South-west from the car park at Scalehill Bridge along the minor road to Loweswater, then across Church Bridge and south past Kirkgate Farm to reach the foot of Mellbreak. Following a steep slippery climb to Mellbreak North Top it’s south along the ridge of the mountain to Mellbreak South Top and down to Scale Force. South-east from the waterfall towards the southern tip of Crummock Water and north along the lake’s western shore for a couple of miles. Finally back to the starting point via Highpark and another minor road which passes Muncaster House. An 8-mile walk in the Lake District.
Recommended Ordnance Survey Map
The best map to use on this walk is the Ordnance Survey map of the Lake District North-Western Area, reference OS Explorer OL4, scale 1:25,000. It clearly displays footpaths, rights of way, open access land and vegetation on the ground, making it ideal for walking, running and hiking. The map can be purchased from Amazon in either a standard, paper version or a weatherproof, laminated version, as shown below.
Standard Version
The view of Loweswater, Darling Fell and Low Fell from the northern flanks of Mellbreak.
Carling Knott and Burnbank Fell on the south-western side of Loweswater.
Lynn, Angy and Mike heading up towards White Crag.
Crummock Water becomes visible during the climb with the peaks of Whiteside (left) and Grasmoor (right) in the background.
Loose scree covers the steep path to Mellbreak North Top and the slippery scramble is not easy.
The ascent is difficult but the views are breathtaking. Looking north-west, Loweswater is surrounded by Low Fell, Darling Fell, Carling Knott and Burnbank, with the Solway Firth in the far distance.
To the east is Crummock Water backed by Whiteside, Grasmoor and Whiteless Pike, with mountains such as Hopegill Head, Grisedale Pike and Robinson visible further away.
Grasmoor and Whiteside as seen from Mellbreak North Top.
The view from Mellbreak South Top south-east to Buttermere. Behind the lake is Fleetwith Pike and to the right is the high ridge linking Red Pike, High Style, High Crag and Hay Stacks.
A little further along and both Crummock Water and Buttermere become fully visible. The small hill in the foreground on the left is Rannerdale Knotts, renowned for its splendid bluebell coverage in May.
Red Pike is lit by the sun’s rays; the other hills and mountains are in shadow.
Lynn and Angy descend Mellbreak on an easy-going grassy path.
Scale Force created by Scale Beck. A path runs uphill parallel to the beck and eventually leads to Red Pike, but that walk is for another day.
The route from Scale Force down to Crummock Water.
Crummock Water and Rannerdale Knotts. Whiteless Pike is the pointed fell behind Rannerdale Knotts.
The mighty Grasmoor, height 852 metres (2795 feet).
The view back to Rannerdale Knotts from the north-east slopes of Mellbreak.
The picturesque setting of Highpark, with Grasmoor and Whiteless Pike in the background.
