Dale Head: 754m Height, Walks and Newlands Views

Dale Head stands at the head of Newlands Valley, its broad southern slopes giving little warning of the steep northern face beyond the summit. At 754m, it is a substantial North Western fell, loved for its commanding valley view and its place on the Newlands Horseshoe. The large summit cairn marks a natural stopping point between long stretches of ridge walking.

A summit above Newlands Valley

Dale Head’s defining feature is the contrast between its two sides. From the south, above Honister Pass, the fell presents a broad, grassy ascent. To the north, the ground falls steeply into the upper reaches of Newlands Valley. Standing beside the substantial summit cairn, walkers look along the dale rather than simply across a collection of distant summits. That clear relationship between fell and valley gives the top much of its character.

The wider outlook takes in major Lakeland mountain groups, including the Scafells, Great Gable and Skiddaw. Closer at hand, Hindscarth and the ridge towards High Spy help explain the shape of the surrounding country. Dalehead Tarn lies below the summit to the east, a small upland tarn rather than one of the district’s larger waters. Its setting is part of the quieter, more enclosed ground beneath the main ridge.

Dale Head among the North Western Fells

At 754 metres, or 2,474 feet, Dale Head ranks 63rd among the 214 Wainwrights. It appears in The North Western Fells, the sixth book of Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. Its summit grid reference is NY222153. These place it firmly within the high ground between Borrowdale, Buttermere and Newlands, where linked ridges give walkers plenty of scope for combining summits.

Nearby Wainwrights include Hindscarth, Robinson, High Spy and Maiden Moor. They are not merely names on the horizon: together with Dale Head, they form much of the fell country enclosing Newlands Valley. Honister Pass lies to the south, carrying the road between Borrowdale and Buttermere. This high starting point is one reason Dale Head is also well known as a shorter outing, rather than solely as part of a lengthy circuit.

Its place on the Newlands Horseshoe

Dale Head is the highest summit on the classic Newlands Horseshoe, a celebrated round linking Catbells, Maiden Moor, High Spy, Dale Head, Hindscarth and Robinson. The attraction is the continuity of the ridges and the changing views into the same valley throughout the day. Dale Head provides the round’s high point both literally and in the scale of its outlook.

The horseshoe is a substantial mountain walk, while an outing from Honister is a different proposition in length and ascent. Neither should be judged by height alone: weather, visibility and conditions underfoot matter here as on any Lakeland fell. Dedicated route guides are the right place to compare those options in detail.

Where Dale Head stands

Summit at grid reference NY222153 · open full map

The real Dale Head

Walking Dale Head

We make artwork, not route guides — these are the guides we'd point a friend to:

• Dale Head Summit – Robinson loop from Honister Pass (komoot.com)
• Dale Head (ramblingman.org.uk)
• Buttermere to Dale Head, Cumbria, England (alltrails.com)

Weather on Dale Head

Conditions estimated at summit height (754 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Dale Head on your wall

A painting of Dale Head can bring back the moment Newlands Valley opens beneath the summit cairn. As a print or canvas at home, that familiar arrangement of ridge and dale offers a lasting connection to a fell whose shape stays with you.

Own “Sunlit Dale Head Crags” — our painting of Dale Head → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The North Western Fells

• Hindscarth 727 m
• High Spy 653 m
• Maiden Moor 575 m
• Robinson 738 m

Part of our guide to all 214 Wainwrights — see the full index.