Dale Head

Dale Head stands straight above Honister Pass, and the quickest way up starts there. There is a car park at the top of the pass beside the youth hostel, at about 360m. A path follows a fence line north for roughly 2km to the summit, around 45 to 50 minutes for most walkers. It is steep in places on grass and rock, with no scrambling.

From Newlands the approach is longer and far finer. Park at Chapel Bridge in Little Town, where the farmer takes a small fee. Walk up the valley past old mine workings and a run of waterfalls on the young Newlands Beck to Dalehead Tarn. From the tarn, steps and then a rough, steep path climb to the top. Walk Lakes' loop links Robinson, Hindscarth and Dale Head from Little Town, 14.5km with 850m of ascent. From Borrowdale you can also start at Seatoller or Longthwaite and climb by Launchy Tarn and High Scawdel.

The summit cairn stands on the brink of the northern face. The view straight down the Newlands valley to Skiddaw is the best thing up here, and on a clear day you can pick out every major Lakeland group except the High Street range.

The fell sits where the Skiddaw slates meet the Borrowdale volcanics, and it has been dug into from both sides. Copper came from Dale Head Mine under the northern crags and from Long Work lower down the valley. Honister's slate quarries run into the southern flank. In 1887 work began on a tunnel under the fell to carry slate to Newlands and on to the railway at Keswick, but landowners objected and the scheme was dropped. The youth hostel was once housing for the quarry workers.