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Barf - the rocky summit top in drizzle, a shower drifting over Bassenthwaite Lake below, forestry on the slopes and the far shore lost in cloud

Barf

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469 mWainwright — North Western Fells+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

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 south-eastern scree face visible from the A66.

Summit conditions on Barf

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 13° to 7°C, gusts to 51 mph, 9.0 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

48 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 46 mph times our exposure factor of 1.05. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 51 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

9.0 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like 4 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 43 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Routes up Barf

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

Whinlatter Loop Walked by Lee
13.56 km · ~712 m ascent · ~3¾–5¼ h · loop · 7 summits
Moderate effort Severe: steepness
Park: Spout Force, Whinlatter (free) · Bus: 77, 2.5 km walk from Lorton Winder Hall (near)

A north-western round above Whinlatter that opens with a brutal climb onto Graystones, about 56% over its steepest 250 m.

Distance and climb are measured from the route’s GPX track, and the time from them by Naismith’s rule; the route page says what each grade rests on. How we check →

How hard is Barf?

The shortest way up we hold is Whinlatter Loop — 13.56 km, 712 m of ascent, ~3¾–5¼ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.

All axes: steepness: Severe · length: Moderate · terrain: Moderate · navigation: Moderate · exposure: Easy.

These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 469 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
13° / 7°
51 mph
9.0 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
10° / 7°
40 mph
5.8 mm (98%)
Thu 29 Oct
10° / 8°
20 mph
0.5 mm (0%)
Fri 30 Oct
10° / 3°
20 mph
0.3 mm (13%)
Sat 31 Oct
12° / 1°
4 mph
0.0 mm (24%)
Sun 1 Nov
8° / 1°
10 mph
0.0 mm (16%)
Mon 2 Nov
8° / 2°
15 mph
0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Barf

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Spout Force, Whinlatter (free) — at the start of Whinlatter Loop
Small car park for Spout Force and the Whinlatter northern fells.
Directions Something changed here?
Car park for Barf (free) — 0.6 km from summit (straight line)
0.6 km from Barf. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
Barf, south-east (layby) — 0.7 km from summit (straight line)
Community walk pages start here for 'Barf, Lord's Seat, Ullister Hill and Seat How' (community walk listings). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
3 more places to park near Barf
Woodend Brow (Wood End) (free) — 0.9 km from summit (straight line)
Beside the A66 on the west shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, by the Woodend Car Park bus stops (OpenStreetMap: 'Woodend Brow Car Park'); the Authority's car-parks directory lists it as 'Wood End, Bassenthwaite western lakeshore'. No route on this site starts within 4 km of it on foot: the nearest, the 'Coledale Round' above Braithwaite and the Whinlatter Forest walk, are about 4.5 km. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Barf (layby) — 1.0 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Barf (1.0 km), Seat How (Thornthwaite) (1.3 km), Ullister Hill (1.5 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Beck Wythop (free) — 1.5 km from summit (straight line)
Just off the A66 at Beck Wythop, on the west shore of Bassenthwaite Lake. The nearest route starts are near Wythop Mill, over the hill to the west: 'Rivings and Lothwaite' and 'Ling Fell & Sale Fell', 4.1 km on foot. Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.

Buses

The 77 stops at Lorton Winder Hall (near). From there it is 2.5 km and 150 m of ascent to the start of Whinlatter Loop — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness) — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 18.5 km in all, with the walk. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. It returns on 22 March 2027. Confirmed with the operator: its last day on 29 August 2026, its return on 16 October 2026. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (77): Tuesday to Sunday 17:56. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawes 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 (Summer 2026 timetable: 23 March to 1 November 2026). 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.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Barf

Hazard & Incident Information for Barf

Checked by Lee McCoy, . Draws on published material from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

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.

What to watch for: 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 · Keswick Mountain Rescue Team - Barf

Safety: 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 in cloud

Severe

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of steep ground within half a kilometre of the summit. 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 (experimental).

If you need Mountain Rescue

Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.

Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.

If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.

From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Barf

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

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 Loop
13.56 km · ~712 m ascent · loop · ~3¾–5¼ h
Moderate effort Severe: steepness
Summits: GraystonesGraystones (Graystones North Top)Broom FellLord's SeatBarfWhinlatter TopWhinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter)

Forestry England says (updated 1 Oct 2026) that the Lord's Seat and Barf trails are diverted: follow the diversion signs. This route's GPX has not been checked against the diversion. Forestry England: Whinlatter updates (read 7 Oct 2026)

Download GPX Walked by Lee, May 2025

Warnings: Forestry England posts felling areas and path diversions at Whinlatter on its Whinlatter updates page (last read 7 Oct 2026). Check it before you go, and follow the signs on the day.

Route guide →

Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Barf

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.

About Barf

Barf - the rocky summit top in drizzle, a shower drifting over Bassenthwaite Lake below, forestry on the slopes and the far shore lost in cloud
© Lee McCoy

Wainwright included it in his North Western Fells guide. Two lines go up from near Thornthwaite. The direct one climbs past the Bishop on steep, loose scree with an exposed rock traverse, and is for experienced scramblers in dry weather only; the path up Beckstones Gill through the plantation is the walkers' way up and down.

My Strava hikes over Barf

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Barf a Wainwright?

Barf is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Selected lists

Wainwright
North Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
469 m
Height
1,539 ft
In feet
NY 2146 2674
Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

The summit is also a Birkett.

Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →

The view from Barf

The 360° skyline 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
The skyline as a list, 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 Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Barf

Barf waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 August, when the sun is up for 44 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 06:08 against an almanac sunrise of 05:24. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the east-north-east from here (65.3°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 5.15°.

0°30°40°50°60°70°04:59
Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.
Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
First lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:59 BST ±5.0 min04:37+22 min
Equinox06:25 GMT ±5.0 min06:16+9 min
Midwinter08:47 GMT ±5.0 min08:34+13 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.21°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Barf

Barf loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls at midwinter, when last light is 31 minutes before almanac sunset — 15:18 against 15:49. The sun goes down to the south-west from here (222.0°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.8°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:58 BST ±5.0 min21:54+4 min
Equinox18:05 GMT ±5.0 min18:27-22 min
Midwinter15:18 GMT ±5.0 min15:49-31 min

These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

What you can see from Barf

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
59Wainwrights in view+8 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 59 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, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), 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 the view from Barf compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Barf. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. 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.

Places to stay near this fell

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap.

Other fells near Barf

Places nearby: Bassenthwaite Lake · Whinlatter Forest · Braithwaite