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323 m · Wainwright — Southern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Black Fell - the National Trust stone column on the rocky summit, its 'Black Crag' plaque against a blue sky
Wainwright — Southern FellsAlso a Birkett

Black Fell

Black Fell at 323m (1,060ft) is a small, heathery summit above Tarn Hows, its top giving fine views of this most popular of Lakeland beauty spots.

323 m
Height
~2–2.5 h
Typical time
+0
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Black Fell

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

323 mWainwright — Southern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+0 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 323 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 19° to 15°C, gusts to 31 mph, 2.6 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
19° / 15°
💨 31 mph
🌧 2.6 mm (100%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌦️
18° / 14°
💨 21 mph
🌧 0.9 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
15° / 7°
💨 27 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (78%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
17° / 3°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (78%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
17° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 2.1 mm (54%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
18° / 7°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (24%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
18° / 8°
💨 12 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (23%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 323 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Black Fell

Black Fell - the National Trust stone column on the rocky summit, its 'Black Crag' plaque against a blue sky
© Lee McCoy

Black Fell at 323m (1,060ft) is a small, heathery summit above Tarn Hows, its top giving fine views of this most popular of Lakeland beauty spots. Wainwright included it in his Outlying Fells guide. The ascent from Tarn Hows is short and gives outstanding views of the tarn and the Langdale Pikes beyond. A perfect short walk above one of Lakeland's most beloved landscapes.

Routes up Black Fell

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

Holme Fell and Black Fell
13.7 km · ~3.8 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Southern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
HuMP
323 m
Height
1,060 ft
In feet
NY 3402 0159
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Elterwater (NT, paid), about 3.2 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Black Fell (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 Black Fell

Holme Fell and Black FellRevised
13.74 km · ~604 m ascent · loop · ~3.5–5 h
Summits: Holme FellBlack Fell

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

The View from Black Fell

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 Black Fell36 labelled tops shown (2 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 14 kmHelvellyn · 14 kmSkiddaw · 29 kmHelvellyn Lower Man · 14 kmGreat End · 13 kmFairfield · 10 kmCrinkle Crags South Top · 10 kmHart Crag · 10 kmKnowe Crags · 26 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 8 kmBrim Fell · 8 kmThornthwaite Crag · 12 kmRed Screes · 9 kmWetherlam · 5 kmIll Bell · 11 kmLittle Stand · 9 kmSergeant Man · 9 kmHarrison Stickle · 8 kmUllscarf · 12 kmHigh House Tarn Top · 13 kmHigh Pike · 8 kmGrey Crag · 17 kmBlack Combe · 26 kmThe Forest · 19 kmSallows · 10 kmWansfell Pike · 6 kmBrunt Knott · 14 kmIngleborough · 48 km · clear daysWhernside · 45 km · clear daysWard's Stone · 50 km · clear daysBirk Fell Man · 4 kmTop o' Selside · 10 kmGummer's How · 14 kmCarron Crag · 7 kmBurney · 18 kmGreat Knoutberry Hill · 47 km · clear daysBowfell · 11 kmGreat Gable · 16 kmCrinkle Crags · 10 kmDove Crag · 10 kmStony Cove Pike · 11 kmMardale Ill Bell · 14 kmPavey Ark · 8 kmCold Pike · 8 kmLoft Crag · 8 kmLittle Hart Crag · 10 kmSteel Fell · 10 kmSour Howes · 9 kmHeron Pike North Top · 7 kmThe Calf · 33 km · clear daysBlea Rigg · 7 kmHigh Pike Haw · 10 kmStone Arthur · 8 kmCastle How · 7 kmBaystones · 7 kmArnsbarrow Hill · 11 kmBirch Fell · 14 kmHawk Rigg · 4 kmLong Crag · 5 kmLang How · 6 kmBeacon Fell · 12 kmNewton Fell North · 18 kmHampsfell · 23 kmBigland Barrow · 18 kmClaife Heights · 6 kmReston Scar · 12 kmLatterbarrow · 4 kmWhite Hill · 54 km · clear daysWhitbarrow · 18 kmBrant Fell · 9 kmMoel y Gamelin · 156 km · a handful of days a yearWinter Hill · 92 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Black Fell, by direction
  • North: Dove Crag (10 km), Seat Sandal (10 km), Hart Crag (10 km), Fairfield (10 km), Dollywaggon Pike (12 km), High Crag (12 km), Helvellyn (14 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (14 km), Knowe Crags (26 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (27 km), Skiddaw Little Man (27 km), Skiddaw South Top (28 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (28 km), Skiddaw (29 km), Skiddaw North Top (29 km)
  • North-east: Red Screes (9 km), Stony Cove Pike (11 km), Ill Bell (11 km), Thornthwaite Crag (12 km), Mardale Ill Bell (14 km)
  • South-west: Brim Fell (8 km), The Old Man of Coniston (8 km)
  • West: Wetherlam (5 km), Little Stand (9 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (10 km), Crinkle Crags (10 km), Crinkle Crags (10 km), Crinkle Crags (10 km), Crinkle Crags (10 km), Shelter Crags (10 km)
  • North-west: Harrison Stickle (8 km), Sergeant Man (9 km), Codale Head (9 km), Bowfell (11 km), Allen Crags (12 km), Ill Crag (13 km), Great End (13 km), Scafell Pike (14 km), Green Gable (16 km), Great Gable (16 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Moel y Gamelin (156 km, Wales), Moel Famau (140 km, Wales), Winter Hill (92 km, England), Cyrn-y-Brain (153 km, Wales), Penycloddiau (135 km, Wales), Foel Fenlli (143 km, Wales).

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 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

What you can see from Black Fell

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
55Wainwrights in view+4 marginal
49 kmFurthest sightlineIngleborough
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Morecambe Bay
Far horizons
  • Irish Sea open waterSW · 66 km in view
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 49 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 44 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuaryS · 30 km in view
All 55 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Holme Fell, Loughrigg Fell, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Wetherlam, Silver How, Nab Scar, Heron Pike (Rydal), Low Pike, Baystones (Wansfell), Blea Rigg, Pike of Blisco, Brim Fell, Stone Arthur, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Helm Crag, Cold Pike, High Pike (Scandale), Harrison Stickle, Pavey Ark, Loft Crag, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Thunacar Knott, Pike of Stickle, Gibson Knott, Sour Howes, Great Rigg, Red Screes, Sergeant Man, Dove Crag, Calf Crag, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Seat Sandal, Sallows, Hart Crag, Fairfield, Bowfell, Rossett Pike, Yoke, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Ill Bell, Dollywaggon Pike, Ullscarf, Froswick, Thornthwaite Crag, Allen Crags, Great End, Helvellyn, Scafell Pike, Mardale Ill Bell, Green Gable, Great Gable, Skiddaw Little Man, Skiddaw

How Black Fell’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 Black Fell

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Elterwater (NT, paid) — 3.2 km from summit (straight line)
For Lingmoor Fell, Silver How and lower Langdale.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (690m) — Free🚺 Public toilets (726m) — Free🍺 Eltermere Inn
Tilberthwaite (free) — 3.4 km from summit (straight line)
Quarry car park for Wetherlam and the Tilberthwaite fells.
Directions

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 Black Fell from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 516 “Langdale Rambler”
Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Elterwater – New Dungeon Ghyll – Old Dungeon Ghyll
Catch it from: Ambleside · Windermere (change at Ambleside)
The Langdale bus — Pikes, Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, Pike o' Blisco all walkable from the Dungeon Ghyll stops. Seasonal frequency varies; check before relying on the last bus back.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Black Fell (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Navigating Black Fell in cloud

Straightforward

A 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 Black Fell compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Black Fell

Maps & guidebooks for Black Fell

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