest, Nab Scar 192nd Highest, Heron Pike 127th Highest and Great Rigg 54th Highest