Hampsfell Hospice from Grange-over-Sands
Grange's own hill: through Eggerslack Wood to the 1846 Hospice on Hampsfell, with a rooftop view indicator and Morecambe Bay below.
- Distance
- 7.8 km
- 4.8 miles
- Ascent
- 362 m
- High point 209 m
- Time
- 2 hours
- Walking time, no stops
- Grade
- Moderate
- Circular
Take this walk with you
Google Maps does not know most fell paths, so use it to get to the start, then follow the GPX in an app like OS Maps, Komoot or AllTrails. To see the line in Google Maps, open Google My Maps, create a map, choose Import and pick the KML file. It then appears in the Google Maps app under Saved, Maps.
Weather on this walk
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Hampsfell is the limestone fell rising behind Grange-over-Sands, and on top of it stands the Hospice, a square stone tower built in 1846 by a vicar of Cartmel as a shelter for walkers. On the roof, a rotating pointer lets you pick out the landmarks, from the Lakeland fells to Black Combe and, on the clearest days, the Isle of Man.
The circuit from the seafront is short and varied: up through the old woodland of Eggerslack Wood, out onto open limestone pasture, then back down past the crags at Eden Mount into town. Look out for the inscriptions inside the Hospice, including a verse asking visitors to treat the building kindly.
It is an excellent family walk and an easy half-day from Grange or Cartmel, with the bay views doing most of the work.
The route
- 1
Seafront to Eggerslack Wood
From the seafront car park head north through town and pick up the Cistercian Way, which climbs into Eggerslack Wood.
- 2
Onto the fell
Leave the wood and turn west, climbing onto the open limestone of Hampsfell towards the viewpoint.
- 3
The Hospice
Reach the Hospice on the summit. Go up to the roof to use the view indicator, then look inside at the inscribed panels.
- 4
Down by Eden Mount
Descend south through woodland and low limestone crags at Eden Mount and follow the streets back down to the seafront.
Questions people ask
What is Hampsfell Hospice?
A limestone tower built in 1846 by the vicar of Cartmel as a shelter for walkers. It has a view indicator on the roof and inscriptions inside.
How long is the walk up Hampsfell from Grange?
The circuit from the seafront via Eggerslack Wood and Eden Mount is about four to four and a half miles and takes two to three hours.
Can you see the Isle of Man from Hampsfell?
On very clear days the indicator points towards Snaefell, about 100 km away, though Black Combe can hide its summit.
More walks nearby
Cartmel, Speel Bank and How Barrow
Moderate, 10.2 km, 195 m up, about 2 hours 30 minutes
From Cartmel Priory and the racecourse through Park Wood to Speel Bank, south along the Ellerside ridge past How Barrow and back by the lanes.
Arnside Knott and the shore from Arnside
Moderate, 9.9 km, 286 m up, about 2 hours 30 minutes
Arnside's best walk: along the Kent estuary shore to Far Arnside, then up to the toposcope on Arnside Knott for a view over Morecambe Bay.
Gummer's How above Windermere
Easy, 2.0 km, 115 m up, about 30 minutes
The quickest big view of Windermere: a short climb from a free Forestry England car park to a trig point looking up the whole length of the lake.
Food, drink and beds near the start
Rogan & Company
Modern British, Cartmel, £££
Simon Rogan's Michelin-starred neighbourhood restaurant on Devonshire Square brings L'Enclume's farm-led sourcing to a relaxed Cartmel dining room, with rooms in the village.
The Kings Arms Hotel
Traditional British, Cartmel, ££
A 500-year-old coaching inn in the historic village of Cartmel. Famous for its traditional atmosphere and connection to the nearby priory.
L'Enclume
Fine Dining, Cartmel, ££££
Simon Rogan's three-Michelin-starred restaurant in a former Cartmel smithy is one of the great tasting-menu experiences in Britain. Much of what reaches the table is grown on Our Farm, his own regenerative farm.
The Cavendish Arms
Traditional, Cartmel, ££
Cartmel's village pub sits in the shadow of the Priory and pours excellent local ales in a properly atmospheric setting.