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712 m · Wainwright — Far Eastern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Branstree

Branstree at 713m (2,339ft) is a broad, featureless summit on the moorland plateau east of Haweswater, giving extensive views east to the Pennines and south across the Shap Fells.

712 m
Height
~3–4 h
Typical time
+6
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →
712 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 712 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Sat 12 Sep): 13° to 7°C, gusts to 47 mph, 20.0 mm of rain forecast.

Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
13° / 7°
💨 47 mph
🌧 20.0 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
☁️
13° / 8°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (16%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌦️
14° / 11°
💨 36 mph
🌧 6.0 mm (99%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌦️
14° / 8°
💨 36 mph
🌧 6.8 mm (97%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
11° / 7°
💨 28 mph
🌧 1.8 mm (41%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
9° / 7°
💨 31 mph
🌧 7.9 mm (82%)
Fri 18 Sep
🌦️
11° / 7°
💨 32 mph
🌧 6.0 mm (76%)

Forecast snapshot from 12 Sep 2026, 15:36 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 712 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Branstree at a glance

Branstree

Branstree, a Lake District fell
Photo: Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Branstree at 713m (2,339ft) is a broad, featureless summit on the moorland plateau east of Haweswater, giving extensive views east to the Pennines and south across the Shap Fells. Wainwright noted its somewhat bleak character but praised the outstanding view of Haweswater from the approach ridge. The ascent from Mardale Head via Gatescarth Pass is straightforward. Often combined with Harter Fell and Selside Pike for a circuit of the southern Haweswater fells. A good viewpoint for the reservoir and the high ridges to the west.

Routes up Branstree

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

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
HuMP
712 m
Height
2,336 ft
In feet
NY 4777 1000
Grid ref

The short answers

Is Branstree a Wainwright?

Branstree is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list and the HuMP list.

Where do you park for Branstree?

The nearest car park we hold is Branstree (layby), about 1.0 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is Mardale Head, Haweswater (free), 1.1 km out. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

How hard is Branstree?

The shortest way up we hold is Two Birketts from Mardale Head — 9.6 km, 512 m of ascent, about 2.8 hours. On our scale its hardest axis is navigation — Hard.

All axes: navigation: Hard · steepness: Hard · exposure: Moderate · length: Moderate · terrain: Moderate.

My hikes over Branstree (Strava)

2 logged hikes pass over this summit:

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

Parking & buses for Branstree

Best parking to hike Branstree

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

Branstree (layby) — 1.0 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Rough Crag (Riggindale), High Street, Mardale Ill Bell and Harter Fell (Mardale) — the 'Mardale circuit' route starts 166 m away. Also serves 'Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty Pike'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — 1.1 km from summit (straight line)
Free but small and fills very early — High Street, Harter Fell, Kidsty Pike, Branstree. Fees: Free parking; donation cairn with suggested £2 contribution (cash only - no mobile signal) plus a Mountain Rescue donation cairn (wildhaweswater.co.uk) (United Utilities, checked Aug 2026). Open at all times, but a Public Space Protection Order prohibits overnight parking (wildhaweswater.co.uk, checked Aug 2026). Open 24/7 (United Utilities, checked Aug 2026).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Branstree, north (layby) — 1.2 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Branstree (1.2 km), Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale)) (1.5 km), Selside Pike (1.5 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Brown Howe (layby) — 1.9 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Brown Howe (Mardale) (0.8 km), Castle Crag (Mardale) (1.3 km), Selside Pike (1.4 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Brown Howe, north-west (layby) — 2.7 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Brown Howe (Mardale) (0.9 km), Castle Crag (Mardale) (1.0 km), Hare Shaw (1.9 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?

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 Branstree by bus

The nearest bus stop we hold is the 508 at Hartsop, adjacent to road end, 8.6 km of walking from the start — not realistically reachable without a car.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Hazards on Branstree

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 Branstree in cloud

Care needed

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. Take care in poor visibility — carry map and compass, and know how to use them.

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 Branstree 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

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

Nearest parking: Branstree (layby), about 1.0 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Branstree (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.

1.0 km WSWLittle Harter Fell681 m · Far Eastern
1.1 km SWAdam Seat666 m · Far Eastern
2.4 km NNEBrown Howe (Mardale)529 m · Far Eastern
2.7 km WNWRough Crag (Riggindale)628 m · Far Eastern
2.9 km NNWCastle Crag (Mardale)395 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Branstree

17.48 km · ~1099 m ascent · loop · ~5–7 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

9.6 km · ~512 m ascent · loop · ~2.5–3.5 h

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: The link over Brown Howe and the Selside slopes is faint-trod grass with stretches of no path — straightforward in clear weather, compass work in cloud.

Full route guide ↗

🥾 Walked in part — Lee walked this ground in February 2025; km 0.0–1.5, km 2.8–3.4 of this line are from the map.

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 Branstree

The 360° skyline from Branstree

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 Branstree32 labelled tops shown (9 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 26 kmRaise · 15 kmHigh Street · 4 kmHigh Raise · 4 kmRampsgill Head · 4 kmThornthwaite Crag · 5 kmHarter Fell · 2 kmLow Raise · 4 kmKentmere Pike · 2 kmWether Hill · 7 kmCross Fell · 32 km · clear daysLittle Harter Fell · 1 kmBranstree NE Top · 1 kmAdam Seat · 1 kmTarn Crag · 2 kmSelside Pike · 2 kmIngleborough · 44 km · clear daysHarrop Pike · 3 kmGoat Scar · 3 kmWard's Stone · 52 km · clear daysGreat Yarlside · 5 kmThe Calf · 23 kmLow Kop · 6 kmWasdale Pike · 6 kmBrown Howe · 2 kmSleddale Pike · 6 kmHare Shaw · 4 kmBampton Fell · 6 kmBrunt Knott · 9 kmLanghowe Pike North Top · 6 kmPinnacle Howe · 7 kmHampsfell · 32 km · clear daysRed Screes · 8 kmLoadpot Hill · 8 kmWhernside · 39 km · clear daysWild Boar Fell · 30 km · clear daysSeat Robert · 5 kmUlthwaite Rigg · 4 kmHigh House Bank · 8 kmWhatshaw Common · 8 kmPowleys Hill · 4 kmGreat Shunner Fell · 39 km · clear daysNaddle High Forest · 5 kmNaddle Low Forest · 6 kmFour Stones Hill · 6 kmnameless · 6 kmHeughscar Hill · 13 kmUlgraves · 11 kmMickle Fell · 36 km · clear daysAye Gill Pike · 32 km · clear daysWhite Hill · 55 km · clear daysAran Fawddwy · 197 km · a handful of days a yearBroad Law · 118 km · a rare clear dayPendle Hill · 76 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 166 km · a handful of days a yearBoulsworth Hill · 87 km · a rare clear daySighty Crag · 72 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 90 km · a rare clear dayBlackwood Hill · 86 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 109 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Branstree, by direction
  • North: Low Kop (6 km), Wether Hill (7 km), Loadpot Hill (8 km)
  • North-east: Selside Pike (2 km), Brown Howe (2 km), Cross Fell (32 km)
  • East: Branstree NE Top (1 km), Great Saddle Crag (5 km), Wasdale Pike (6 km), Wild Boar Fell (30 km)
  • South-east: Tarn Crag (2 km), Harrop Pike (3 km), Grey Crag (3 km), Great Yarlside (5 km), White Howe (7 km), The Forest (8 km), The Calf (23 km), Whernside (39 km), Ingleborough (44 km)
  • South: Goat Scar (3 km), Ward's Stone (52 km)
  • South-west: Little Harter Fell (1 km), Adam Seat (1 km), Kentmere Pike (2 km)
  • West: Harter Fell (2 km), Mardale Ill Bell (3 km), High Street (4 km), Thornthwaite Crag (5 km), Red Screes (8 km), Esk Pike (24 km), Ill Crag (26 km), Broad Crag (26 km), Scafell Pike (26 km), Scafell (27 km)
  • North-west: Rough Crag (3 km), Kidsty Pike (4 km), Low Raise (4 km), High Raise (4 km), Rampsgill Head (4 km), Raise (15 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Aran Fawddwy (197 km, Wales), Broad Law (118 km, Scotland), Pendle Hill (76 km, England), Moel y Gamelin (166 km, Wales), White Coomb (110 km, Scotland), Ettrick Pen (102 km, Scotland), Cadair Berwyn (182 km, Wales), Boulsworth Hill (87 km, England).

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 Branstree

Branstree catches the sun before the valley does. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does this summit wait for first light — the eastern horizon falls away rather than standing over you.

30°40°50°60°04:36
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
Midsummer04:36 BST ±5.0 min04:36
Equinox06:11 GMT ±5.0 min06:14-3 min
Midwinter08:28 GMT ±5.0 min08:32-4 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.11°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Branstree

The evening here runs close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its earliest evening of the modelled year (on 1 March) last light is only 15 minutes before almanac sunset, so the published sunset time is a fair guide on Branstree.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:46 BST ±5.0 min21:51-5 min
Equinox18:19 GMT ±5.0 min18:25-6 min
Midwinter15:48 GMT ±5.0 min15:48

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 Branstree. 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 Branstree

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
13Wainwrights in view+8 marginal
45 kmFurthest sightlineIngleborough
1Sea in viewMorecambe Bay
Far horizons
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 45 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuaryS · 41 km in view
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 38 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 32 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesNE · 32 km clear
All 13 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

How Branstree’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

Haweswater Hotel (opens in new tab) hotel

about 3.4 km from the start, in a straight line

It is the only hotel in the valley these five routes start in, and by its own account "The only building in 100 square miles of nature reserve" - so if it is full there is nothing else inside the radius but a bothy. It answers exactly one family question, and answers it with unusual precision: twelve named rooms take dogs, and you can ask for a non-dog room instead. Two things on it should be settled by phone or email before anyone drives up. Its nav sells an "Exclusive Use" page, so whole-hotel bookings are a product here and your dates can be closed to you with no second option within three miles. And the only line in the whole cache bearing on children is a positioning line - "No crowds or ice-cream parlours" - which is not a policy and must not be read as one; children_welcome is empty because they never say.

Built in 1937 as part of the Haweswater dam scheme, to replace the Dun Bull Inn that the rising reservoir drowned - and the coping stones in its garden were salvaged from the Mardale walls now under the water the five routes start beside.

  • Dogs “Dogs are allowed in the following rooms: Wainwright, Mardale, Lonsdale, Westmorland, Artle Crag, Lakeside, Measand, Whelter Crag, Swindale, Cawdale, Rosgil, Wet Sleddle. Please let us know if you prefer to stay in a non-dog friendly room.”
  • Evening meal “THE HAWESWATER RESTAURANT Our restaurant was awarded Two Rosettes in 2024”

Mosedale Cottage (opens in new tab) hut

about 2.8 km from the start, in a straight line

The nearest roof to the start at 2.82 km and the only thing inside the radius that is not the hotel - but it is an unlocked MBA bothy, so it belongs on a walker's plan, not on a family's booking list, and it is here for completeness rather than as an alternative to a bed. Its own page holds four usable things and no more: the grid reference NY 495 095, the fact that it has a stove but "No local fuel", the MBA's restriction on party size, and - as of the 13 Aug 2026 fetch - its absence from the MBA closure news that on the same day named Ryvoan, Craig, Haughton Green and Dubs Hut. That last is the only availability check this property has, and it is worth re-reading the same page before setting out, because it changes week by week.

Its two-line feature list pairs a multi-fuel stove with "No local fuel" - the stove works, but everything burnt in it is carried in over the tops.

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Branstree

Is Branstree worth climbing?

Not for its summit, which is a flat grassy dome with little to look at, but the ground it gives access to above Haweswater is a different matter. There is no difficulty in the climb itself — our short round from Mardale Head is 9.6 km with 512 m of ascent.

We grade the navigation on that round hard, which is the part worth respecting. A broad featureless top above steep ground dropping to Haweswater is a poor place to be guessing, and the fell gives you very little to steer by.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Other fells near Branstree