Hart Crag: Height (823.1m), Walks and Summit Views

Hart Crag is the rocky shoulder of the Fairfield Horseshoe, standing between Fairfield and Dove Crag above the valleys east of the main ridge. At 823.1 metres, it is a substantial summit, though often remembered as one part of a longer round. Its appeal lies in the contrast: open high ground underfoot, rough crags below, and a ridge stretching away towards Hartsop above How.

A rocky summit above Deepdale and Dovedale

Hart Crag stands at 823.1 metres, or 2,700 feet, with its summit at grid reference NY368112. Its stony top gives it a different feel from the broader summit ground of neighbouring Fairfield. Rock outcrops and broken ground are part of its character, while the slopes below reveal how sharply the eastern side of this group falls towards the valleys around Hartsop.

The ridge running north-east towards Hartsop above How separates Deepdale from Dovedale. That division helps explain Hart Crag’s position: it is not simply a point on the Fairfield Horseshoe, but a meeting place of ridges above two distinct dales. From the summit area, the surrounding high ground is a major part of the view, with Fairfield and Dove Crag close at hand and St Sunday Crag across Deepdale.

Hart Crag in the Eastern Fells

Hart Crag appears in The Eastern Fells, the first volume of Alfred Wainwright’s seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. It ranks 27th by height among the 214 Wainwrights. That places it firmly among the higher summits in the collection, even if its name is less familiar than Fairfield or Helvellyn.

Its immediate ridge neighbours are Fairfield and Dove Crag. Great Rigg belongs to the other side of the Fairfield Horseshoe, while St Sunday Crag forms part of the high ground to the north. Seen together, these fells explain the shape of the district better than any one summit alone: linked ridges enclose the upper valleys, with steep faces giving way to gentler ground farther south towards Ambleside.

Its place on the Fairfield Horseshoe

Hart Crag is best known as one of the eight Wainwright summits on the Fairfield Horseshoe, the established high-level round above Rydal Beck. The circuit links the ridges on either side of the valley and reaches its highest point on Fairfield. Hart Crag sits on the eastern arm, between Fairfield and Dove Crag.

For walkers following that round, it offers a change of texture rather than a dramatic change in height: a rockier summit and a fresh angle on the eastern valleys. Its connection with Hartsop above How also gives it a place in walks approaching from the Patterdale side. These are substantial mountain outings; a dedicated route guide and appropriate navigation matter more than the apparent simplicity of the connecting ridges.

Where Hart Crag stands

Summit at grid reference NY368112 · open full map

The real Hart Crag

Walking Hart Crag

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

• 7979 Hart Crag – Hill Bagging (hill-bagging.co.uk)
• High Hartsop Dodd and a Little Hart Crag (walklakes.co.uk)
• High Hartsop Dodd, Little Hart Crag & Scandale Pass (getlostmountaineering.co.uk)

Weather on Hart Crag

Conditions estimated at summit height (823 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Hart Crag on your wall

A painting of Hart Crag can bring back more than the summit itself: the rough ground between Fairfield and Dove Crag, the turn of a ridge, or the light over Deepdale. On a wall at home, those familiar shapes keep a day on the fells close.

Own “Sunlight and Shadow on Hart Crag” — our painting of Hart Crag → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Eastern Fells

• Dove Crag 792 m
• Fairfield 873 m
• St Sunday Crag 841 m
• Great Rigg 766 m

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