Fairfield horseshoe facts for kids
The Fairfield Horseshoe is a super popular circular walk in the beautiful Lake District in England. It's like a big horseshoe shape made of mountains! This amazing route starts near Rydal or Ambleside. It takes you around all the hills that surround the lovely valley of Rydal Beck. It's a classic adventure for anyone who loves walking in the hills.
Exploring the Fairfield Horseshoe Walk
This walk is really popular and has clear paths all the way. It's not too difficult, but you need to be careful at the top of Fairfield. The top of this mountain is very flat. It can be confusing if the weather is foggy. There are steep drops to the north and west, so always watch your step!
On the eastern side of the horseshoe, there's a long, tall stone wall. It stretches for about six kilometers! This wall makes it easy to find your way, even if the weather isn't great. It helps guide you from Low Sweden Bridge to the slopes of Hart Crag.
A famous walker named Alfred Wainwright loved this route. He said it was "a great horseshoe of grassy slopes." He also called it "simple in design and impressive in altitude." Wainwright even suggested doing the walk a special way. He recommended going anti-clockwise, starting with Low Pike.
The whole horseshoe walk is about 16 kilometers long. You will climb about 1100 meters in total! Along the way, you'll reach the tops of several peaks. These include:
- Low Pike (508 meters high) 54°27′39″N 2°58′07″W / 54.460789°N 2.96874°W
- High Pike (656 meters high)
- Dove Crag (792 meters high)
- Hart Crag (822 meters high)
- Fairfield (873 meters high) 54°27′39″N 2°58′07″W / 54.46079°N 2.96874°W
- Great Rigg (766 meters high) 54°27′39″N 2°58′07″W / 54.46079°N 2.96874°W
- Heron Pike (612 meters high)
- Nab Scar (440 meters high) 54°27′39″N 2°58′07″W / 54.46079°N 2.96874°W
The Exciting Fell Race
There is also a special event called the Fairfield Horseshoe Fell Race. It happens every year in May. The Lake District Mountain Trial Association first organized it in 1966.
This fell race is a challenging run over the mountains. It is more than 14 kilometers long. Runners climb over 900 meters during the race! The fastest time ever recorded was by Mark Roberts in 2000. He finished the race in an amazing 75 minutes and 11 seconds!
