Little Hart Crag [Little Hart Crag - West Top]

About Little Hart Crag [Little Hart Crag - West Top]

Tucked between the Scandale Pass and the bulk of Dove Crag, this rocky, twin-topped fell offers a surprisingly rugged character for its modest height. It serves as a quiet sanctuary away from the busy Fairfield Horseshoe, providing an exceptional vantage point down the length of Windermere and across the deep trench of Kirkstone Pass.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Old English 'heorot', meaning a stag or male deer. It suggests this rugged ground was once part of the hunting territory for the red deer that still roam the nearby Martindale fells today.
• •Alfred Wainwright was fond of this fell's stony character, noting that while it is overshadowed by the higher fells of the Fairfield group, it provides a much more intimate look at the impressive north-eastern crags of Dove Crag.
• •The fell features two distinct summits; the 637m West Top is the highest point, while the slightly lower East Top offers the better view down into the Dovedale valley and towards Brothers Water.
• •From the summit cairn, the view south is perfectly framed by the valley walls, offering a straight sightline down the entire ten-and-a-half-mile length of Windermere to the distant Furness fells.
• •Despite its name, you are far more likely to encounter Herdwick sheep than a hart on these slopes, though the sheep generally show much less interest in the geological drama of the neighbouring Red Screes.