Fells to save for a bad day
The three lowest tops
- Castle CragThe top is 290 m, 110 m under this list’s 400 m line~2–2½ hDecent · 64 · rated on 27 October
- Black FellThe top is 323 m, 77 m under this list’s 400 m line~2–2½ hDecent · 68 · rated on 27 October
- Loughrigg FellThe top is 335 m, 65 m under this list’s 400 m line~2–2½ hMarginal · 40 · rated on 27 October
How this list is chosen. Every fell here tops out under 400 m. A low fell whose hazard card names a high or extreme hazard is left off; one with no hazard card yet is not, so a place on this list says nothing about the ground. These three are the lowest tops here: the cloud has further to come down before it covers them. Low is not clear, and it is not sheltered. Cloud can sit on these tops too, the wind still reaches them, and on a day of gales our scorer can rate every one of them Save it, as it rates the high tops; each carries its rating for the day. How we check our routes.
For the day: what the tops will do, wind, cold, cloud and rain against our lines, and every scored fell ranked, on the conditions page, from the same daily forecast as the ratings here. What to carry, and when to turn back: walking in bad weather.
Low fells — the ones to save for a day when the high tops are wild. None tops 400 m, but low is not the same as clear: cloud can sit on these tops too, and each card shows our predicted conditions for its summit. Lower-risk in poor weather, not risk-free: hill weather is serious anywhere, so carry a map and compass, know how to use them, and check the forecast. The badges are honest about what you're getting — some are often boggy underfoot, and we show how far each is from a village and whether there's a bus. Check the live conditions before you set off.
The count is of the list on this page. Regions are the areas the fells sit in on our fell list. How we check →
6 of these are rated good to climb on 27 October — see live conditions →
A prediction from our daily fell score (clear summits, wind, rain, visibility), not a guarantee — always check the mountain forecast before you go. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab).
All 9 fells
Each filter reads the fell’s own card: the height on its first line, the top of its round time, the boggy flag, the Bus badge and its region. One answer to each question.
- Clear tops, dryHallin FellThe top is 388 m, 12 m under this list’s 400 m line~¾–1 hDecent · 65 · rated on 27 October🚌 BusOften boggy5.4 km from PatterdaleHallin Fell at 388m (1,273ft) is one of Lakeland's most perfectly formed little summits — a grassy cone projecting into Ullswater above Howtown, its summit giving the finest aerial view of the lake's two bends in all of Lakeland.
Too windy for the topsLing FellThe top is 374 m, 26 m under this list’s 400 m line~1½–2 hSave it · 20 · rated on 27 October🚌 BusOften boggy7.1 km from BraithwaiteLing Fell at 374m (1,227ft) is a small, heathery summit above Wythop Mill near Bassenthwaite Lake, its modest top giving pleasant views across the lake and north to the Solway.
DryLatriggThe top is 369 m, 31 m under this list’s 400 m line~1½–2 hDecent · 60 · rated on 27 October🚌 BusOften boggy1.8 km from KeswickLatrigg at 369m (1,211ft) is the little fell above Keswick, its summit giving one of the finest and most accessible viewpoints of Derwent Water and the surrounding fells in the whole Lake District.
Summit likely clagged inTroutbeck TongueThe top is 364 m, 36 m under this list’s 400 m line~2¾–4 hMarginal · 40 · rated on 27 October🚌 BusOften boggy5 km from AmblesideTroutbeck Tongue at 364m (1,194ft) is a long, narrow ridge jutting into the Troutbeck valley, its summit giving fine views of the valley and the Ill Bell ridge above.
DrySale FellThe top is 359 m, 41 m under this list’s 400 m line~1½–2 hDecent · 61 · rated on 27 October🚌 BusOften boggy7 km from BraithwaiteSale Fell at 359m (1,178ft) is a pleasant little summit above Bassenthwaite Lake, its low summit giving fine views of the lake and across to Skiddaw above.- DryHigh Rigg (Naddle Fell)The top is 356 m, 44 m under this list’s 400 m line~1½–2 hDecent · 58 · rated on 27 October🚌 BusOften boggy3.5 km from ThrelkeldHigh Rigg at 356m (1,167ft) is a delightful, craggy ridge above St John's in the Vale — a pleasant low-level walk in the Central Fells, its heathery knolls giving fine views of Blencathra, Helvellyn and the Vale of St John from multiple viewpoints.
Summit likely clagged inLoughrigg FellThe top is 335 m, 65 m under this list’s 400 m line~2–2½ hMarginal · 40 · rated on 27 October🚌 BusOften boggy1.9 km from ElterwaterLoughrigg Fell at 335m (1,099ft) is one of the most beloved and visited fells in the Lake District, a complex heathery mass rising between Ambleside, Grasmere and Elterwater.
Dry, firm underfootBlack FellThe top is 323 m, 77 m under this list’s 400 m line~2–2½ hDecent · 68 · rated on 27 October🚌 Bus3.4 km from ElterwaterBlack Fell at 323m (1,060ft) is a small, heathery summit above Tarn Hows, its top giving fine views of this most popular of Lakeland beauty spots.
Dry, firm underfootCastle CragThe top is 290 m, 110 m under this list’s 400 m line~2–2½ hDecent · 64 · rated on 27 October🚌 Bus1.4 km from RosthwaiteCastle Crag at 290m (951ft) is the lowest of all the Wainwright fells, yet one of the most dramatic — a rocky prow standing sentinel in the narrowest part of the Borrowdale gorge between Grange and Rosthwaite.
Nothing matches those filters — .
Map
● fells within ~5 km
An interactive map of the walks and fells in this collection. Each marker links to its page; the same walks and fells are listed on this page.
Common questions
Are these safe in bad weather?
Lower than the high tops, not safe. Being low does not keep them out of the cloud: Lakeland weather is serious anywhere, and cold, wind and poor visibility still catch people out on low fells. Carry a map and compass, know how to use them, and check the mountain forecast before you go.
Why include the boggy ones?
Because they're still good low options when the tops are off — just expect wet feet. We flag which are often boggy, and how far each is from a village or whether there's a bus, so you can pick one to suit the day.