Helm Crag, or the Lion and Lamb, as it’s known locally, is a fantastic family walk near Grasmere in the Lake District.  It is classed as a Wainwright Fell, which means it’s over 1000 feet.  It’s actually 1328 feet to be exact (or 405 metres), and we did a 3 mile loop, so it’s not exactly the easiest or shortest on our website.

But… our 5 year old managed it fine, with the odd mini-egg used as an incentive, and a picnic thrown in!  Our 3 year old enjoyed scrambling the rocks and screes, but did need to be carried for about half the walk.

We parked at GR 333098 on OS map OL7.  This is a £1 car park at a farm.  There is a also a lay-by at GR 335097 on the A591, but that makes the walk a bit longer and the road is busy and dangerous to cross.  The full route we walked is in the pictures below.

In summary, we walked down the road from the car park, turning right through Thorney How Bunk House, and up to the Lancrigg Hotel.  There is a clear and signed footpath from the hotel up Helm Crag.  At the top, looking north you can see the zig zag path that leads back down the fell side to the car.

The following video shows us exploring the top of Helm Crag and climbing up the Lamb.

After our walk we drove the short distance to the Travellers Rest Inn, on the main A591 at GR 336089.  Good pub grub, with indoor and outdoor seating.  And just what we needed after our big hike!  If you walk this route anticlockwise, you could stop at the Lancrigg Hotel for food en-route.  The south side of the Crag is steeper, so we decided it was safer to descent the north side, otherwise we would’ve eaten at the Lancrigg.

If you fancy going into Grasmere village centre, we also highly recommend Tweedys Bar, good food and atmosphere.  And also a trip to Grasmere isn’t complete without picking up some Grasmere Gingerbread!

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