Great How Crags

The walk up Great How Crags rewards you with one of the Lake District's most satisfying views for the effort required. It's a proper fell, not some gentle stroll - steep in places, rough underfoot, the kind of ascent that leaves your legs reminding you they exist. But the summit itself? Cracking spot. You get panoramic views across Great Langdale, with the Pikes rising opposite and the valley floor spread out beneath like a map.

This is walker territory, full stop. You'll need decent boots and a couple of hours to do it justice, though fit fell-runners will knock it out faster. The route isn't signposted in any official sense - locals know where to go, visitors consult their maps or app. Start from Ambleside or approach via the Great Langdale valley, where Great Langdale Campsite and BaysBrown Farm Campsite sit perfectly positioned if you're basing yourself here for a few days.

It's not a mountain that demands all-day commitment. Three hours round trip is realistic for most people, which makes it ideal if you're doing the circuit - up Great How Crags, across to the ridge, possibly down via Ivy Crag or back the way you came. Families with confident young walkers might manage it; small legs will struggle with some sections. The exposure isn't dramatic, but it's exposed enough that you need your wits about you in poor visibility.

Go early or midweek if you can. Summer weekends see the Langdale valley rammed. Rain transforms this into a genuinely testing proposition - proper mountain conditions, not a Sunday ramble. Worth the walk? Absolutely, if you're up for steep fellside.