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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 →

Home › Fells › Branstree

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

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 (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
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.8 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
13° / 4°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 1°
💨 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 712 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

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.

Mardale circuit
17.5 km · ~5.3 hr
Two Birketts from Mardale Head
9.6 km · ~2.8 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
HuMP
712 m
Height
2,336 ft
In feet
NY 4777 1000
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Mardale Head, Haweswater (free), about 1.1 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
1.0 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

Mardale circuitRevised
17.48 km · ~1099 m ascent · loop · ~5–7 h
Summits: Rough Crag (Riggindale)High StreetMardale Ill BellHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter FellBranstreeSelside Pike

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

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.

The View 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 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

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 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.

Best parking to hike Branstree

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

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.
Directions
Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited) — 4.6 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 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 (Strava)

2 logged hikes pass over this summit:

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

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.

Other fells near Branstree

Maps & guidebooks for Branstree

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