Where the information on this site comes from — and the people and projects we have to thank for it.
Lake District Fell Bagger is a personal project that stitches together a lot of freely available, public and open data so you can plan a day on the fells from one page. This is where each piece comes from, what it's used for, and how it's credited. Wherever a source asks for attribution or sets a licence, we follow it; if you think something is mis-credited, please let me know.
The interactive maps on every fell and parking listing are built with the open-source Leaflet library and drawn using OpenStreetMap data, rendered as topographic tiles by OpenTopoMap. OpenStreetMap is a free, editable map of the world made by a huge community of volunteers, and the topo styling shows the contours, paths and crags that matter on the hill.
The fells themselves — which summits exist, their heights and grid positions, and which lists each one belongs to (Wainwright, Outlying Fell, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Marilyn and HuMP) — come from the Database of British and Irish Hills (DoBIH), a meticulous, volunteer-maintained survey of the hills of these islands. It's the backbone of the whole site and of the Fells pages.
The 7-day summit forecast on each fell page is generated live from Open-Meteo, a free weather API, with temperatures and wind gusts adjusted to the summit's altitude — because conditions up top are always harsher than in the valley. For serious planning we also link out to the specialist mountain forecasts from MWIS (Mountain Weather Information Service) and the Met Office.
Each fell lists the bus routes that serve its likely start points — from hubs such as Penrith, Ambleside and Windermere — so you can plan a car-free day. Rural Lakeland services are seasonal and change often, so these are a starting point only: always check live times with the operators before you travel.
Suggested parking near each fell is hand-curated. Alongside it, nearby facilities are pulled from OpenStreetMap via its Overpass query service, and public toilets — with distance, free/paid status, accessibility and RADAR-key flags where known — come from The Toilet Map. Parking positions are approximate; please park considerately and legally.
Where a fell has a freely-licensed photograph, it's drawn from Wikimedia Commons (found via the fell's Wikidata entry), shown with the photographer's name and licence. Fell pages also link out to the matching Wikipedia article and Wikidata record for further reading. Over time these are supplemented with my own photographs.
The "my hikes" section on a fell page shows my own walks that cross that summit — the route drawn on the map, with distance, ascent, time, pace and photos — synced from my Strava account. It's a personal record as much as a planning aid, and it grows as I get out on the hill.
Many fell pages end with a short set of frequently asked questions. The questions themselves are informed by AlsoAsked, a tool that surfaces the real "people also ask" questions walkers type into search engines; the answers are written and checked for this site rather than copied from anywhere. They're also marked up so search engines can show them directly.
The hazard rating and "Hazard & Incident Information" on each fell page are compiled from the published callout reports and safety advice of the local Mountain Rescue teams — Patterdale, Keswick, Wasdale, Coniston, Cockermouth, Langdale Ambleside and Duddon & Furness — and reputable news coverage of incidents. They describe persistent, well-documented dangers in general terms; they are editorial background, not a live callout feed. Always carry the skills and kit for the ground you're on.
Everything here is offered in good faith to help you enjoy the fells safely, but conditions, timetables and access change — please double-check anything that matters before you set off.