Hart Crag belongs to Wainwright's Eastern Fells, resting at the southern end of the Helvellyn ridge, close to the heads the valleys of Deepdale and Dovedale. The summit hosts a cairn to signify the highest point, plus others which indicate the best positions for views down each of these valleys. Although standing at nearly 2,700 feet, it is connected to by a ridge to its larger parent peak, Fairfield - and is often included by Wainwright walkers as part of a Fairfield round, a Hart Crag walk that completes 8 or 9 (depending on the route) fells from Wainwright Maps in a day's walking around Rydale. The views from the summit of Hart Crag are somewhat interrupted by the nearby presence of Fairfield, but there is stilling a thrilling panorama that includes the Far Eastern Fells and the Scafells and Langdales to the West, in addition to the views down the dales that drain into Ullswater. There are also good views over Great Rigg towards the Coniston Fells and a glimpse of Windermere is another reward for Wainwright hikers completing a Hart Crag walk.
There are direct routes to the summit from Deepdale and Rydale, while another relatively straightforward path leads up Deepdale, getting to the summit of this Wainwright Fell via the Hartsop Above How ridge. While commonly part of a Fairfield Round, another option that includes some of the lesser known Wainwright fells is the Dovedale Horseshoe. This begins at Cow Bridge, just north of Brotherswater, climbing the length of the Hartsop Above How ridge between Dovedale and Deepdale, ticking that peak from a Wainwright Hill Chart before continuing to the top of Hart Crag. Southeast from Hart Crag Summit, the path continues to Dove Crag and Little Hart Crag, before returning to the starting point over the final Wainwright on the route, High Hartsop Dodd.
Further detail on Hart Crag and Wainwright fells in the Dovedale Horseshoe and Fairfield Round can be read about in Book One, The Eastern Fells, by Alfred Wainwright, a volume of the Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.
Plan and record your progress through the Wainwright Fells of the Lake District