Deepdale Horseshoe route guide: Six Wainwrights, one skyline ridge, endless panoramic views

From the bus stop, head south-east on the road past the White Lion Inn and old post office. Turn right between pub car park and row of cottages. Pass to the right of the public toilets, continue up the track and veer right past a building. Turn left and head west. Fork left over a stream and through a gate, and continue west across open fellside. Where a path meets a wall, next to the gate entering Glenamara Park, turn left and climb steeply south alongside wall towards Oxford Crag. Pass right of a huge rocky outcrop, and continue uphill with a wall on your right. Continue following a good path uphill. About 50m after path veers slightly away from wall, fork left and take narrow trod south to Arnison Crag's cairned summit.

Descend briefly south before looping sharp right and then sharp left on a trod leading to col with small tarn. Pick up a grassy path heading south-west to Trough Head. From NY388142, turn right and pick up trod heading north and north-west to meet an old drystone wall. Follow wall north-west uphill to reach the broad, grassy ridge. Turn left and ascend gently to Birks’ summit.

Descend south-west over undulating terrain to a col above Blind Cove and at the base of St Sunday Crag's north-eastern ridge. Ignore turn-offs to the left, which bypass higher ground, and instead ascend the ridge directly guided by a good path. It’s rocky and steep in places, but never becomes full-blown scrambling. Top out of ridge onto gentler slopes. Fork left and ascend south to St Sunday Crag’s summit.

Descend the long sweeping ridge south-west down to Deepdale Hause col. Ahead cone-shaped Cofa Pike looks unclimbable, but a zigzagging trod guides you over rocky ground to its cairned top. Descend briefly south-west before climbing a dramatic blocky outcrop, or bypassing it safely on a trod to its right. Reach a mini col and climb directly ahead over craggy ground to emerge at a broad plateau. Walk south-east to Fairfield’s summit cairn.

Descend a wide track south-east, east and south-east again to Link Hause col. Climb south-east and veer right off main path briefly to reach the summit of Hart Crag. Descend back to the path and at junction, fork left. Descend north-east to a large cairn marking the start of ridge descent. It’s possible to descend ridge directly, but it’s steep and craggy, so instead veer right and take bypass path to south of the ridge. Descend east to base of rocky ridge. Head north-east over much gentler terrain to Blake Brow. Descend gently to col and ascend a good path north-east to Hartsop above How.

Descend ridge north-east to Hoggill Brow. Reach a wall and follow it north-east, ascending briefly to Gale Crag, before continuing the long descent north-east. Veer northwards, sticking to left-hand side of wall. Cross the ladder stile at T-junction of walls, and veer left around crags. Descend north on clear path through Deepdale Park. Go through a gate, descend woodland and emerge beyond another gate into open field. Cross field northwards and go through another gate next to a bus stop (you can catch a ride here in summer). Emerge onto the A592. Turn left and go through Bridgend hamlet. Head north along road, sticking safely to verges, and arrive back into Patterdale.