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.
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 (Sat 12 Sep): 17° to 7°C, gusts to 35 mph, 30.3 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 12 Sep 2026, 15:36 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.
Black Fell at a glance
Black Fell
Routes up Black Fell
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Classifications & hill data
The short answers
Is Black Fell a Wainwright?
Black Fell is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Fellranger list and the HuMP list.
My hikes over Black Fell (Strava)
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- A couple more Wainrights with the kids (opens in new tab) — 12.8 km · 560 m ascent · 3h 30m moving · 8 Jun 2023
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Parking & buses for Black Fell
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).
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.
Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.
Getting to Black Fell by bus
The 505 stops at Holling Brow (near). From there it is 1.2 km and 105 m of ascent to the start of Holme Fell and Black Fell — a walk in before the walk. The last bus is 20:05 towards Coniston (505), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 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.
Hazards on Black Fell
No hazard card for this fell. The usual open-fell rules apply: check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected.
Navigating Black Fell 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 Black Fell compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Black Fell car park, west, about 1.1 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
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.
The view from Black Fell
The 360° skyline 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.
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 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.
Sunrise and sunset on Black Fell
Black Fell waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls at midsummer, when the sun is up for 20 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 04:57 against an almanac sunrise of 04:37. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the north-east from here (49.4°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 1.82°.
| First light | Almanac sunrise | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsummer | 04:57 BST ±5.0 min | 04:37 | +20 min |
| Equinox | 06:17 GMT ±5.0 min | 06:15 | +2 min |
| Midwinter | 08:29 GMT ±5.0 min | 08:32 | -3 min |
The northern horizon stands at about 2.04° from here.
Last light — when the sun leaves Black Fell
Black Fell loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls at the March equinox, when last light is 35 minutes before almanac sunset — 17:51 against 18:26. The sun goes down to the west from here (264.2°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 4.69°.
| Last light | Almanac sunset | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsummer | 21:31 BST ±5.0 min | 21:52 | -21 min |
| Equinox | 17:51 GMT ±5.0 min | 18:26 | -35 min |
| Midwinter | 15:50 GMT ±5.0 min | 15:49 | +1 min |
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 Black Fell. 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. 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 Black Fell
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.- Irish Sea open water
- Ingleborough Yorkshire Dales
- Whernside Yorkshire Dales
- Morecambe Bay bay/estuary
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.
Places to stay near this fell
From Tarn Hows: 6 places in Ambleside
Frequently asked questions about Black Fell
How hard is Black Fell?
Easy — one of the gentlest Wainwrights. At 323 m it is among the lowest in the book, the paths are good, and the ascent from the Tarn Hows side is short and untaxing. There is no scrambling and nothing exposed. The summit carries a trig point on a small rocky rise and is a fine spot to sit. It suits families, a half-day, or a day when the high fells are out of condition.
Can you walk Black Fell and Holme Fell together?
Yes, and it is the way most people do it. The two sit close together in the quiet country between Coniston, Hawkshead and Little Langdale, and pairing them makes a much better day than either alone. Our walked round covers both over 13.7 km with 604 m of ascent — about 3 hours 50 at a steady pace — taking in Tarn Hows on the way. See Holme Fell for the other half.
Where do you park for Black Fell?
Tarn Hows (National Trust, paid) is the closest and much the most convenient, about 2.5 km from the summit and giving a short, obvious approach. Tilberthwaite (free) and Elterwater (NT, paid) are each about 3.4 km away and work well if you are combining the fell with Holme Fell or the Tilberthwaite quarries. Hawkshead's main car park is a little further. Tarn Hows fills early on fine weekends. Full details are in the parking panel on this page.
Is Black Fell a good walk with a dog?
It is gentle, short and mostly on good paths, which makes it a reasonable choice. The caveat is the same as everywhere in this corner: it is working farmland with sheep, and there are walls and stiles to negotiate rather than open moor, so a dog that is happy on a lead and can be lifted or helped over a stile will have the better day. Check the access and barriers panel on our route pages before you commit to a particular line.
What is the view from Black Fell?
Modest height, generous outlook. The fell sits far enough east of the main ranges to see them properly: the Coniston fells and Wetherlam fill the western skyline, the Langdale Pikes show to the north-west, and Windermere and the lower country spread out to the east. Tarn Hows immediately below is the picture most people come away with.
Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-08 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)
Other fells near Black Fell
- Allen Crags
- Bowfell
- Brim Fell
- Cold Pike
- Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
- Dow Crag
- Esk Pike
- Glaramara
- Great Carrs
- Great End
- Green Crag
- Grey Friar
- Hard Knott
- Harter Fell (Eskdale)
- Holme Fell
- Illgill Head
- Lingmell
- Lingmoor Fell (Brown How)
- Pike of Blisco
- Rossett Pike
- Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot
- Scafell
- Scafell Pike
- Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)
- Slight Side
- Swirl How
- The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)
- Wetherlam
- Whin Rigg (Wasdale)