Guide

Winter walks that don't need an ice axe

Ten hills that give you a proper winter day, big skies, frost and all, without the snow and ice that turn walking into mountaineering.

By the TRXO team · 26 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

walks: 10
long: 2.9–9 km
biggest climb: 400 m
by public transport: 5
dog-friendly: 10

Winter is the best season for walking in Britain, and the worst time to be caught out. The high hills become snow and ice from December to March, and on them you need an ice axe, crampons and the skills to use both. Below about 600 m, on the right day, you get the frost, the low sun and the empty paths without any of that.

This is a list of hills that are worth a winter day and stay within the range of boots, warm layers and sense. Short days, so all of them can be done in daylight with a late start. A few of them do hold snow in a cold spell; the rule is that if the path is ice, you turn round, however low the hill.

Each walk page has a summit forecast. In winter, look at the wind and the freezing level before you look at anything else.

Where they are

1

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v2osk · Unsplash
Keswick

Catbells
- 5.5 km distance
- 370 m ascent
- 2–3 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
The Lake District's favourite small fell is at its best on a cold, still morning with Derwentwater like glass below. The ridge is short and the two rocky steps are fine in the dry, but they ice up, so check. Take the launch across the lake if it's running.

Route, map and GPX
2

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Michael Cummins · Unsplash
Castleton

Mam Tor and the Great Ridge
- 9 km distance
- 400 m ascent
- 3–4 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
A paved path along a ridge between two valleys, with the Peak District on both sides and the Hope Valley cement works' chimney steaming below. Mam Tor on a frosty day with the cloud sitting in the valleys is one of the great winter sights in England, and the path is good enough that you can enjoy it. Starts from Castleton; trains to Hope.

Route, map and GPX
3

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Paul Morley · Unsplash
Newton under Roseberry

Roseberry Topping
- 3.5 km distance
- 250 m ascent
- 1.5–2 h time
- Easy grade
- dogs welcome
The little Matterhorn of Cleveland, a sharp cone with a cliff on one side where the hill fell down in a mining collapse. Half an hour up from the car park, a view over the Tees to the North Sea, and the kind of hill you can do on a December afternoon and still be home for tea.

Route, map and GPX
4

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Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Balmaha

Conic Hill from Balmaha
- 5.3 km distance
- 370 m ascent
- 2–2.5 h time
- Moderate grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
The hill that shows you the Highland line: it sits on the geological fault itself, and from the top the islands of Loch Lomond line up along it. A steep hour from Balmaha on the West Highland Way. In winter the loch is often calm and the big hills to the north are white, and you're not on them.

Route, map and GPX
5

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john mcsporran from Trossachs, Scotland · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Loch Achray, Trossachs

Ben A'an
- 2.9 km distance
- 230 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Moderate grade
- dogs welcome
A miniature mountain above Loch Katrine, with a rocky summit that looks like it should be twice the height. The path is steep and often muddy and the top can be slippery after frost, but it's the best view-for-effort in the Trossachs and a classic short winter day.

Route, map and GPX
6

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Doug Lee · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Bridge of Allan

Dumyat
- 3.9 km distance
- 170 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Easy grade
- dogs welcome
The western end of the Ochils, straight above the University of Stirling, with a view down the Forth to the bridges and across to the Highlands. An hour up on a good path; a hill people run up before work. On a clear winter morning the frost in the Carse and the snow on Ben Ledi are worth getting up for.

Route, map and GPX
7

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Iain Lees · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Melrose

The Eildon Hills from Melrose
- 4.9 km distance
- 350 m ascent
- 1.5–2.5 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Three volcanic hills above Melrose, with a Roman signal station, a hillfort and the whole of the central Borders round about. Short, grassy and sheltered on the Melrose side, and the abbey and the town's cafés are at the bottom. Walter Scott's favourite view is from the ridge.

Route, map and GPX
8

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Oscar Taylor · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Great Malvern

Worcestershire Beacon from Great Malvern
- 4.4 km distance
- 330 m ascent
- 1.5–2 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
The Worcestershire Beacon from Great Malvern, up the well-made paths that the Victorians laid out for the spa visitors. The Malverns are the one place in the Midlands where you can stand on a summit in snow with a view across to Wales, and the town has a station at the bottom.

Route, map and GPX
9

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Chris Gorringe · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Haytor

Haytor and Hound Tor
- 6 km distance
- 280 m ascent
- 2–2.5 h time
- Moderate grade
- dogs welcome
Dartmoor's most famous tor and its strangest, in one loop: Haytor's granite domes, then across the moor to Hound Tor's jumble of rocks and the medieval village below it. The moor in winter is bleak and wonderful and the tors are the only shelter, so pick a clear day. Dartmoor fog is no joke.

Route, map and GPX
10

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Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Barley

Pendle Hill from Barley
- 6.4 km distance
- 350 m ascent
- 2–3 h time
- Moderate grade
- dogs welcome
The witches' hill, a long flat-topped whaleback above the Ribble valley, with a steep stone staircase up from Barley. George Fox had his vision on the top; the Pendle witches were tried in 1612. Half a day, big views over Lancashire and the Dales, and the Barley tea room at the end. It can be icy on the steps.

Route, map and GPX

Before you go

The rule: boots, waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves, food, a torch, a map and compass. Even on a small hill. Especially on a small hill, because that's where people go unprepared.
Daylight is short. In December the sun sets before four. Start early and know what time it gets dark.
Frozen ground is fine; ice on rock steps is not. Microspikes make a real difference on paths like Mam Tor and Catbells in a cold spell, and they weigh nothing.
A good winter day in the valleys can be a gale on a 500 m summit. Read the summit forecast, not the town one.

Questions people ask

Do I need an ice axe for these walks?

No; that's the point of the list. None of them goes high enough to hold serious snow and ice in a normal winter. If a path is iced, turn round or use microspikes. If there's snow on the ground, you've picked the wrong day.

What is the best winter walk in the Lake District without crampons?

Catbells, on a frosty, still day, with the launch across Derwentwater. Latrigg and Walla Crag are good low alternatives when the fells are white.

When does winter start in the hills?

The first snow usually comes to the Scottish tops in October and the Lakes in November. Winter conditions on the high ground last until March or April. The hills on this list are usually walkable all year.

What are microspikes?

Rubber harnesses with small steel spikes that pull over your boots. They stop you slipping on icy paths and weigh a few hundred grams. For low hills in a cold spell they're worth more than crampons, which are for proper snow slopes.

Where they are

Catbells

Mam Tor and the Great Ridge

Roseberry Topping

Conic Hill from Balmaha

Ben A'an

Dumyat

The Eildon Hills from Melrose

Worcestershire Beacon from Great Malvern

Haytor and Hound Tor

Pendle Hill from Barley

Before you go

Questions people ask

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