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

Brae Fell - a neatly built conical stone cairn on a grassy summit, distant low ground lost in grey haze
Wainwright — Northern FellsAlso a Birkett

Brae Fell

Brae Fell at 586m (1,923ft) is a moorland summit in the Back o' Skiddaw country, its broad top giving wide views north towards the Solway and east to the Pennines.

585 m
Height
~2.5–3 h
Typical time
+7
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Brae Fell

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

585 mWainwright — Northern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+7 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

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

Modelled guidance for the 585 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 15° to 14°C, gusts to 36 mph, 4.5 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
15° / 14°
💨 36 mph
🌧 4.5 mm (61%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 11°
💨 32 mph
🌧 10.2 mm (71%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌧️
14° / 8°
💨 32 mph
🌧 1.2 mm (76%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 5°
💨 25 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (76%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 1.2 mm (55%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌤️
16° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (28%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 8°
💨 15 mph
🌧 0.4 mm (22%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 585 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

Brae Fell

Brae Fell - a neatly built conical stone cairn on a grassy summit, distant low ground lost in grey haze
© Lee McCoy

Brae Fell at 586m (1,923ft) is a moorland summit in the Back o' Skiddaw country, its broad top giving wide views north towards the Solway and east to the Pennines. Wainwright included it as part of the northern Skiddaw group, noting its quiet character and remote setting. Approached from Longlands or Orthwaite. Most naturally combined with Great Sca Fell and Meal Fell for the full Back o' Skiddaw circuit. A peaceful, unhurried summit away from the main Lakeland crowds.

Routes up Brae Fell

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

North of Skiddaw
13.2 km · ~3.8 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Northern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
585 m
Height
1,919 ft
In feet
NY 2887 3516
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside), about 4.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Brae Fell (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

0.9 km SLittle Sca Fell633 m · Northern
1.1 km WSWLowthwaite Fell509 m · Northern
1.9 km SFrozen Fell625 m · Northern
2.0 km SEMiller Moss (Little Lingy Hill)610 m · Northern
2.4 km SSWBurn Tod595 m · Northern
2.4 km ESEGreat Lingy Hill616 m · Northern
2.7 km ESEHare Stones627 m · Northern

Routes over Brae Fell

North of SkiddawRevised
13.22 km · ~707 m ascent · loop · ~3.5–5 h
Summits: Longlands FellLowthwaite FellBrae FellLittle Sca FellGreat Sca FellMeal FellGreat CockupOrthwaite Bank

⬇️ 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 Brae 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 Brae Fell33 labelled tops shown (15 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWSkiddaw · 7 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 8 kmGrasmoor · 19 kmJenkin Hill · 8 kmBowscale Fell · 6 kmTarn Crags Top · 7 kmHigh Pike · 3 kmGreat Sca Fell · 1 kmLittle Sca Fell · 1 kmHare Stones · 3 kmFrozen Fell · 2 kmGreat Lingy Hill · 2 kmBlake Fell · 24 kmCriffel · 43 km · clear daysFellbarrow · 19 kmBengairn · 55 km · clear daysLowthwaite Fell · 1 kmLonglands Fell · 1 kmWhite Hause · 3 kmBinsey · 6 kmSighty Crag · 55 km · clear daysLittle Cockup · 3 kmWisp Hill · 65 km · clear daysCauldcleuch Head · 68 km · clear daysCalkin Rig · 52 km · clear daysBlackwood Hill · 66 km · clear daysBishop Forest Hill · 62 km · clear daysCold Fell · 38 km · clear daysScaw'd Fell · 69 km · clear daysWatch Hill · 14 kmBainloch Hill · 45 km · clear daysWhite Hill · 54 km · clear daysGrange Fell · 47 km · clear daysBroad End · 6 kmWhiteside East Top · 17 kmUllock Pike · 8 kmLord's Seat · 12 kmSourfoot Fell · 19 kmMeal Fell · 2 kmLing Fell · 13 kmSt. John's Hill · 10 kmBennan · 63 km · clear daysClints Crags · 13 kmGreatmoor Hill · 68 km · clear daysLarriston Fells · 64 km · clear daysKillyleoch Hill · 62 km · clear daysSlieve Donard · 192 km · a handful of days a yearMerrick · 100 km · a rare clear daySnaefell · 101 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 94 km · a rare clear dayThe Cheviot · 106 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 85 km · a rare clear dayTinto · 105 km · a rare clear dayWhite Coomb · 81 km · a rare clear dayQueensberry · 71 km · a rare clear dayCairn Table · 105 km · a rare clear dayCairnharrow · 78 km · a rare clear dayTosson Hill · 95 km · a rare clear dayColt Hill · 87 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 96 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 73 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Brae Fell, by direction
  • East: Hare Stones (3 km), High Pike (3 km)
  • South-east: Miller Moss (2 km), Great Lingy Hill (2 km), Bowscale Fell (6 km), Tarn Crags Top (7 km)
  • South: Little Sca Fell (1 km), Great Sca Fell (1 km), Frozen Fell (2 km), Little Calva (4 km), Skiddaw Little Man (8 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (8 km), Jenkin Hill (8 km)
  • South-west: Bakestall (5 km), Broad End (6 km), Skiddaw North Top (7 km), Skiddaw (7 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (7 km), Skiddaw South Top (7 km), Ullock Pike (8 km), Lord's Seat (12 km), Graystones (14 km), Grisedale Pike (16 km), Ladyside Pike (16 km), Hopegill Head (17 km), Sand Hill (17 km), Gasgale Crags (17 km), Whiteside East Top (17 km), Eel Crag (18 km), Whiteside (18 km), Grasmoor (19 km), Loweswater End (22 km), Carling Knott (23 km), Burnbank Fell (23 km), Gavel Fell (23 km), Blake Fell (24 km), Sharp Knott (24 km), Gavel Fell (24 km), Grike (29 km)
  • North-west: Criffel (43 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (192 km, Ireland), Merrick (100 km, Scotland), Snaefell (101 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (94 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (106 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (85 km, Scotland), Corserine (95 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (95 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 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

What you can see from Brae Fell

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
24Wainwrights in view+4 marginal
101 kmFurthest sightlineMerrick · possible under favourable refraction
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Solway Firth

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Far horizons
  • Merrick ScotlandWNW · 101 km clear
  • Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 101 km clear
  • Criffel ScotlandNW · 43 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterWSW · 37 km in view
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNW · 31 km in view
All 24 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Great Sca Fell, Longlands Fell, Meal Fell, Great Cockup, High Pike (Caldbeck), Bakestall, Binsey, Skiddaw, Skiddaw Little Man, Ullock Pike, Sale Fell, Barf, Lord's Seat, Broom Fell, Ling Fell, Graystones (Graystones North Top), Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head, Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), Grasmoor, Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Burnbank Fell, Blake Fell, Gavel Fell

How Brae 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 Brae Fell

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

Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside) — 4.9 km from summit (straight line)
Dash Falls track — Bakestall, Great Calva, Skiddaw the quiet way.
Directions
Caldbeck village (free) — 5.7 km from summit (straight line)
Northern edge — High Pike and Carrock Fell from the north.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (949m)

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 Brae Fell 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 or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Brae Fell (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Navigating Brae Fell in cloud

Serious in cloud

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.

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 Brae 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 Brae Fell

Maps & guidebooks for Brae Fell

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