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673 m · Birkett — Far Eastern (not a Wainwright summit) · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Birkett — Far Eastern (not a Wainwright summit)Birkett top

Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))

Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale)) (673 m / 2,208 ft) is a Birkett (one of the 541 tops in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells), one of the lesser-known Far Eastern tops.

673 m
Height
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

673 mBirkett — Far Eastern (not a Wainwright summit)+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 673 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 15° to 13°C, gusts to 38 mph, 15.1 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
15° / 13°
💨 38 mph
🌧 15.1 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
15° / 12°
💨 31 mph
🌧 2.0 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
13° / 5°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 2°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 3°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
15° / 4°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 6°
💨 12 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (24%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 673 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

Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))

Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale)) (673 m / 2,208 ft) is a Birkett (one of the 541 tops in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells), one of the lesser-known Far Eastern tops. It rises Mardale. The name is not securely explained, though it is likely Old Norse or Old English in origin, like most fells hereabouts. It also features on the Synge, Nuttall lists. Its nearest tops are Selside Pike (0.9 km N); Branstree (1.0 km W); Brown Howe (Mardale) (1.9 km N) — it's usually taken in on a round of these neighbours. It's a worthwhile objective for anyone working through the Birkett list, or as a short extension to a bigger day on the higher neighbouring fells.

Routes up Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))

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

Two Birketts from Mardale Head
9.6 km · ~2.8 hr
Classifications & hill data
Birkett
Synge
Nuttall
673 m
Height
2,208 ft
In feet
NY 4876 1034
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Mardale Head, Haweswater (free), about 1.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale)) (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.

1.9 km NBrown Howe (Mardale)529 m · Far Eastern
2.1 km WSWLittle Harter Fell681 m · Far Eastern
2.1 km SWAdam Seat666 m · Far Eastern
2.9 km SSEHarrop Pike637 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))

Two Birketts from Mardale HeadPlanned
9.6 km · ~512 m ascent · loop · ~2.5–3.5 h
Summits: BranstreeBranstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))Selside PikeBrown Howe (Mardale)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.

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

Best parking to hike Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))

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

Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — 1.9 km from summit (straight line)
Free but small and fills very early — High Street, Harter Fell, Kidsty Pike, Branstree.
Directions
Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited) — 4.9 km from summit (straight line)
Head of Longsleddale — Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, Grey Crag, Tarn Crag.
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 Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale)) 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 Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale)) (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Other fells near Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))

Maps & guidebooks for Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))

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