St Sunday Crag and Grisedale Tarn

From the car park entrance turn left along the road and through the pinch point between the White Lion Inn and the cottages. Just after the village shop turn right up the track signposted "public footpath". In a few metres swing right, and then turn left onto the footpath. Keep left to go through the gate into Glenamara Park. Follow the path round the bottom of the parkland, you may want to watch for the cattle that live here for much of the year.

Cross the ford. In another 300m (330 yards), opposite the gateway coming up from the Grisedale Road, turn left to climb the steep ridge.

Through the summer bracken, the path meanders a little, some is old pitched stone path and the rest of it is just rough mountain path. Climbing steeply upwards catch a breather occasionally and look behind you to the beauty of Ullswater, Place Fell, and beyond. Below the steepest part of the ridge the path rises to the right and then turns left to the knoll of Thornhow End just below the intake wall.

Go through the gate in the intake wall and follow the path along the right hand side of the towering ridgeline. This climbs steadily, and apart from a small rocky step is without difficulty. At the top of this rise the view opens ahead to the dramatic combes and ridges of Dollywaggon Pike on the southern end of the Helvellyn range, and down to the floor of Grisedale valley.

The path now largely traverses along the fellside which is boggy in places. Keep left and climb steadily to the saddle between Birks and St Sunday Crag. Ahead the crag looms dramatically. Follow the path over the grassy bumps to the small cairn where the path splits.

Ahead the path climbs through outcrops of rock to the summit of St Sunday Crag directly. Our route bears left to visit the little summit of Gavel Pike. This narrow trod rises steadily again, around the head of Gavel Moss and Cold Cove. Keep left and follow the diminishing path to the small summit cairn on an outcrop of rock. Here the view eastwards is fantastic. Perhaps also it is the only place to really see the ridge of Hartsop Above How just across Deepdale. Beyond are the Hartsop fells and High Street.

From the little cairn on Gavel Pike, about turn to face St Sunday Crag. The summit is only a little over 400m (440 yards) away hidden by the curvature of the rough slopes.

Meander over the few little outcrops - where the actual highest point and arguably the summit cairn of Gavel Pike should lay. Cross the saddle and climb the easy and increasingly rocky slope. Here the path is easily lost but just keep westwards for 300m (330 yards). Bear left, now WSW, for about 100m (110 yards) to the southern most cairn on a rough outcrop.

Bear left from the summit cairn of St Sunday Crag and then keep right on a well used wide path. The ridge descending to Deepdale Hause quickly comes into view, and the great bulk of Cofa Pike and Fairfield tower above you. We'll miss those out on this walk!

Descend over the knolls and bumps into the very bottom of the hause. At the small cairn turn right onto a narrow and slightly implausible path. This crosses the ridgeline and then drops in a series of small zigzags steeply down the fellside. Mostly the path is good and only a little loose.

At the bottom of the zigzags turn left to meander on a gently mostly descending path to Grisedale Tarn which is now visible ahead. This narrow path undulates a little, and then the last bit of the descent to the tarn gets quite boggy.

Turn right to cross the tarn outflow and bear right again to climb a little, then keeping right descend on a clear and rocky path above Grisedale Beck. There are a few rocky steps to negotiate but nothing that's really going to make you break step.

Keep to the path, with Grisedale curving away to the north east and dark crags to the left, descend to Ruthwaite Lodge. Bear right and continue descending, surprisingly on a short section of pitched path.

Ignore the bridge on the left over the beck coming down from Ruthwaite Cove, but continue ahead and cross the bridge over Grisedale Beck further on. Beyond it, follow the track as it meanders amongst firstly the hummocks, past the plantation and then through the intake gateway near Elmhow.

Leave Elmhow still on the track through a succession of gates through fields to the tarmac road.

Follow the road all the way to the A592 and turn right back to Patterdale and the car park.