Binsey
Binsey at 447m (1,467ft) is a solitary, isolated fell above Bassenthwaite village, its rounded summit entirely separate from any other fell group.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 447 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 17° to 15°C, gusts to 30 mph, 2.2 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 447 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
About the walk
Binsey
- How long
- ~1.5–2 h
- Height
- 447 m (1,467 ft)
Routes up Binsey
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside), about 4.0 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Binsey (within 3 km)
No bonus Birketts within 3 km — every Birkett near here is already a Wainwright summit, so just enjoy the walk.
Routes over Binsey
✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
The View from Binsey
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.
What you can see from Binsey, by direction
- South-east: Broad End (7 km), Skiddaw North Top (7 km), Skiddaw (7 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (8 km), Skiddaw South Top (8 km), Knowe Crags (12 km), Atkinson Pike (12 km), Gategill Fell Top (12 km), Blencathra (13 km)
- South: Carl Side (8 km), Grisedale Pike (13 km), Hobcarton Crag (14 km), Hopegill Head (14 km), Sand Hill (14 km), Eel Crag (15 km), Crag Hill (16 km), Sail (16 km), Grasmoor (16 km), Robinson (19 km), Dale Head (20 km), Combe Head (25 km), Great Gable (25 km), Glaramara (25 km), High Raise (27 km), Allen Crags (27 km), Great End (27 km), Broad Crag (28 km), Esk Pike (28 km), Ill Crag (28 km), Scafell Pike (28 km), Harrison Stickle (29 km), Scafell (29 km), Bowfell (29 km), Crinkle Crags (31 km), Great Carrs (35 km), Wetherlam (35 km), Swirl How (35 km), Black Sails (35 km), Brim Fell (37 km), The Old Man of Coniston (38 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (186 km, Ireland), Merrick (94 km, Scotland), Snaefell (95 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Fleet (79 km, Scotland), Corserine (89 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (89 km, Scotland), Tinto (102 km, Scotland), White Coomb (80 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 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.
What you can see from Binsey
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland and the Isle of Man.
- Snaefell Isle of Man
- Merrick Scotland
- Criffel Scotland
- Irish Sea open water
- Solway Firth bay/estuary
All 67 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
Longlands Fell, Great Cockup, Meal Fell, Bakestall, Brae Fell, Sale Fell, Great Sca Fell, Ullock Pike, Skiddaw, Long Side, Knott, Great Calva, Carl Side, Ling Fell, Barf, Broom Fell, Lord's Seat, High Pike (Caldbeck), Graystones (Graystones North Top), Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter), Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Grisedale Pike, Barrow, Hopegill Head, Outerside, Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Causey Pike, Scar Crags, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Sail, Low Fell, Cat Bells (Catbells), Grasmoor, Maiden Moor, Mellbreak (Mellbreak South Top), Robinson, Hindscarth, High Spy, Blake Fell, Hen Comb, Dale Head, Gavel Fell, Great Borne, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Sergeant's Crag, Crag Fell, Green Gable, Great Gable, Glaramara, High Raise (High White Stones), Allen Crags, Great End, Esk Pike, Thunacar Knott, Scafell Pike, Pike of Stickle, Harrison Stickle, Scafell, Bowfell, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Pike of Blisco, Great Carrs, Wetherlam, Swirl How, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)
How Binsey’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.
Best parking to hike Binsey
Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).
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 Binsey from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere
No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
My hikes over Binsey (Strava)
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- Binsey - Boring. But not as boring as being stuck in the house (opens in new tab) — 2.4 km · 181 m ascent · 33 min moving · 27 Jul 2024
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Navigating Binsey in cloud
StraightforwardA broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.
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 Binsey compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Frequently asked questions about Binsey
How long does it take to walk up Binsey?
About 20–30 minutes up from the roadside parking near Binsey Lodge — our mapped route is 2.4 km there and back with about 175 m of climbing. Under an hour total for most walkers, gentle grass the whole way.
Is Binsey an easy walk?
Yes — arguably the easiest summit in the book. A short, steady pull on grassy paths with no steep ground, no rocky steps and nothing to catch you out; ideal for a first fell, small children or a short-day leg-stretch.
Its reward is out of proportion: an isolated position gives it a huge all-round view — the northern fells one way, the Solway and southern Scotland the other.
Is Binsey a Wainwright?
Yes — at 447 m (1,466 ft) it's a Wainwright, and a distinctive one: it stands alone in the far north-west, detached from every other fell in the district. That isolation is exactly why the view is so good.
Where do you park for Binsey?
Roadside verge parking near Binsey Lodge, on the minor road between Bewaldeth and Ireby — informal and limited, so park considerately and don't block gates or the lane. There is no car park.
Is Binsey dog friendly?
Yes — our route survey found no stiles on the walk, so a dog can do the whole route without being lifted. It's open grazing land, so keep dogs on a lead around the sheep.
Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-07-19 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)
Other fells near Binsey
Maps & guidebooks for Binsey
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