Brim Fell

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Summited August 2024

Home › Fells › Brim Fell

796 mWainwright — Southern Fells+8 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

Brim Fell at 796m (2,611ft) is the intermediate summit between the Old Man of Coniston and Swirl How on the main Coniston ridge, a broad, grassy top that most walkers cross without pausing.

Summit conditions on Brim Fell

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 4°C, gusts to 57 mph, 5.2 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

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

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 55 mph times our exposure factor of 1.26. 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 (opens in new tab) 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.

Cloud on the top

Past the line

17 out of 100, the clear-top reading

Averaged over the daylight hours, from the forecast’s humidity and low cloud.

The line Our line: a clear-top reading under 20 out of 100, where our scorer says “summit likely clagged in”. There is no outside threshold to cite; it is our estimate. What cloud does to finding the way: navigating in cloud.

Not an observation: cloud lifts and drops within the hour.

Also checked cold: feels like −1 °C, no ice or snow forecast; rain: 5.2 mm in the day, under our 6 mm line. 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 (opens in new tab)

Routes up Brim Fell

Choose the way up before the car park: these two 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.

Compared	Coniston Old Man Round	The Coniston Horseshoe
Starts from	Coniston village	Walna Scar Road car park
Distance and climb	16.1 km, 1,155 m of climb	20.8 km, 1,333 m of climb
Time, fast to steady	~5–7 h	~6¼–8½ h
Scrambling	Hands for a few steps: the Prison Band, on the descent from Swirl How (km 9.6–11.5). A steep, stony scramble of a ridge linking Swirl How to Swirl Hawse and Wetherlam.	Hands for a few steps: the Prison Band, and the last steps to Dow Crag (km 6.2–8.1 and km 15.6–16.0). The short final climb to Dow Crag from Goat's Hawse has scrambly steps with moderate exposure — stay on the path and away from the edge.
Exposure	Moderate	Not assessed
Navigation	Hard	Hard
Steepest stretch	Climb of about 37% at 3.6 km (Severe)	Climb of about 31% at 7.8 km (Hard)
After the summit	Over Grey Friar, Great Carrs, Swirl How and Wetherlam	Over The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Dow Crag, Buck Pike - Seathwaite Fell and Brown Pike
Walked or planned	Walked by Lee, August 2024	Walked in part; km 0.0–1.1, km 15.8–20.8 from the map
Car park at the start	Coniston Station car park (paid)	Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track)
Bus to the start	505, 520 m walk from Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre	505, 1.8 km walk from Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre

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 Brim Fell?

The shortest way up we hold is Coniston Old Man Round — 16.1 km, 1155 m of ascent, ~5–7 h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.

All axes: steepness: Severe · length: Hard · navigation: Hard · exposure: Moderate · terrain: Not assessed.

These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 796 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

5.2 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

8° / 5°

48 mph

9.4 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

8° / 6°

24 mph

0.2 mm (33%)

Fri 30 Oct

7° / 4°

23 mph

0.0 mm (23%)

Sat 31 Oct

9° / 0°

11 mph

0.0 mm (18%)

Sun 1 Nov

8° / -1°

9 mph

0.0 mm (10%)

Mon 2 Nov

6° / 0°

18 mph

0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Brim Fell

Parking

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

Coniston Station car park (paid) — at the start of Coniston Old Man Round

On the old station site, west of the village. Fees: pay and display; coins and cards; RingGo ID 37306 (LDNPA, checked August 2026).

Directions When people arrive, and what it costs →Something changed here?

If it is full: Coniston, Bluebird Car & Coach Park (paid) (0.6 km, 50 m up); Coniston, Ruskin Avenue (paid) (0.6 km, 52 m up); Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track) (1.4 km)

Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track) — at the start of The Coniston Horseshoe

High paid car park above Coniston — Old Man, Dow Crag, Brown Pike with a head start. Fees: pay and display; cards only; RingGo ID 37321 (LDNPA, checked August 2026).

Directions Something changed here?

Coniston Bridge (~1414 m straight line) Coniston Ruskin Avenue Car Park (~1569 m straight line)

Coppermines and Old Man Car Park (paid) — 2.7 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Kitty Crag (1.7 km), Long Crag - Yewdale Fells (1.7 km), High Wythow (1.9 km). Paid parking (OSM-tagged). Gravel surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

2 more places to park near Brim Fell

Coniston, Bluebird Car & Coach Park (paid) — 3.2 km from summit (straight line)

North end of the village, the larger of the two.

Directions Something changed here?

Coniston, by John Ruskin School (paid) — 3.4 km from summit (straight line)

Beside John Ruskin School. Access is not confirmed by any operator: no council, LDNPA or operator page lists it (read 5 October 2026), so check the signs. The 'The Sun Pub Walk (Coniston)' route starts 265 m away. Also serves 'North of Coniston Birketts'. Paid parking (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Of the pay-and-display machine tickets sold at Coniston Old Station from 17 August 2024 to 31 March 2026, 33% were bought before 10am (our count of FOI/2026.500 ticket data). Contains public sector information provided by the Lake District National Park Authority and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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 505 stops at Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre, a 520 m walk and 39 m of ascent from the start of Coniston Old Man Round — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Kendal (505): Tuesday to Sunday 20:24. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 505 “Coniston Rambler”

Windermere – Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Hawkshead – Coniston

Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside

Daily in season (reduced winter service). Best access for the Coniston fells (Old Man, Wetherlam group).

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

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

Hazards on Brim Fell

Hazard & Incident Information for Brim Fell

Checked by Lee McCoy, 14 June 2026. Draws on published material from Coniston Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Moderate

A broad, rounded swell on the main Coniston ridge between the Old Man and Swirl How — gentle and easy along the crest, but with a deceptive eastern face that falls away in crags to Levers Water, ending in the shattered cliffs of Raven Tor. The very smoothness of the top is the trap: in cloud it gives almost no warning before the drop, and the connecting ground is rougher than it looks. Coniston Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

The eastern crags above Levers Water (Raven Tor): The Coniston-facing side of Brim Fell is all crag, with a spur ending in the broken cliffs of Raven Tor. The rounded grassy top gives little sign of the edge — in mist or wind it is easy to drift east onto steep, dangerous ground. Keep to the crest and well back from the eastern rim.
The broad, featureless summit in cloud: Brim Fell's top is a gentle rise with few landmarks, easy to misjudge in mist where the safe ridge and the cragged edge look alike. Take a compass bearing before moving on toward the Old Man or Levers Hawse.
Rough connecting ground & loose approaches: North toward Swirl How the ridge narrows at Levers Hawse and climbs the rougher Great How Crags; the steep approaches (such as Gill Cove) are loose and scrambly. Careful footing needed on the rock and scree, especially when wet.

Who should attempt this fell: Along the crest Brim Fell is easy walking, but never forget the cragged eastern face: the rounded top hides the Levers Water drop, so keep back from the edge and navigate by compass in cloud. Treat the rough, loose connecting ground and steep approaches with care, and as full winter terrain when there is snow or ice.

What to watch for: Walkers drifting onto the eastern crags / Raven Tor in poor visibility · Navigation errors off the smooth, featureless summit in cloud · Slips on loose, steep approach ground and rough connecting ridges · Winter ice on the edges and rough sections

Local Mountain Rescue: Coniston Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)

Safety: Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information (opens in new tab)

A note on Church Beck (with Red Dell Beck & Levers Water)

Church Beck (with Red Dell Beck & Levers Water) runs below the old Coniston copper mines and carries mine-derived copper and zinc — enough to matter for river life. In Environment Agency samples taken near our routes Coniston Old Man Round and The Coniston Horseshoe between 2009 and 2024, no sample put lead or cadmium, the metals that matter for people, above the drinking limit. That is a record of past sampling, not a test of the water today. Treat any hill water before drinking (an ordinary hiking filter won’t remove dissolved metals); don’t single this beck out as a clean fill-up.

What’s actually in this beck — we mapped every mine-fed one →

Metal-mine water data © Environment Agency (Open Government Licence v3.0).

Navigating in cloud

Care needed

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of walkable ground near the summit that lies close to steep ground or crag. 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 Brim 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 (opens in new tab) (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 Brim Fell

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

1.4 km NGreat How (Swirl Band)775 m · Southern

1.6 km SSWBuck Pike - Seathwaite Fell744 m · Southern

2.2 km SSWBrown Pike682 m · Southern

2.5 km EKitty Crag435 m · Southern

2.5 km NNEBlack Sails745 m · Southern

2.8 km ELong Crag - Yewdale Fells421 m · Southern

2.9 km NLittle Carrs692 m · Southern

3.0 km EHigh Wythow410 m · Southern

Routes over Brim Fell

The Coniston Horseshoe

Summits: Wetherlam Swirl How Great Carrs Grey FriarBrim FellThe Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)Dow Crag Buck Pike - Seathwaite Fell Brown Pike

Lee walked it Wetherlam-first, from Miners Bridge to Dow Crag; the start from the car park and the southern end over Buck Pike, Brown Pike and the Walna Scar Road finish are from the map — the full Coniston round over all the major tops, a long and serious mountain day. The trickiest navigation is the Grey Friar–Calf Cove–Levers Hawse traverse and the Lad Stones ground; carry OS Explorer OL6 and a compass for the clag.

Download GPX Walked in part, August 2024 · km 0.0–1.1, km 15.8–20.8 from the map

Warnings: Prison Band, the rocky climb from Swirl Hawse onto Swirl How, is steep and eroded with the ground falling away both sides — care needed in mist or wind. Dow Crag's summit sits above a serious east face over Goat's Water — keep slightly right (west) of the top as you climb south from Goat's Hawse and well back from the gullies and edge, especially in poor visibility. The Grey Friar → Calf Cove → Levers Hawse leg is largely pathless and the round's hardest navigation — careful map-and-compass work in clag. The short final climb to Dow Crag from Goat's Hawse has scrambly steps with moderate exposure — stay on the path and away from the edge. Great Carrs sits among a confusing tangle of high paths — Swirl How, the Prison Band, Wet Side Edge and Wrynose. In mist it is easy to take the wrong ridge or drift toward the eastern edge. Navigate by compass. Grey Friar stands off the main ridge and its paths are faint; the ground between it and Swirl How is awkward, and one onward line from Swirl How appears to head straight over a cliff face. In mist it is easy to lose the route or drift onto steep ground. Navigate by compass and don't trust a vague trod. Great Carrs: Right by the summit the ground drops suddenly in crags and steep scree into the Greenburn corrie — the aircraft memorial sits on this very brink. In wind or cloud keep well back from the edge; the flat top gives almost no warning before the drop.

From the hazard notes for Great Carrs, each with its sources.

Route guide: The Coniston Horseshoe →

Coniston Old Man Round

Summits: The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)Brim FellGrey Friar Great Carrs Swirl How Wetherlam

Download GPX Walked by Lee, August 2024

Best season: Any season in good conditions; rough and rocky, with old mine workings to keep clear of.

Warnings: Disused mine shafts and quarry spoil on the flanks, especially toward the Coppermines valley — keep to the paths. The high ridge is exposed and the broad tops need care in cloud. Grey Friar stands off the main ridge and its paths are faint; the ground between it and Swirl How is awkward, and one onward line from Swirl How appears to head straight over a cliff face. In mist it is easy to lose the route or drift onto steep ground. Navigate by compass and don't trust a vague trod. A steep, stony scramble of a ridge linking Swirl How to Swirl Hawse and Wetherlam. Awkward and tiring, especially descending, and parties are often caught out here at dusk. Allow plenty of daylight, take the rock carefully, and do not underestimate it as 'just a path'. The Coniston-facing side of Brim Fell is all crag, with a spur ending in the broken cliffs of Raven Tor. The rounded grassy top gives little sign of the edge — in mist or wind it is easy to drift east onto steep, dangerous ground. Keep to the crest and well back from the eastern rim.

Route guide: Coniston Old Man Round →

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.

On the hill: terrain and water on Brim Fell

Water & shelter on the way up

On the The Coniston Horseshoe route:

shelter (weather shelter, mapped, not checked; 7 m off the line)

On the Coniston Old Man Round route:

The Ruskin Centre (321 m from the start, straight line) John Ruskin School (W bound) (345 m from the start, straight line) The Crown Inn (353 m from the start, straight line) The Crown Hotel (367 m from the start, straight line)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

About Brim Fell

Wainwright included it as a separate fell, noting its relatively featureless summit belies the quality of the ridge walk it forms part of. The views west to the Duddon estuary and the sea are distinctive from this point. Most naturally combined with the Old Man and Swirl How as part of the Coniston Horseshoe, one of the most satisfying circular walks in the southern fells — a full day's outing taking in over 1,000m of ascent.

Field notes

I was struggling to remember Brim Fell. Although it has a lovely conical summit marker, I recall now that I just had my head down on a very hot day and wanted to get to the next fell and then the Old Man. The walk up to it was glorious in that weather, and the summit revealed itself slowly as something very interesting and unusual. The only reason to stop here would be to have a bite to eat in a quieter environment than the summit of the Old Man, which was very busy when I visited.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on 2 of our routes

My Strava hikes over Brim Fell

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Awesome trek up Wetherlam, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friars, Brim Fell, Dow Crag & Old Man of Coniston. (opens in new tab) — 19.2 km · 1417 m ascent · 5h 34m moving · 31 August 2024

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Brim Fell a Wainwright?

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

Selected lists

796 m

Height

2,611 ft

In feet

SD 2707 9855

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 Brim Fell

The 360° skyline from Brim 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

The skyline as a list, by direction

North: Great Carrs (2 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (6 km), Crinkle Crags (7 km), Bowfell (8 km), Esk Pike (10 km), Glaramara (12 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (18 km), Watson's Dodd (22 km), Little Dodd (23 km), Great Dodd (23 km), Knowe Crags (29 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (29 km), Skiddaw Little Man (29 km), Gategill Fell Top (29 km), Blencathra (30 km), Skiddaw South Top (30 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (30 km), Skiddaw (30 km), Skiddaw North Top (31 km)
North-east: Dove Crag (16 km), Fairfield (16 km), Hart Crag (16 km), Dollywaggon Pike (16 km), High Crag (17 km), Nethermost Pike (17 km), Helvellyn (18 km), Thornthwaite Crag (20 km), High Street (21 km), Rampsgill Head (22 km), Kidsty Pike (23 km), High Raise (23 km)
North-west: Pike de Bield (9 km), Ill Crag (10 km), Scafell (10 km), Scafell Pike (10 km), Broad Crag (10 km), Great End (11 km), Red Pike (16 km), Pillar (17 km), Haycock (18 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (159 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (146 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (181 km, Wales), Snaefell (88 km, Isle of Man), Moel Siabod (155 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (168 km, Wales), South Barrule (104 km, Isle of Man), Slieve Croob (185 km, Ireland).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Brim Fell

Brim Fell 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, and at midsummer the light reaches it 4 minutes before almanac sunrise.

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 light	Almanac sunrise	Difference
Midsummer	04:34 BST ±5.0 min	04:38	-4 min
Equinox	06:13 GMT ±5.0 min	06:16	-3 min
Midwinter	08:27 GMT ±5.0 min	08:32	-5 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean 0.02°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Brim Fell

Brim 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 light	Almanac sunset	Difference
Midsummer	21:56 BST ±5.0 min	21:52	+4 min
Equinox	18:32 GMT ±5.0 min	18:26	+6 min
Midwinter	15:58 GMT ±5.0 min	15:50	+8 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 Brim Fell

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.

71Wainwrights in view+25 marginal

159 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction

2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Morecambe Bay

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales and the Isle of Man.

Far horizons

Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 159 km clear
Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 143 km clear
Snaefell Isle of ManW · 88 km clear
Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 55 km clear
Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesESE · 53 km clear
Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 49 km clear
Irish Sea open waterSW · 43 km in view
Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSE · 32 km in view

All 71 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Dow Crag, Grey Friar, Great Carrs, Wetherlam, Holme Fell, Cold Pike, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Hard Knott, Green Crag, Black Fell, Slight Side, Pavey Ark, Blea Rigg, Loughrigg Fell, Scafell, Sergeant Man, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Illgill Head, Nab Scar, Glaramara, Heron Pike (Rydal), Whin Rigg (Wasdale), Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Ullscarf, Low Pike, Yewbarrow, Great Rigg, High Pike (Scandale), Middle Fell, Baystones (Wansfell), Seat Sandal, Dove Crag, Fairfield, Hart Crag, Red Screes, Dollywaggon Pike, Seatallan, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Sour Howes, Middle Dodd, Nethermost Pike, Sallows, Helvellyn, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Yoke, Caw Fell, Ill Bell, Froswick, Hartsop Dodd, Thornthwaite Crag, Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, The Knott (High Street), Watson's Dodd, Rest Dodd, Kidsty Pike, High Raise (High Street), Tarn Crag (Sleddale), Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell), Clough Head, Loadpot Hill, Dodd (Skiddaw), Carl Side, Little Mell Fell, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Bannerdale Crags, Binsey

How the view from Brim 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 Brim 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

Bank Ground Farm (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 2.7 km

Also nearby, but not independent

Coniston Holly How YHA (opens in new tab) hostelabout 1.7 km
YHA Coppermines (opens in new tab) hostelabout 1.6 km

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 (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Brim Fell

Is Brim Fell worth the climb?

It is barely a climb of its own — a broad, rounded swell on the main Coniston ridge between the Old Man and Swirl How, and along the crest it is easy walking. Few people set out for Brim Fell alone; most take it in on the ridge between the Old Man and Swirl How. Our Old Man round covers it in 16.1 km with 1155 m of ascent.

What it hides is an eastern face that falls away in crags to Levers Water, ending in the shattered cliffs of Raven Tor. The summit is broad and featureless, so the mistake to avoid in cloud is drifting east off a top that feels perfectly safe underfoot.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Brim Fell

Summit conditions on Brim Fell

Wind on the top

Cloud on the top

Routes up Brim Fell

How hard is Brim Fell?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Brim Fell

Parking

Buses

Hazards on Brim Fell

Hazard & Incident Information for Brim Fell

A note on Church Beck (with Red Dell Beck & Levers Water)

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Brim Fell

Routes over Brim Fell

On the hill: terrain and water on Brim Fell

Water & shelter on the way up

About Brim Fell

Field notes

My Strava hikes over Brim Fell

Classifications & hill data

Is Brim Fell a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Brim Fell

The 360° skyline from Brim Fell

Sunrise and sunset on Brim Fell

Last light — when the sun leaves Brim Fell

What you can see from Brim Fell

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Brim Fell

Other fells near Brim Fell