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

Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Brock Crags (Wainwright)

Brock Crags at 561m (1,841ft) is a craggy little summit above Hayeswater, sitting between Angletarn Pikes and Rest Dodd on the ridge above Patterdale.

561 m
Height
~2.5–3 h
Typical time
+1
Bonus Birkett
See routes & download GPX →

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561 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+1 bonus Birkett within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 561 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 16° to 14°C, gusts to 37 mph, 7.6 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
16° / 14°
💨 37 mph
🌧 7.6 mm (100%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 12°
💨 26 mph
🌧 2.4 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 27 mph
🌧 0.9 mm (78%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 2°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (78%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 3°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.0 mm (54%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
16° / 4°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (24%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
17° / 5°
💨 12 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (23%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 561 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

Brock Crags (Wainwright)

Brock Crags (Wainwright), a Lake District fell
Photo: Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Brock Crags at 561m (1,841ft) is a craggy little summit above Hayeswater, sitting between Angletarn Pikes and Rest Dodd on the ridge above Patterdale. Wainwright noted its fine views across to the High Street range and down to Hayeswater — one of the most secluded of the Lakeland tarns. The summit is most naturally reached as part of the Hayeswater circuit from Hartsop, combined with The Knott and Rest Dodd. A pleasant, quiet fell that rewards those who explore the less-travelled ridges above Patterdale.

Routes up Brock Crags (Wainwright)

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

Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale round
22.2 km · ~6.7 hr · Hard
A long, quiet circuit of the Far Eastern fells above Patterdale — over Rest Dodd and out to the remote peak of The Nab, then back across Brock Crags to the twin tops of Angletarn Pikes, and home over Beda Fell and Place Fell. Twenty-two kilometres and six summits in some of the emptiest country in the National Park.
Brock Crags, Angletarn Pikes, Beda Fell & Place Fell
19.7 km · ~5.7 hr · Hard
A big, varied Far Eastern round above Patterdale and the quiet Boredale and Bannerdale valleys — over Brock Crags to lovely Angle Tarn (one of the prettiest sheets of water in the Lakes), along the grassy whaleback of Beda Fell, and up characterful Place Fell for its superb view down Ullswater. Nearly 20 km and a proper day out, but rarely hard underfoot.
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
561 m
Height
1,841 ft
In feet
NY 4166 1366
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Hartsop village (free, donation), about 0.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Brock Crags (Wainwright) (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.

2.7 km WSWGale Crag512 m · Eastern

Routes over Brock Crags (Wainwright)

Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale roundPlanned
22.23 km · ~1349 m ascent · loop · ~6.5–9 h · Hard
Summits: Rest DoddThe NabBrock Crags (Wainwright)Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)Beda Fell (Beda Head)Place Fell

✎️ This is the antidote to Helvellyn on an August Saturday. The Nab is one of the least-visited Wainwrights precisely because of the deer forest, and the reward for the boggy trudge out to it is a summit almost nobody stands on. Angletarn Pikes and its tarn are the prettiest thing in the Far Eastern fells.

⬇️ Download GPX

Best season: Late spring to autumn. The ground between Rest Dodd and The Nab is notoriously boggy and the navigation is committing in cloud — save this one for a clear day with dry ground underfoot.

⚠️ Warnings: The Nab sits in the Martindale deer forest — England’s oldest deer herd. Access is by a permissive route only; keep to it, keep dogs on a lead, and do not wander. During the autumn rut the estate asks walkers to stay away entirely. Check before you go.; The ground either side of The Nab is genuinely boggy — peat hags and wet channels that swallow the path. Expect wet feet and slow going, and do not judge your timings by the distance alone.; A big day: over 22 km and 1,350 m of ascent, with navigation graded hard. The high ground is broad, rolling and short of landmarks — in cloud this is a compass-and-pacing exercise.; Long, remote and thinly walked. You will not meet many people, which is the joy of it and also the point — carry what you need to get yourself out.

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.

Brock Crags, Angletarn Pikes, Beda Fell & Place FellPlanned
19.71 km · ~1070 m ascent · loop · ~5.5–7.5 h · Hard
Summits: Brock Crags (Wainwright)Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)Beda Fell (Beda Head)Place Fell

✎️ A grand tour of the quieter Far Eastern fells, with Angle Tarn and the Ullswater view from Place Fell as the highlights — a long but rewarding round.

⬇️ Download GPX

Best season: Year-round in good conditions, best in clear weather for the Ullswater and High Street views. A long day — the ridges and cols are boggy in places and slow when wet.

⚠️ Warnings: A long day (nearly 20 km, over 1,000 m of ascent) — start early, carry food, water and layers, and keep an eye on the time and the light.; Boggy in places, especially along the Beda Fell ridge and the cols — slow when wet.; The higher, quieter ground can be confusing in mist — carry map and compass.; Livestock on the lower fells and valleys; keep dogs under close control.

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 Brock Crags (Wainwright)

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 Brock Crags (Wainwright)30 labelled tops shown (5 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWHelvellyn · 8 kmNethermost Pike · 7 kmCatstye Cam · 7 kmRaise · 8 kmFairfield · 6 kmBlencathra · 17 kmGreat Dodd · 10 kmStybarrow Dodd · 9 kmHart Crag · 5 kmHigh Raise · 3 kmRampsgill Head · 3 kmDove Crag · 5 kmThornthwaite Crag · 4 kmRed Screes · 5 kmCaudale Moor · 4 kmThe Knott · 2 kmBirkett Fell · 8 kmRed Crag · 4 kmBowscale Fell · 19 kmLoadpot Hill · 6 kmWether Hill · 5 kmHigh Pike · 6 kmHartsop Dodd · 2 kmSt Sunday Crag · 5 kmSwarth Fell · 7 kmLittle Mell Fell · 10 kmPlace Fell · 4 kmAngletarn Pikes South Top · 1 kmBeda Fell · 4 kmDunmallet · 12 kmWhite Side · 8 kmGreen Side · 8 kmIll Bell · 6 kmHart Side · 8 kmScales Fell · 17 kmTarn Crags Top · 19 kmCofa Pike · 6 kmBirkhouse Moor · 6 kmRest Dodd · 2 kmMiddle Dodd · 4 kmThe Nab · 2 kmAngletarn Pikes · 1 kmBonscale Pike · 7 kmHigh Hartsop Dodd · 4 kmSighty Crag · 70 km · clear daysBrownthwaite Crag · 4 kmWisp Hill · 86 km · a rare clear dayRoan Fell · 80 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 119 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 89 km · a rare clear dayBlackwood Hill · 83 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Brock Crags (Wainwright), by direction
  • North: Little Mell Fell (10 km)
  • North-east: Red Crag (4 km), Wether Hill (5 km), Loadpot Hill (6 km), Swarth Fell (7 km)
  • East: Rampsgill Head (3 km), High Raise (3 km)
  • South-east: The Knott (2 km)
  • South: Hartsop Dodd (2 km), Caudale Moor (4 km), Thornthwaite Crag (4 km), Red Screes (5 km), Ill Bell (6 km)
  • South-west: Little Hart Crag (5 km), Dove Crag (5 km), Hart Crag (5 km), High Pike (6 km)
  • West: Gavel Pike (4 km), St Sunday Crag (5 km), Cofa Pike (6 km), Fairfield (6 km), Catstye Cam (7 km), Nethermost Pike (7 km), Helvellyn (8 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (8 km), White Side (8 km)
  • North-west: Birkett Fell (8 km), Green Side (8 km), Raise (8 km), Hart Side (8 km), Stybarrow Dodd (9 km), Great Dodd (10 km), Scales Fell (17 km), Blencathra (17 km), Gategill Fell Top (17 km), Knowe Crags (17 km), Atkinson Pike (17 km), Bannerdale Crags (17 km), Bowscale Fell (19 km), Tarn Crags Top (19 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Wisp Hill (86 km, Scotland), Roan Fell (80 km, Scotland), Cauldcleuch Head (87 km, Scotland), Dun Rig (119 km, Scotland), Pikethaw Hill (84 km, Scotland), Peel Fell (89 km, England), Blackwood Hill (83 km, Scotland), Law Kneis (100 km, Scotland).

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 Brock Crags (Wainwright)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
44Wainwrights in view+2 marginal
—Sea in viewnone from here
All 44 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Rest Dodd, Hartsop Dodd, The Knott (High Street), The Nab, Arnison Crag, Rampsgill Head, High Raise (High Street), Place Fell, High Street, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Birks, Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How), High Hartsop Dodd, Beda Fell (Beda Head), Thornthwaite Crag, Middle Dodd, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), St Sunday Crag, Wether Hill, Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts), Dove Crag, Red Screes, Glenridding Dodd, Hart Crag, Birkhouse Moor, Loadpot Hill, Fairfield, Ill Bell, High Pike (Scandale), Hallin Fell, Sheffield Pike, Catstye Cam, Nethermost Pike, Helvellyn, Raise, White Side, Hart Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Great Dodd, Little Mell Fell, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Bannerdale Crags, Bowscale Fell

How Brock Crags (Wainwright)’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 Brock Crags (Wainwright)

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

Hartsop village (free, donation) — 0.9 km from summit (straight line)
For Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, High Street via Hayeswater, Brock Crags.
Directions
Cow Bridge, Hartsop (free) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)
Free car park by Brothers Water — Hartsop above How, Dovedale, Caudale Moor.
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.

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale round route:

🚌 Road End (467 m)

On the Brock Crags, Angletarn Pikes, Beda Fell & Place Fell route:

🛖 map (42 m)🛖 map (55 m)

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

Buses to Brock Crags (Wainwright) from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 508 “Ullswater Bus”
Penrith – Pooley Bridge – Aira Force – Glenridding – Patterdale (summer services continue over Kirkstone Pass to Troutbeck and Windermere)
Catch it from: Penrith · Windermere (summer only)
The key route from Penrith for the Eastern and Far Eastern fells: Helvellyn from Glenridding, Place Fell, the Hartsop fells. The summer Kirkstone extension drops you at the pass for Red Screes and Caudale Moor.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Navigating Brock Crags (Wainwright) in cloud

Straightforward

Walkable ground sits close to a lethal drop — in cloud it’s easy to walk straight onto steep ground. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.

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 Brock Crags (Wainwright) 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 Brock Crags (Wainwright)

Maps & guidebooks for Brock Crags (Wainwright)

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