455 mWainwright — North Western Fells+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km
Barrow at 455m (1,493ft) is a small, grassy summit above Braithwaite, giving one of the finest views of the Coledale valley and the Causey Pike ridge for its modest height.
Summit conditions on Barrow
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 12° to 6°C, gusts to 58 mph, 10.6 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
54mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour
The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 51 mph times our exposure factor of 1.05. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 58 mph, before any exposure factor.
under 25
25–35
35–45
45–55
55+
The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS (opens in new tab) 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
10.6mm 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 checkedcold: feels like 3 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 33 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
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 →
Choose the way up before the car park: these two routes start from two places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.
Hands for a few steps: Causey Pike's top, up and down (km 5.9–8.2). From the summit of Causey Pike the route drops aggressively eastwards off the "bobble": steep, rocky, hands-on downclimbing over polished rock steps.
Hands for a few steps: near the top of Grisedale Pike (km 3.1–3.6). Grisedale Pike's upper climb is steep and craggy — you'll want hands on rock near the top.
Exposure
Hard
Hard
Navigation
Hard
Hard
Steepest stretch
Descent of about 42% at 8.5 km (Severe)
Climb of about 32% at 3.3 km (Hard)
After the summit
Over Outerside, Scar Crags, Causey Pike and Rowling End
No further tops
Walked or planned
Walked in part; km 2.9–3.4, km 4.4–5.2, km 7.2–11.8 from the map
Walked by Lee, May 2026
Car park at the start
Braithwaite village (roadside/small areas)
Kinn car park
Bus to the start
77 at the start
77, 720 m walk from Braithwaite, at Croft Terrace
Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.
Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →
Is Barrow an easy walk?
Yes, by its usual way up: a steady grassy ridge rises straight from Braithwaite to a rounded top with a disproportionately good view of the Coledale fells, and there is nothing difficult on that ridge in fair weather.
Our mapped routes take it as part of bigger days — the Coledale round is 16.1 km with 1277 m of ascent and we rate that Hard overall for its length. Barrow on its own from the village is a fraction of that, and a route we have not yet measured.
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
Braithwaite village (roadside/small areas) — 0.1 km from the start of Scar Crags, Causey Pike (straight line)
In the village centre, beside the primary school. The small car park there may be the one the Authority lists as 'Braithwaite School', open to the public at weekends and in school holidays only, with no overnight parking. The 'Scar Crags, Causey Pike', 'Stile End, Outerside, Causey Pike, Rowling End' and 'Ard Crags & Knott Rigg' routes start here; the 'Coledale Round' starts at the Whinlatter Pass road car park above the village, 0.7 km on foot.
If it is full: Noble Knott, Whinlatter (Forestry England, free) (1.7 km, 72 m up); Revelin Moss, Whinlatter (Forestry England, paid) (3.3 km, 117 m up); Stoneycroft Ghyll, Newlands (free) (2.3 km, 105 m up)
On the Whinlatter Pass road (B5292) above Braithwaite. The 'Coledale Round' starts here. Room for about 10 cars (Lee McCoy, walked through it, 12 August 2026).
If it is full: Braithwaite village (roadside/small areas) (0.7 km, 70 m up)a few spaces only; Kinn (verge, east) (1.2 km, 72 m up)
Barrow (layby) — 0.6 km from summit (straight line)
On the lane from Braithwaite to Stair, by Uzzicar (OpenStreetMap: 'informal parking used by fellwalkers'). The Braithwaite village route starts, 'Scar Crags, Causey Pike' among them, are 2.0 km on foot; the Catbells starts at Hawes End are 2.3 km. Free (OSM-tagged). Compacted surface (OSM-tagged).
Barrow, north-east (layby) — 0.6 km from summit (straight line)
On the lane from Braithwaite to Stair, by Uzzicar (OpenStreetMap: 'informal parking used by fellwalkers'). The Braithwaite village route starts, 'Scar Crags, Causey Pike' among them, are about 1.6 km away in a straight line. Free (OSM-tagged). Compacted surface (OSM-tagged).
Uzzicar, 0.6 km N (layby) — 0.8 km from summit (straight line)
On the lane from Braithwaite to Stair, which OSM names Newlands Hause, north of Uzzicar (OpenStreetMap: 'informal parking used by fellwalkers'). The Braithwaite village route starts, 'Scar Crags, Causey Pike' among them, are 1.5 km on foot. Free (OSM-tagged). Compacted surface (OSM-tagged).
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 and X5 stop at Braithwaite, at Croft Terrace, a 10 m walk from the start of Scar Crags, Causey Pike — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (77): Tuesday to Sunday 17:37 to Keswick, 16:37 to Cockermouth. Towards Workington (X5): Tuesday to Thursday 22:27; Friday and Saturday 00:22 (after midnight); Sunday 20:17. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 24 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
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.
Along Sand Hill and Hobcarton Crag, keep left in cloud: there's a sharp, rocky drop close on the right that's easy to drift towards.
Watch the short grassy ridge at Kinn; a careless step could slide you down the bank. Worth marking on the GPS.
Off Sail, take the switchback path down to the col — the alternative Long Comb line dropping to the right looked treacherous; avoid it.
High Moss is reliably boggy underfoot.
If you need to get off (the leg from Stile End): At Barrow Door, the col between Stile End and Barrow, leave the main route by descending north-east on the established path towards Braithwaite Lodge and continue into Braithwaite, avoiding the final climb over Barrow.
Quoted from the route page: its warnings and the note for the leg that reaches Barrow.
We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.
A note on Coledale Beck
Coledale Beck runs below the old Force Crag mine and carries mine-derived zinc — enough to matter for river life. In Environment Agency samples taken near our route Coledale Round between 2007 and 2026, no sample put lead or cadmium, the metals that matter for people, above the drinking limit. That is a record of past sampling, not a test of the water today. Treat any hill water before drinking (an ordinary hiking filter won’t remove dissolved metals); don’t single this beck out as a clean fill-up.
Our terrain model finds nothing to grade on this summit, so it gives no cloud grade here — that is not a sign of easy navigation. Read this fell’s hazard notes and the route pages before a day in cloud. Carry map and compass, and know how to use them.
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 Barrow 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.
The Whinlatter Pass road car park is small and tucked behind the trees — and the bus to Braithwaite makes this an easy car-free round: the start is about 720 m and 87 m of climb up the road from the Croft Terrace stop.
Best season: At its best in clear, settled weather — the airy sections and the broad Crag Hill plateau want good visibility, and they're exactly where care matters most. The lower path up from Braithwaite can be smothered in bracken at the height of summer; in firm winter conditions the Grisedale Pike climb and the exposed tops become a serious proposition for axe-and-crampon walkers only.
Warnings: Grisedale Pike's upper climb is steep and craggy — you'll want hands on rock near the top. It's no place to be rushed, or to be in poor conditions. Along Sand Hill and Hobcarton Crag, keep left in cloud: there's a sharp, rocky drop close on the right that's easy to drift towards. Hopegill Head's summit is tiny and exposed — in a strong wind you may have to crouch to claim it. Watch the short grassy ridge at Kinn; a careless step could slide you down the bank. Worth marking on the GPS. Off Sail, take the switchback path down to the col — the alternative Long Comb line dropping to the right looked treacherous; avoid it. High Moss is reliably boggy underfoot. Grisedale Pike: The northern side of the summit and the ridge toward Hopegill Head drops in steep crags above Hobcarton. In cloud or wind keep back from the edge — the ground that looks like the continuation of the ridge ends in cliffs.
From the hazard notes for Grisedale Pike, each with its sources.
Download GPXWalked in part, May 2026 · km 2.9–3.4, km 4.4–5.2, km 7.2–11.8 from the map
Warnings: Leaving Causey Pike's summit is a short, steep downclimb over polished rock steps, slick in rain or ice. Take your time and face the rock if you need to. The grassy drop off Rowling End is very steep and a slip hazard when wet. The finish is along a narrow lane through the Newlands Valley, where cars can appear suddenly round blind, walled corners.
Photo: Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wainwright described it as a perfect evening walk from Keswick — the views of the Newlands valley and the North Western Fells composing beautifully from the summit. The ascent from Braithwaite is short and direct. A good introduction to the North Western Fells for visitors to Keswick.
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 Barrow
The 360° skyline from Barrow
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
The skyline as a list, by direction
North: Long Side (7 km)
North-east: Skiddaw Lesser Man (7 km), Skiddaw Little Man (7 km), Jenkin Hill (7 km), Skiddaw South Top (8 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (8 km), Skiddaw (8 km), Knowe Crags (10 km), Gategill Fell Top (11 km), Blencathra (11 km), Atkinson Pike (12 km)
East: Clough Head (11 km), Watson's Dodd (11 km), Great Dodd (12 km), Stybarrow Dodd (12 km), Randerside (12 km), Raise (12 km)
South-east: White Side (12 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (13 km), Low White Stones (13 km), Helvellyn (13 km), High Raise (13 km), Catstye Cam (14 km), Nethermost Pike (14 km), High Crag (14 km), Codale Head (14 km), Dollywaggon Pike (15 km), Seat Sandal (16 km), Fairfield (17 km), Great Rigg (17 km)
South: Hindscarth (5 km), Dale Head (6 km), Kirk Fell (12 km), Great End (13 km), Esk Pike (14 km)
South-west: Sail (3 km), Crag Hill (4 km), Robinson (6 km)
West: Eel Crag (4 km), Sand Hill (4 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: White Coomb (94 km, Scotland), Ettrick Pen (86 km, Scotland), Culter Fell (109 km, Scotland), Dun Rig (110 km, Scotland), Gathersnow Hill (105 km, Scotland), Hart Fell (92 km, Scotland), Croft Head (84 km, Scotland), Law Kneis (92 km, Scotland).
Barrow sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (at midsummer) first light is only 17 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.
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 light
Almanac sunrise
Difference
Midsummer
04:54 BST ±5.0 min
04:37
+17 min
Equinox
06:23 GMT ±5.0 min
06:16
+7 min
Midwinter
08:40 GMT ±5.0 min
08:34
+6 min
The northern horizon stands at about 1.0° from here.
Last light — when the sun leaves Barrow
Barrow loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 February, when last light is 66 minutes before almanac sunset — 15:46 against 16:52. The sun goes down to the south-west from here (227.5°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 7.26°.
The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last light
Almanac sunset
Difference
Midsummer
21:43 BST ±5.0 min
21:53
-10 min
Equinox
18:04 GMT ±5.0 min
18:27
-23 min
Midwinter
14:53 GMT ±5.0 min
15:49
-56 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 Barrow
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
How the view from Barrow 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 Barrow. 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.
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