Grey Knotts and Brandreth circular from Honister

From outside the shop bear right to the mine road heading up to Honister Crag and Fleetwith Pike. At the signpost "Great Gable" and "Haystacks" bear left onto the rough path climbing quite steeply. Going around a craggy fenced off area the path joins the old tramway with wooden sleepers still embedded in parts of the track bed. Just before reaching the remaining foundations of the drum house at the top of the track, now something of a crossroads, bear left to join a cairned path.

The turning off this path is indistinct. So follow the Great Gable path for approx 400m (440 yards) then bear away left. If you are lucky a small cairn can be found ahead marking the way. Continue on that line for a while until a grassy gap through the crags can be identified to the left. Climb through the gap to the summit area.

The highest point of Grey Knotts is the cairn to the right.

From Grey Knotts head south west along the fence. You need to end up on the east side of the fence - the Gillercombe side, rather than Ennerdale side as the fence just misses Brandreth's summit. There is a hurdle at the fence corner just east of Grey Knotts summit or a step-stile in the middle of the fence between the two summits.

The fence is very close to one ridgeline tarn, but with care you can just make it alongside the fence and keep dry feet.

As the fence bears away right, keep ahead to the summit of Brandreth.

From the summit of Brandreth turn right, heading NNW. There's a few old fence posts in a line, and a cairn, but the main thing is to pick up the relatively new stock fence and bear left to follow alongside. As the fence turns right keep with it. Drop down a slightly boggy grassy bank alongside the fence. A number of paths cross yours, keep ahead alongside the fence.

As you drop down further, ahead you can see the fence turn left, cross over the fence to the other side via a step stile. The fence is now on your left. Continue to the fence corner and bear slightly left to pick up a narrow but reasonable clear path dropping down to the left hand side of Great Round How. This is quite indistinct from above, only as you approach it and go below will it become clear.

Below Great Round How, continue on down to the clear path from Haystacks towards Dubs Quarry. Reaching the path turn right.

Follow it round to the left and shortly after bear right up towards Dubs Quarry, passing below Little Round How, and then down to ford Warnscale Beck which drains Dubs Bottom. Cross the beck, bear left and then right up to the quarry workings and buildings.

One of the buildings is Dubs Hut.

Continue following the mine track for barely 100m (110 yards), and then bear off right onto a minor looking path well below the quarry workings.

This is the other end of the tramway although initially at least it isn't so obviously straight level. Follow the path back up to the drum house and continue over to descend back to Honister.