A woman looking across High Street in the Lake District
A woman looking across High Street in the Lake District
hiking | High Street
What and where is High Street?
Named for the Roman Road that ran over the summit, High Street is the highest point in the Eastern Lakes, near Penrith. Despite the name most of the slopes are fairly gentle, and the top is fairly flat. Locals also used to race horses up there, and the top is still known as Racecourse Hill today. (You can still find fell ponies up there sometimes).
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This particular route takes you up the side and into the middle of High Street from Haweswater to the east, before turning south to head round Blea Water below and off past Small Water and the waterfalls below. A stunner in the right weather.
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Remember The Rules and have fun!
2-3 hours
5 miles
Lake District
Get this route
Download our route and follow this yourself from either OS Maps or ViewRanger. OS Maps requires a subscription, which luckily you can get 10% off with Northern Stroll on any 12 month subscription. Check out our blog post for the code.
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ViewRanger is free and much like OS Maps doesn't require any data to work. All you need is a GPS signal, especially if you have downloaded your maps beforehand. It also has OS Maps available as a layer inside the app.
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Don't have ViewRanger on your phone yet? See our guide, or download it in your app store.
Before you go...
The weather can change often in this area and phone batteries can struggle to hold charge in the cold. In addition, a sudden onset of fog can mean you lose your sense of direction. Always carry a paper map (find yours here), make sure you know how to use it and note down the number for mountain rescue. Better safe than sorry.
Route overview
A shortened route into the middle of High Street and taking in most of the main features before descending, this walk is fairly easy going and obvious to follow after the initial sharp ascent.
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Heading north from the car park and following the track up the initial face in front of you will take most of the energy from your legs initially, but once you are on top the going is fairly straightforward onto Racecourse Hill. The only major direction to remember after reaching the middle of High Street is to turn left, and then left again when the crossroads present themselves before you descend!
Key things to know:
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Time: About 2-3 hours depending on your speed but take your time.
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Distance: 5 miles round trip
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Elevation: 2,135 feet
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Safety: PLEASE take the time to read this leaflet from Mountain Rescue and also note down the important contact numbers.
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How to get here:
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Postcode: CA10 2RP
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