Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell
Birk Fell Man at 528m (1,732ft) is the highest point of Birk Fell, a rocky ridge above the Tilberthwaite and Little Langdale valleys in the Southern Fells.
Summit conditions on Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 12° to 5°C, gusts to 53 mph, 6.5 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.
The forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →
Routes up Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
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 Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell?
The shortest way up we hold is Wetherlam by Birk Fell — 8.22 km, 633 m of ascent, ~2½–3¾ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.
All axes: steepness: Severe · navigation: Hard · length: Moderate · terrain: Not assessed · exposure: Not assessed.
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 528 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
Full 7-day forecast
Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)
Parking & buses for Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell
Parking
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
2 more places to park near Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell
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 505 stops at Monk Coniston, at Hall. From there it is 3.5 km and 256 m of ascent to the start of Wetherlam by Birk Fell — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness) — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 15.2 km in all, with the walk. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Coniston (505): Tuesday to Sunday 20:07. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Hazards on Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell
Notes from a planned route, not walked: Wetherlam by Birk Fell
- The climb from Birk Fell Hawse to the top of Wetherlam is steep and on rock: about 39% sustained near 2.6 km, on paths OpenStreetMap maps with a rock surface, beside the crags it names Wetherlam Edge.
- OpenStreetMap marks the path between about 4.6 and 5.2 km, on the steep descent to a ford, as very hard to see on the ground, and the path between about 1.5 and 1.8 km as hard to see.
- Old mine workings are mapped beside the line, among them the Borlase Upper Copper Mine about 30 m from it near 1.8 km, the Wetherlam Copper Mine about 35 m near 6.65 km and the Tilberthwaite Tunnel adit about 13 m near 7.75 km. Keep to the paths and away from any opening.
- About 1.3 km of the line, in three pieces, follows paths that OpenStreetMap does not record as public rights of way: below Hawk Rigg (about 1.1 to 1.45 km), just below the top (about 3.1 to 3.35 km) and part of the descent (about 3.9 to 4.6 km). The rest is public footpath and, at the start, Tilberthwaite Road. That is a map-data note, not a ruling on access: check the access land and rights of way maps before relying on this stretch.
If you need to get off (the leg from Low Tilberthwaite car park): Back the way you came: about 2 km to the car park.
Quoted from the route page of a planned route, drawn from the map and not yet walked: its warnings and the note for the leg that reaches Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell.
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.
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 (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).
Map, GPX and nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.
Birketts within 3 km of Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell
These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.
Routes over Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell
The start is the National Trust car park at Low Tilberthwaite, the start of The Tilberthwaite Birketts too; the last kilometre or so comes down the same path beside Tilberthwaite Gill.
Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked
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.
About Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell
Classifications & hill data
Is Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell a Wainwright?
Birk Fell Man - Birk Fell is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list and the Synge list.
Selected lists
This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.
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 →