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Branstree

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712 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

Branstree at 712m (2,334ft) 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.

Summit conditions on Branstree

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 4°C, gusts to 57 mph, 12.3 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 46 mph times our exposure factor of 1.21. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 57 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

12.3 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 0 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 22 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 Branstree

Choose the way up before the car park: these three routes start from two places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.

Mardale circuitTwo Birketts from Mardale HeadLongsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)
Starts fromMardale Head (Haweswater)Mardale Head (Haweswater)Hollow Moor (layby)
Distance and climb17.48 km, 1,142 m of climb9.6 km, 550 m of climb17.86 km, 1,114 m of climb
Time, fast to steady~5¼–7¼ h~2¾–4 h~5¼–7¼ h
ScramblingHands for a few steps: Rough Crag and the Riggindale ridge (km 1.6–3.1).Not mentioned in the route’s notesNot mentioned in the route’s notes
ExposureHardNot assessedNot assessed
NavigationModerateHardHard
Steepest stretchClimb of about 36% at 4.2 km (Severe)Descent of about 27% at 7.5 km (Hard)Descent of about 37% at 14.6 km (Severe)
After the summitOver Selside PikeOver Branstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale)), Selside Pike and Brown Howe (Mardale)Over Tarn Crag (Sleddale), Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) and Great Howe (Longsleddale)
Walked or plannedWalked by Lee, February 2025Walked in part; km 0.0–1.8, km 3.3–4.1 from the mapWalked in part; km 0.0–1.3, km 16.6–17.9 from the map
Car park at the startMardale Head, Haweswater (free)Mardale Head, Haweswater (free)Hollow Moor (layby) (free)
Bus to the startNearest stop 8.7 km on footNearest stop 8.6 km on footNearest stop 6.5 km on foot

Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.

Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →

How hard is Branstree and Selside Pike?

Moderate. Our round from Mardale Head over Branstree and Selside Pike is 9.6 km with 550 m of ascent on a mix of path and faint-trod grass, with stretches of no path over Brown Howe and the Selside slopes, and with the steepest sustained descent at about 27%.

The catch is navigation: we grade it hard on this round, because about a fifth of it is featureless high ground, and a broad grassy top above steep ground falling to Haweswater is a poor place to be guessing in cloud. Take your bearing before the cloud comes down, not after.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 712 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
10° / 4°
57 mph
12.3 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
8° / 5°
43 mph
13.2 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
8° / 6°
27 mph
2.6 mm (41%)
Fri 30 Oct
7° / 4°
24 mph
0.6 mm (3%)
Sat 31 Oct
6° / 3°
5 mph
0.0 mm (6%)
Sun 1 Nov
7° / 2°
15 mph
0.0 mm (6%)
Mon 2 Nov
5° / -2°
7 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 Branstree

Parking

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

Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — at the start of Mardale circuit and Two Birketts from Mardale Head
Free but small and fills very early — High Street, Harter Fell, Kidsty Pike, Branstree. Five routes on this site start here, among them the 'Mardale Horseshoe' and the 'Mardale circuit'. 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 August 2026). Staying overnight in a vehicle or tent is banned here without the landowner's written consent (Westmorland and Furness Council, Public Spaces Protection Order 2026 No. 008, in force 18 March 2026). Open 24/7 (United Utilities, checked August 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Branstree (layby) (0.2 km) a few spaces only; Branstree, north (layby) (0.8 km) a few spaces only
Hollow Moor (layby) — at the start of Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)
Walking base for Shipman Knotts, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell (Mardale) and Little Harter Fell — the 'Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)' route starts 6 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
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 Something changed here?
3 more places to park near Branstree
Branstree, north (layby) — 1.2 km from summit (straight line)
A lay-by on the Haweswater lane, on the south-east shore. The Mardale Head routes start 0.8 km away in a straight line, 0.8 km along the lane. Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Brown Howe (layby) — 1.9 km from summit (straight line)
A lay-by on the Haweswater lane, on the south-east shore. The Mardale Head routes start 1.6 km away in a straight line, 1.7 km along the lane. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Brown Howe, north-west (layby) — 2.7 km from summit (straight line)
A lay-by on the Haweswater lane, on the south-east shore. The Mardale Head routes start 2.2 km away in a straight line, 2.5 km along the lane. Free (OSM-tagged). Ground 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 508 at Troutbeck, opposite Limefitt Park, 6.5 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 Branstree

Notes from the Mardale circuit route

If you need to get off (the leg from Little Harter Fell): At Gatescarth Pass, turn left (north-west) and follow the wide gravel track all the way down into the Mardale valley.

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

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

Care needed

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

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

1.0 km WSWLittle Harter Fell681 m · Far Eastern
1.0 km ENEBranstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))673 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

Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)
Summits: Shipman KnottsKentmere PikeHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter FellBranstreeTarn Crag (Sleddale)Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)Great Howe (Longsleddale)

Download GPX Walked in part, May 2026 · km 0.0–1.3, km 16.6–17.9 from the map

Warnings: Boggy ground: the Sleddale moors (Tarn Crag, Grey Crag and the Mosedale–Longsleddale pass) are peat-hagged and frequently very wet — expect bog and use the wall/fence lines as handrails. Faint paths + serious navigation: trods are indistinct across Cocklaw Fell and the Sleddale plateau. Best saved for good visibility — avoid the Tarn Crag/Grey Crag moors in thick hill fog. A long day: roughly 10–12 miles and over 3,000 ft of ascent — be self-reliant.

Route guide →

Mardale circuit
Summits: Rough Crag (Riggindale)High StreetMardale Ill BellHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter FellBranstreeSelside Pike

Download GPX Walked by Lee, February 2025

Warnings: High Street: In winter the plateau holds snow and offers no shelter or reference points, and cornices and ice form along the crag edges above Blea Water. Whiteout navigation here is genuinely serious — full winter skills, ice axe and crampons needed, and extra margin kept from the corniced edge. Harter Fell (Mardale): Crags ring the fell and overlook Small Water and Mardale; they block any direct ascent for good reason. Keep back from the edges near the summit, especially in cloud or wind where the broad top hides the drop. Mardale Ill Bell: The eastern side falls to the Mardale Waters — Blea Water and Small Water sit in crater coves ringed by crags. Keep back from the edges above them, especially in cloud or wind where the broad ground gives little warning before the drop. High Street: Broad, flat and almost featureless, with few landmarks to fix on. In cloud it is very easy to walk off on the wrong bearing and end up above crags or descending into the wrong valley. Take a compass bearing before you leave the summit and trust it — don't navigate by the vague feel of the slope. High Street: The eastern rim drops in steep crags to Blea Water, the deepest tarn in the Lakes. The Long Stile ridge is the narrow, craggy crest along this edge. Keep well back from the lip in wind or mist; the ground that looks like a continuation of the plateau ends abruptly in cliffs. Harter Fell (Mardale): The ridge from Nan Bield Pass to the top is narrow, with steep drops on both sides, particularly along the lip of Black John Hole. Take it steadily, keep to the path, and it is best avoided in strong wind or when iced.

From the hazard notes for High Street · Mardale Ill Bell · Harter Fell (Mardale), each with its sources.

Route guide →

Two Birketts from Mardale Head
Summits: BranstreeBranstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))Selside PikeBrown Howe (Mardale)

Download GPX Walked in part, February 2025 · km 0.0–1.8, km 3.3–4.1 from the map

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.

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 Branstree

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

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.

My Strava hikes over Branstree

2 logged hikes pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Branstree a Wainwright?

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

Selected lists

Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
HuMP
Hewitt
712 m
Height
2,334 ft
In feet
NY 4777 1000
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.

Other tops of Branstree

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 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
The skyline as a list, 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 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 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.

0°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—

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)

Selside Pike, Harter Fell (Mardale), Tarn Crag (Sleddale), Kentmere Pike, Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, Kidsty Pike, High Raise (High Street), Rampsgill Head, Thornthwaite Crag, Esk Pike, Scafell Pike, Scafell

How the view from Branstree 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 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.

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

Also nearby, but not independent

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 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. The summit itself is gentle, but our short round from Mardale Head, 9.6 km with 550 m of ascent, ends with a steep descent (about 30%) from Brown Howe.

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.

How hard is Branstree and Selside Pike? Answered above.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-09-23 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near Branstree