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469 m · Wainwright — North Western Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Barf - a rocky top above Bassenthwaite Lake, low cloud drifting across the water under a grey overcast sky
Wainwright — North Western FellsAlso a Birkett

Barf

Barf at 469m (1,539ft) is one of the most distinctive fells in the North Western group, rising steeply above Bassenthwaite Lake.

469 m
Height
~2.5–3 h
Typical time
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Barf

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

469 mWainwright — North Western Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 469 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 16° to 14°C, gusts to 35 mph, 3.6 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
16° / 14°
💨 35 mph
🌧 3.6 mm (77%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
17° / 12°
💨 31 mph
🌧 11.9 mm (79%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌧️
14° / 5°
💨 30 mph
🌧 2.3 mm (76%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 3°
💨 23 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (69%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 4°
💨 15 mph
🌧 1.5 mm (63%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌤️
16° / 3°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 7°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.4 mm (20%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 469 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Barf

Barf - a rocky top above Bassenthwaite Lake, low cloud drifting across the water under a grey overcast sky
© Lee McCoy

Barf at 469m (1,539ft) is one of the most distinctive fells in the North Western group, rising steeply above Bassenthwaite Lake. It is famous for the 'Bishop of Barf', a white-painted rock on the steep southern scree face visible from the A66. Wainwright included it in his North Western Fells guide. The ascent from the Swan Inn at Thornthwaite is unrelentingly steep through forest and scree, rewarding with fine views across Bassenthwaite Lake to Skiddaw.

Routes up Barf

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Whinlatter Loop
13.6 km · ~3.8 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
North Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
469 m
Height
1,539 ft
In feet
NY 2146 2674
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Dodd Wood (paid), about 2.1 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Barf (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

0.9 km SWUllister Hill525 m · North Western
1.1 km SSeat How (Thornthwaite)495 m · North Western
1.6 km SSWTarbarrel Moss493 m · North Western
2.5 km SWWhinlatter Top525 m · North Western

Routes over Barf

Whinlatter LoopRevised
13.56 km · ~671 m ascent · loop · ~3.5–5 h
Summits: GraystonesGraystones (Graystones North Top)Broom FellLord's SeatBarfWhinlatter TopWhinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

The View from Barf

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys
Computed 360-degree skyline from Barf32 labelled tops shown (11 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 20 kmSkiddaw · 5 kmHelvellyn Lower Man · 17 kmBowfell · 20 kmRaise · 16 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 5 kmGreat Dodd · 14 kmGategill Fell Top · 10 kmCrag Hill · 7 kmBroad End · 6 kmGreat Rigg · 22 kmWetherlam · 27 kmCodale Head · 19 kmClough Head · 13 kmColdbarrow Fell · 16 kmScar Crags · 6 kmLittle Sca Fell · 11 kmBell Crags · 15 kmGreat Mell Fell · 18 kmArthur's Pike · 25 kmBroom Fell · 2 kmLowthwaite Fell · 10 kmCarl Side · 4 kmCriffel · 44 km · clear daysBinsey · 9 kmLord's Seat · 1 kmUllister Hill · 1 kmOrthwaite Bank · 8 kmLothwaite · 3 kmGreen How · 12 kmCaermote Hill · 11 kmBainloch Hill · 44 km · clear daysSkiddaw Middle Top · 5 kmHigh Crag · 18 kmWhite Side · 16 kmStybarrow Dodd · 15 kmSail · 7 kmDale Head · 11 kmHarrison Stickle · 20 kmRanderside · 15 kmBrae Fell · 11 kmLittle Mell Fell · 21 kmLonglands Fell · 11 kmLittle Meldrum · 21 kmGrange Fell · 12 kmClints Crags · 10 kmGrange Fell · 55 km · clear daysWhite Hill · 59 km · clear daysMerrick · 98 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 94 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 82 km · a rare clear dayTinto · 111 km · a rare clear dayGreen Lowther · 91 km · a rare clear dayWhite Coomb · 88 km · a rare clear dayCairn Table · 109 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 75 km · a rare clear dayRoan Fell · 70 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 105 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 84 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Barf, by direction
  • North-east: Skiddaw (5 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (5 km), Skiddaw North Top (5 km), Broad End (6 km)
  • East: Skiddaw South Top (5 km), Skiddaw Little Man (5 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (6 km), Knowe Crags (10 km), Gategill Fell Top (10 km), Clough Head (13 km)
  • South-east: Little Dodd (14 km), Watson's Dodd (14 km), Great Dodd (14 km), Randerside (15 km), Stybarrow Dodd (15 km), Raise (16 km), White Side (16 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (17 km), Nethermost Pike (18 km), High Crag (18 km), Dollywaggon Pike (19 km), Codale Head (19 km), Seat Sandal (20 km), Great Rigg (22 km)
  • South: Grisedale Pike (4 km), Sail (7 km), Crag Hill (7 km), Hindscarth (10 km), Dale Head (11 km), Great Gable (16 km), Glaramara (17 km), Low White Stones (18 km), Allen Crags (18 km), High Raise (18 km), Esk Pike (19 km), Scafell Pike (20 km), Scafell (20 km), Bowfell (20 km), Harrison Stickle (20 km), Wetherlam (27 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Merrick (98 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (94 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Fleet (82 km, Scotland), Corserine (94 km, Scotland), Tinto (111 km, Scotland), Green Lowther (91 km, Scotland), White Coomb (88 km, Scotland), Queensberry (76 km, Scotland).

Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

What you can see from Barf

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
58Wainwrights in view+9 marginal
99 kmFurthest sightlineMerrick
1Sea in viewSolway Firth

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland.

Far horizons
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 99 km clear
  • Criffel ScotlandNW · 44 km distant
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNW · 33 km in view
All 58 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Lord's Seat, Dodd (Skiddaw), Ullock Pike, Sale Fell, Long Side, Carl Side, Grisedale Pike, Skiddaw, Barrow, Skiddaw Little Man, Causey Pike, Scar Crags, Latrigg, Lonscale Fell, Cat Bells (Catbells), Walla Crag, Maiden Moor, Great Cockup, Binsey, Meal Fell, Bleaberry Fell, Hindscarth, High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Longlands Fell, High Spy, Brae Fell, High Seat, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Clough Head, High Tove, Watson's Dodd, Great Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd, Eagle Crag, Raise, White Side, Great Gable, Ullscarf, Sergeant's Crag, Glaramara, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Allen Crags, Great Mell Fell, High Raise (High White Stones), Dollywaggon Pike, Esk Pike, Scafell Pike, Thunacar Knott, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Seat Sandal, Pike of Stickle, Bowfell, Harrison Stickle, Loft Crag, Little Mell Fell, Great Rigg, Arthur's Pike

How Barf’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

The path beneath your boots

Above Whinlatter, the peaty moorland path linking Barf and Lord’s Seat was rebuilt by Fix the Fells in 2023, at a cost of £18,000 — a machine-built subsoil path using stone from the fell itself, with peat restoration alongside: bare peat re-seeded, drainage channels dammed and self-seeded spruce pulled out to let the bog recover.

Notice underfoot: the turfed side ditch running beside the path — it’s there to keep everyone on one line so the trampled ground either side can heal.

Fix the Fells built and maintains this path. How a fell path is made → · Give back

Path-repair data © Fix the Fells (National Trust / Lake District National Park). Source.

Best parking to hike Barf

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Dodd Wood (paid) — 2.1 km from summit (straight line)
Forestry car park for Dodd, Carl Side and the Ullock Pike ridge onto Skiddaw.
Directions
🚺 Dodd Wood Car Park (79m) — Free☕ The Old Sawmill Tearoom
Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid) — 2.6 km from summit (straight line)
Forest centre — Lord's Seat, Barf, Whinlatter fells, Grisedale Pike's back route.
Directions
🚺 Whinlatter Forest Park Centre (120m) — Free☕ The Cottage in the Wood☕ Cafe Ambio

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Buses to Barf from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Barf (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Hazard & Incident Information for Barf

Hazard: Moderate

A small but fierce-faced fell above Bassenthwaite, famous for the white-painted rock called the Bishop on its steep front. The direct ascent past the Bishop is a dangerously steep climb on loose scree and heather with an exposed rock traverse — borderline 'hard' and only for fit walkers with some scrambling experience. There is a far safer route by Beckstones Gill. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • The direct ascent past the Bishop (steep loose scree): The frontal route is steep, loose scree and heather with an exposed rock traverse part-way up — genuinely dangerous, and the spot where the legendary pony fell. Only confident, fit walkers with scrambling experience should attempt it, in dry conditions, and it's a bad way down. The Bishop itself is off-route and not a recommended line.
  • Use the Beckstones Gill route instead: A much easier and safer path approaches the summit via Beckstones Gill through the plantation. Strongly preferred for ascent and descent, especially in poor conditions or if you're unsure of steep, loose ground.
  • Steep, broken upper slopes: The upper fell is steep and broken with loose ground and small crags. Keep to the path, take care with footing, and keep back from the steep frontal edge.
Who should attempt this fell: Barf's reputation is earned on its front: the direct line past the Bishop is steep, loose and exposed — leave it to experienced scramblers in dry weather, and never use it as a descent. For nearly everyone the Beckstones Gill path is the sensible way up and down. Take the steep upper ground carefully and treat it as serious when wet or iced.

Most common causes: Slips and falls on the steep, loose scree of the direct frontal ascent · Difficulty on the exposed rock traverse past the Bishop · Walkers attempting the dangerous direct route as a descent · Loose ground and small crags on the upper slopes

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information

Navigating Barf in cloud

Severe

A rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Barf compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Barf

Maps & guidebooks for Barf

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