Kirk Fell

Climbing Kirk Fell from the car park near Wasdale Head

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Kirk Fell is 802 m high, 34th of the 214 Wainwrights by height, and belongs to the Western Fells in Book 7. This route starts from a free car park close to Wasdale Head, at about 75 m, which it shares with the Pillar route here. No bus stop with a current service lies within 6 km.

The line is only 2.4 km long but gains about 720 m. The first 750 m are the same as the Pillar route: about 350 m of gravel and asphalt lanes, then a public bridleway named Moses' Trod on the map, which crosses Fogmire Beck at about 650 m. To that crossing the line is nearly level, still at about 80 m.

Just past 750 m the route leaves the bridleway for a path graded mountain hiking by OpenStreetMap, and follows it all the way to the top. The climb is steep throughout. Between 1 km and 2 km the path rises from about 190 m to 710 m, and the last 370 m ease slightly to the summit at 802 m, where the route ends on the mapped path.

About 580 m of the line follows the public bridleway, and 1.6 km crosses open access land. About 160 m is on road, and a 40 m stretch of lane near the car park is on none of these in the data.

The GPX file is the same line, from the car park to the summit. Return the same way, or plan a different descent with a map before you start.

Download the GPXFree. The route is © OpenStreetMap contributors and the file is released under the Open Database Licence: you may copy, share and adapt it.