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Base Brown

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646 mWainwright — Western Fells+8 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

Base Brown at 646m (2,119ft) is a craggy summit above Seathwaite in Borrowdale, its north face dropping in crags to the Borrowdale valley. Wainwright noted the fine views of the Borrowdale valley from the summit and the excellent position above Sourmilk Gill.

Summit conditions on Base Brown

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 11° to 5°C, gusts to 64 mph, 6.7 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

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

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 52 mph times our exposure factor of 1.16. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 64 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

6.7 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 1 °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

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 Base Brown

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

Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown Planned, not yet walked
15.85 km · ~960 m ascent · ~4¾–6½ h · loop · 4 summits
Hard effort Severe: steepness
Park: Seatoller, south-east field car park (paid) · Bus: 78, 820 m walk from Seatoller, at National Trust car park

Both Seathwaite Fell tops with Green Gable and Base Brown — four summits in 15.9 km and 960 m, rated hard for terrain, navigation and exposure and severe for steepness. About 4¾–6½ hours on properly rough ground.

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 Base Brown?

The shortest way up we hold is Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown — 15.85 km, 960 m of ascent, ~4¾–6½ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.

All axes: steepness: Severe · length: Hard · terrain: Hard · navigation: Hard · exposure: Hard.

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

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
11° / 5°
64 mph
6.7 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
9° / 6°
44 mph
12.6 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
9° / 7°
27 mph
1.0 mm (26%)
Fri 30 Oct
8° / 6°
27 mph
0.1 mm (31%)
Sat 31 Oct
10° / 1°
9 mph
0.0 mm (25%)
Sun 1 Nov
8° / 0°
7 mph
0.0 mm (12%)
Mon 2 Nov
7° / 1°
17 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 Base Brown

Parking

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

Seatoller, south-east field car park (paid) — 0.1 km from the start of Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown (straight line)
A paid field by the River Derwent, 0.5 km south-east of Seatoller; operator not identified. The 'Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown' route starts 78 m away. Paid parking (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (farm field, paid) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)
The farm’s own field, signed off the lane — £5 all day, £10 overnight, no booking needed (the farm’s own page, read 21 September 2026; its notice is still headed 2025). A different place from the free verge on the same lane, and the reason not to race for a verge space. The farm opened it to ease the parking problems in the busy period.
Directions Something changed here?
Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge) — 1.4 km from summit (straight line)
Free verge parking on the Seathwaite lane — the honeypot start for the Scafells, Great Gable and Glaramara. It fills early; the farm’s own field just down the lane takes the pressure off, and the lane needs to stay clear for residents, farm traffic and emergency vehicles.
Typically full before 09:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 9 August 2026.
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) (1.8 km); Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.0 km); Rosthwaite (NT, paid) (3.8 km)
Public toilets (~188 m straight line) — Free
3 more places to park near Base Brown
Thornythwaite Fell (layby) — 1.5 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Allen Crags, High House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) and Looking Steads (Glaramara) — the 'Allan Crags & Glaramara' route starts 135 m away. Also serves 'Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Thornythwaite Fell, north-west (layby) — 1.6 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Allen Crags, High House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) and Looking Steads (Glaramara) — the 'Allan Crags & Glaramara' route starts 255 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Honister (NT, paid) — 2.1 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Great Gable, Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knotts — the 'Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine' route starts 61 m away. Also serves 'Haystacks'. Paid National Trust car park - the prices we used to show here came from an aggregator rather than the Trust, so we no longer publish a figure; check the machine on arrival, and members should bring their card (National Trust car-park list, checked August 2026). The machine takes cards, and National Trust members park free on production of their membership card (Lee McCoy, local observation, recorded 12 August 2026).
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 and 78 stop at Seatoller, at National Trust car park, an 820 m walk from the start of Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (78): Tuesday to Sunday 20:00. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 78 “Borrowdale Rambler”
Keswick – Lodore – Grange – Rosthwaite – Seatoller
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 or X4/X5)
Year-round, frequent in season. Serves all the Borrowdale starts — Glaramara, the Scafells and Great Gable via Seathwaite (alight Seatoller, about 2 km up the lane).

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 Base Brown

Hazard & Incident Information for Base Brown

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

Hazard: Moderate

A steep, rocky little fell thrusting into Borrowdale above Seathwaite, the north-east end of Green Gable's ridge. Its direct ascent climbs straight up a steep, loose nose that is genuinely dangerous in places, past the precariously poised Hanging Stone, and it is flanked by crags above Gillercomb and Styhead Gill with the slippery slabs of Sourmilk Gill below. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this Borrowdale ground.

  • The steep, loose nose ascent: The direct climb up the nose from Seathwaite is steep, rocky and loose — dangerous in places and worse after rain when the ground is greasy. Care and concentration with footing are essential, and it is a poor, hazardous way down.
  • The Hanging Stone & crag edges: The Hanging Stone sits startlingly poised over the rim of the crags, and the fell is flanked by steep crags above Gillercomb and Styhead Gill. Keep back from the edges, and don't clamber on or under the Hanging Stone.
  • Sourmilk Gill slabs & wet rock: Sourmilk Gill drops in falls over smooth slabs at the fell's northern end; the rock there is slippery when wet. Keep to the path and well clear of the gill's edges and slabs.
Who should attempt this fell: Base Brown is small but steep and rocky — take the loose nose carefully on the way up and avoid it as a descent; the path down into Gillercomb and beside Sour Milk Gill, as on our round, is the usual alternative, and it is steep too, and slippery on the slabs when wet. Keep back from the Hanging Stone and the crag edges, take care on the wet slabs by Sourmilk Gill, and treat the steep ground as full winter terrain when iced.

What to watch for: Slips on the steep, loose, rocky nose, especially when wet · Walkers straying near the Hanging Stone or the crag edges · Slips on the wet slabs around Sourmilk Gill · Choosing the dangerous nose as a descent

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team

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

Care needed

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. Take care in poor visibility — 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 Base Brown 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 Base Brown

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

1.8 km SSeathwaite Fell (Great Slack)631 m · Southern
2.1 km ENEThornythwaite Fell574 m · Southern
2.4 km ESELooking Steads (Glaramara)775 m · Southern
2.5 km SERed Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)720 m · Southern
2.5 km ECombe Head735 m · Southern
2.7 km SEHigh House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags)683 m · Southern
2.7 km WSWKirk Fell East Top (Kirk Fell North Top)787 m · Western
3.0 km NNWHonister Crag (Black Star)634 m · Western

Routes over Base Brown

Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown
15.85 km · ~960 m ascent · loop · ~4¾–6½ h
Hard effort Severe: steepness
Summits: Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)Seathwaite Fell (Great Slack - Seathwaite Fell)Green GableBase Brown

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Warnings: Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit): Getting safely down is the hardest part — the path is faint to non-existent, and the rocky knolls and outcrops hide the line (only a couple of shallow gullies give a way through). In cloud it is very easy to get disorientated or to drift onto steeper ground. Navigate carefully by compass and pick your descent line with care.

From the hazard notes for Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), each with its sources.

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 Base Brown

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown route:

toilets (39 m off the line)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

About Base Brown

Base Brown, a Lake District fell
Photo: Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Seathwaite the direct way up is the steep, loose nose above the farm, which is a poor way down; our round instead comes to it along the ridge from Green Gable and descends by Gillercomb and beside Sour Milk Gill. Most naturally combined with Green Gable and Great Gable for a Seathwaite circuit — the classic Borrowdale approach to the Gable group.

Classifications & hill data

Is Base Brown a Wainwright?

Base Brown is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list and the Hewitt list.

Selected lists

Wainwright
Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
Hewitt
646 m
Height
2,119 ft
In feet
NY 2251 1146
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 Base Brown

The 360° skyline from Base Brown

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 Base Brown31 labelled tops shown (1 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 4 kmScafell · 5 kmHelvellyn · 12 kmSkiddaw · 18 kmGreat End · 3 kmBowfell · 5 kmPillar · 5 kmEsk Pike · 4 kmHigh Crag · 12 kmRaise · 13 kmFairfield · 13 kmBlencathra · 19 kmGreat Dodd · 15 kmStybarrow Dodd · 14 kmScoat Fell · 7 kmCrag Hill · 9 kmLingmell · 4 kmGrisedale Pike · 11 kmGlaramara · 2 kmRed Screes · 17 kmLooking Steads · 2 kmWetherlam · 12 kmDale Head · 4 kmJenkin Hill · 17 kmClough Head · 16 kmRed Beck Top · 2 kmBrandreth · 1 kmMungrisdale Common · 20 kmGreat Gable · 2 kmBleaberry Fell · 10 kmGrey Knotts · 1 kmBroad Crag · 4 kmHelvellyn Lower Man · 12 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 17 kmDollywaggon Pike · 12 kmGreen Side · 15 kmDove Crag · 15 kmPillar Rock · 5 kmSail · 9 kmLong Side · 17 kmHindscarth · 5 kmLonscale Fell · 17 kmCalfhow Pike · 14 kmGreen Gable · 1 kmCombe Head · 2 kmHigh House Tarn Top · 3 kmSeathwaite Fell · 2 kmGrange Fell · 6 kmCalkin Rig · 76 km · a rare clear day
The skyline as a list, by direction
  • North: Crag Hill (9 km), Grisedale Pike (11 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (17 km), Skiddaw Little Man (17 km), Skiddaw South Top (18 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (18 km), Skiddaw (18 km)
  • North-east: White Side (12 km), Raise (13 km), Watson's Dodd (14 km), Stybarrow Dodd (14 km), Little Dodd (14 km), Green Side (15 km), Great Dodd (15 km), Knowe Crags (18 km), Gategill Fell Top (18 km), Blencathra (19 km)
  • East: Helvellyn Lower Man (12 km), High Crag (12 km), Nethermost Pike (12 km), Dollywaggon Pike (12 km), Helvellyn (12 km), Fairfield (13 km), Cofa Pike (13 km), Dove Crag (15 km), Red Screes (17 km)
  • South-east: Glaramara (2 km), Looking Steads (2 km)
  • South: Great End (3 km), Allen Crags (3 km), Broad Crag (4 km), Esk Pike (4 km), Scafell Pike (4 km), Scafell (5 km), Bowfell (5 km)
  • South-west: Lingmell (4 km)
  • West: Pillar (5 km), Pillar Rock (5 km), Black Crag (6 km), Scoat Fell (7 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Calkin Rig (76 km, Scotland), Law Kneis (102 km, Scotland), Turner Cleuch Law (109 km, Scotland), Ward Law (105 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 Base Brown

Base Brown waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 February, when the sun is up for 25 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 08:27 against an almanac sunrise of 08:02. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the south-east from here (124.2°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.71°.

0°30°40°50°60°04:38
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
Midsummer04:38 BST ±5.0 min04:37+1 min
Equinox06:21 GMT ±5.0 min06:16+5 min
Midwinter08:50 GMT ±5.0 min08:33+17 min

The northern horizon stands at about 0.67° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Base Brown

Base Brown loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 November, when last light is 66 minutes before almanac sunset — 15:32 against 16:38. The sun goes down to the south-west from here (232.0°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 7.77°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:33 BST ±5.0 min21:53-20 min
Equinox18:15 GMT ±5.0 min18:27-12 min
Midwinter15:06 GMT ±5.0 min15:50-44 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 Base Brown

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
53Wainwrights in view+8 marginal
—Sea in viewnone from here
All 53 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Brandreth, Green Gable, Grey Knotts, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Great Gable, Glaramara, Great End, Allen Crags, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Lingmell, Dale Head, Esk Pike, Scafell Pike, High Spy, Hindscarth, Castle Crag, Scafell, Bowfell, Pillar, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Ullscarf, High Tove, High Seat, Sail, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Bleaberry Fell, Walla Crag, Grisedale Pike, Seat Sandal, Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Helvellyn, White Side, Great Rigg, Raise, Fairfield, Watson's Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd, Latrigg, Great Dodd, Dove Crag, Clough Head, Dodd (Skiddaw), Skiddaw Little Man, Lonscale Fell, Carl Side, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Skiddaw, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Knott

How the view from Base Brown 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 Base Brown. 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 Base Brown

Places nearby: Taylor Gill Force · Honister Pass