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A large, well-built cairn on a grassy summit in thin mist

Brae Fell

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585 mWainwright — Northern Fells+7 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

Brae Fell at 585m (1,921ft) 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 in his Northern Fells guide. Approached from Longlands or Orthwaite.

Summit conditions on Brae Fell

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 12° to 6°C, gusts to 54 mph, 16.0 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

56 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 50 mph times our exposure factor of 1.12. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 54 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

16.0 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like 1 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 29 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Routes up Brae Fell

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

North of Skiddaw Walked by Lee
13.22 km · ~729 m ascent · ~3¾–5¼ h · loop · 8 summits
Moderate effort Hard: steepness
Park: Longlands Fell car park

Eight tops in the grassy country north of Skiddaw — Longlands Fell, Brae Fell, the two Sca Fells, Meal Fell and Great Cockup among them.

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 →

Is Brae Fell an easy walk?

Yes, in clear weather. Brae Fell is a rounded grassy top on the quiet northern edge of the Skiddaw group, the slopes are even, and we grade the navigation on our route over it easy in clear weather.

The catch is cloud: nearly a fifth of our round north of Skiddaw is featureless ground where you need a compass. That round covers it in 13.2 km with 729 m of ascent. If you want a first Wainwright away from crowds, this side of the district is where to come on a clear day.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 585 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
12° / 6°
54 mph
16.0 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
9° / 6°
45 mph
5.2 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
10° / 6°
22 mph
1.8 mm (10%)
Fri 30 Oct
10° / 6°
20 mph
0.0 mm (6%)
Sat 31 Oct
8° / 2°
6 mph
3.5 mm (13%)
Sun 1 Nov
8° / -2°
15 mph
0.4 mm (4%)
Mon 2 Nov
6° / -3°
9 mph
0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 20:59 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Brae Fell

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Longlands Fell car park — at the start of North of Skiddaw
Walking base for Longlands Fell, Lowthwaite Fell, Brae Fell and Little Sca Fell — the 'North of Skiddaw' route starts 1 m away. Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged). Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.
Directions Something changed here?
Roadside parking for Longlands Fell (free) — 2.4 km from summit (straight line)
1.1 km from Longlands Fell. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
Fell Side car park (free) — 2.7 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest published walking: 4.1 km from the 'North of Skiddaw' route start; 2.7 km from Brae Fell. Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
2 more places to park near Brae Fell
Little Cockup car park — 3.3 km from summit (straight line)
1.8 km from Little Cockup.
Directions Something changed here?
Green How (layby) — 3.4 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Green How - Aughertree Fell (0.5 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?

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 nearest bus stop we hold is the 553, 554 and X4 stop at Bassenthwaite, at Village turn, 6.4 km of walking from the start — no bus route we hold serves it.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Brae Fell

Notes from the North of Skiddaw route

If you need to get off (the leg from Lowthwaite Fell): We have not checked a line down from Brae Fell for this guide, so none is offered here. The way back is the way you came.

Quoted from the route page: the note for the leg that reaches Brae 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.

Navigating in cloud

Serious in cloud

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of near-level ground around the summit. 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 (experimental).

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 (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Brae Fell

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

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 Skiddaw
13.22 km · ~729 m ascent · loop · ~3¾–5¼ h
Moderate effort Hard: steepness
Summits: Longlands FellLowthwaite FellBrae FellLittle Sca FellGreat Sca FellMeal FellGreat CockupOrthwaite Bank

Download GPX Walked by Lee, August 2024

Route guide →

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 Brae Fell

A large, well-built cairn on a grassy summit in thin mist
© Lee McCoy

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.

My Strava hikes over Brae Fell

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Brae Fell a Wainwright?

Brae Fell is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Selected lists

Wainwright
Northern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
585 m
Height
1,921 ft
In feet
NY 2887 3516
Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

The summit is also a Birkett.

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 →

The view from Brae Fell

The 360° skyline 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 Fell32 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 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 kmEel Crag · 18 kmWhiteside East Top · 17 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
The skyline as a list, 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 Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Brae Fell

Brae Fell sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (at the March equinox) first light is only 10 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

0°30°40°50°60°04:30
Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.
Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
First lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:30 BST ±5.0 min04:36-6 min
Equinox06:25 GMT ±5.0 min06:15+10 min
Midwinter08:42 GMT ±5.0 min08:34+8 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.34°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Brae Fell

Brae Fell holds the light. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does the sun leave this summit before almanac sunset — the ground falls away westward rather than standing over you, and at midsummer it is still in the sun 4 minutes after the valley has lost it.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:58 BST ±5.0 min21:54+4 min
Equinox18:31 GMT ±5.0 min18:26+5 min
Midwinter15:50 GMT ±5.0 min15:48+2 min

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 Brae Fell

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

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

Far horizons
  • Slieve Binnian Northern IrelandWSW · 197 km distant
  • Slieve Donard Northern IrelandWSW · 192 km clear
  • 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 the view from Brae Fell compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

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 Brae 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.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. 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

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions about Brae Fell

Is Brae Fell an easy walk? Answered above.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near Brae Fell