423 mWainwright — Western Fells+1 bonus Birkett within 3 km Serious in Clag
Buckbarrow at 423m (1,388ft) is a craggy little summit above Wast Water, its western crags giving a dramatic profile from the road below and excellent views of the lake from the summit. Wainwright included it in his Western Fells guide.
Summit conditions on Buckbarrow
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 13° to 7°C, gusts to 58 mph, 5.9 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
55mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour
The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 48 mph times our exposure factor of 1.15. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 58 mph, before any exposure factor.
under 25
25–35
35–45
45–55
55+
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.
Also checkedcold: feels like 4 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 30 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20; rain: 5.9 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
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 →
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.
Graded scramble: Stirrup Crag, at Yewbarrow's north end (km 2.9–3.2). Yewbarrow: The north end drops in a steep set of ledges and chimneys — a genuine scramble that catches people out, especially as a descent.
Not mentioned in the route’s notes
Not mentioned in the route’s notes
Exposure
Moderate
Not assessed
Not assessed
Navigation
Hard
Hard
Hard
Steepest stretch
Climb of about 49% at 1.2 km (Severe)
Climb of about 38% at 3.6 km (Severe)
Climb of about 38% at 5.6 km (Severe)
After the summit
No further tops
No further tops
No further tops
Walked or planned
Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Car park at the start
Overbeck Bridge, Wastwater (NT, paid)
Greendale (layby) (free)
Greendale (layby) (free)
Bus to the start
Not measured
Not measured
Not measured
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 →
Is Buckbarrow hard to climb?
It is small — 423 m — and the ordinary way up is short. What surprises people is that its Wasdale face is genuinely craggy, so the fell looks far more serious from the road than the walking turns out to be, and there are steep broken bits to keep clear of.
We only reach it as part of long Wasdale days: 17.8 km with 1298 m of ascent with Middle Fell, Haycock and Seatallan. On its own from Greendale it is a much shorter outing, but we have not measured that route yet, so we give no time for it.
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
Overbeck Bridge, Wastwater (NT, paid) — 0.1 km from the start of Very Long Day Out (straight line)
Approx 20 spaces. By Overbeck Bridge on the lakeshore road. 'Very Long Day Out' and 'Wastwater Shore (the Screes view)' start here. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review. Small NT pay-and-display car park at the foot of Yewbarrow on the lakeshore road. Fees: £7 up to 2 hours; £8 up to 4 hours; £9.50 all day. Charges apply at all times (NT, checked August 2026). Free for NT members (checked August 2026). No overnight parking (National Trust, checked August 2026).
Greendale (layby) — at the start of The Greendale Horseshoe and Middle Fell, Haycock Seatallan and Buckbarrow
Walking base for Middle Fell, Haycock, Little Gowder Crag and Caw Fell — the 'Middle Fell, Haycock Seatallan and Buckbarrow' route starts 22 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Greendale, Nether Wasdale (roadside, free) — 1.0 km from summit (straight line)
Free verge parking for Middle Fell, Seatallan and Buckbarrow. OSM records the mapped parking area here as access=private - it may not be open to the public; the free verge parking is the roadside, not the yard (OSM element way/859299301, 2026-07-24 extract).
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
We don’t know yet. Wasdale Explorer (seasonal) serves this area, but we don’t hold its stop positions, so we can’t measure the walk from it — and we won’t tell you to drive on the strength of a gap in our own data. The Wasdale Action Group lists it as running Saturdays, Sundays and bank holiday Mondays from the start of May to the end of August (read 30 September 2026): check before you travel.
Notes from a planned route, not walked: Middle Fell, Haycock Seatallan and Buckbarrow
If you need to get off (the leg from Glade How): Turn east away from the crags to intercept the descent path heading down toward Greendale Gill.
Quoted from the route page of a planned route, drawn from the map and not yet walked: the note for the leg that reaches Buckbarrow.
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
Serious in cloud
Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of near-level ground around the summit. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.
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 Buckbarrow 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.
Warnings:Middle Fell: The Wast Water-facing side falls away in tiers of crag. Don't be tempted to drop straight off the ridge — descend by the established lines at the ends. In cloud keep to the ridge crest and well back from the eastern edge. Seatallan: The way up is not obvious from below and the path is faint and indistinct in places; the wide, flat summit gives little to navigate by. In cloud, take a compass bearing to find the top and to choose the right line down. Haycock is a long, rough walk from any direction, with narrow paths. A minor injury, navigation error or late finish turns serious here because you are a long way from a road, and any rescue takes time to reach you. Carry full kit, food and water, a means of calling for help, and allow generous daylight. Caw Fell is a long way from any road or car park (Blengdale or Bowness Knott are the usual, distant, starts). A minor injury, navigation slip or late finish becomes serious because you are a long way from a road, and any rescue takes time to reach you. Carry full kit, food, water and a means of calling for help, and leave a generous time margin. Caw Fell: The wide, flat top has little to fix on and the connecting ground (e.g. toward Lank Rigg) is pathless and boggy in places. In cloud, navigate by compass — the ridge wall is a useful handrail, but don't rely on finding a trodden path.
A planned line, drawn from the map; not yet walked. From Buckbarrow it comes down to Greendale by the same path as our longer Middle Fell, Haycock, Seatallan and Buckbarrow round.
Warnings:Middle Fell: The Wast Water-facing side falls away in tiers of crag. Don't be tempted to drop straight off the ridge — descend by the established lines at the ends. In cloud keep to the ridge crest and well back from the eastern edge. Seatallan: The way up is not obvious from below and the path is faint and indistinct in places; the wide, flat summit gives little to navigate by. In cloud, take a compass bearing to find the top and to choose the right line down. OpenStreetMap marks a ford on the line at about 7.7 km, on the way down from Buckbarrow. OpenStreetMap maps crag edges within about 50 m of the line in several places: beside Middle Fell’s top (about 1.6–2.2 km), below Seatallan’s top (about 3.7 and 4.1 km), at Buckbarrow’s top (about 6.8 km) and on the way down to Greendale (about 7.8–8.1 km, the nearest about 10 m from the path).
Warnings:Middle Fell: The Wast Water-facing side falls away in tiers of crag. Don't be tempted to drop straight off the ridge — descend by the established lines at the ends. In cloud keep to the ridge crest and well back from the eastern edge. The ground here is broad and confusingly similar, and the path forks on the ascent of Red Pike; walkers have taken the wrong line in mist. The link between Red Pike, Little Scoat Fell and Pillar is easy to misjudge. Navigate deliberately by compass and account for the steep drops to the east. Yewbarrow: The north end drops in a steep set of ledges and chimneys — a genuine scramble that catches people out, especially as a descent. Walkers regularly become cragfast here unable to climb down, and falls have caused head and leg injuries. Tackle it only if you are comfortable scrambling on steep rock; if in doubt, avoid the traverse and return the way you came. Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell): The short ridge out to Steeple is narrow and exposed, with a steep drop, and becomes serious when banked with snow or iced. Cross it carefully and avoid it in fierce wind; it is the spot most likely to catch you out here. Caw Fell is a long way from any road or car park (Blengdale or Bowness Knott are the usual, distant, starts). A minor injury, navigation slip or late finish becomes serious because you are a long way from a road, and any rescue takes time to reach you. Carry full kit, food, water and a means of calling for help, and leave a generous time margin. Caw Fell: The wide, flat top has little to fix on and the connecting ground (e.g. toward Lank Rigg) is pathless and boggy in places. In cloud, navigate by compass — the ridge wall is a useful handrail, but don't rely on finding a trodden path. Seatallan: The way up is not obvious from below and the path is faint and indistinct in places; the wide, flat summit gives little to navigate by. In cloud, take a compass bearing to find the top and to choose the right line down. Haycock is a long, rough walk from any direction, with narrow paths. A minor injury, navigation error or late finish turns serious here because you are a long way from a road, and any rescue takes time to reach you. Carry full kit, food and water, a means of calling for help, and allow generous daylight. Steeple: The link to the main ridge is a short, narrow crest with steep, rocky drops on both sides. A fall here can be fatal. It is straightforward in dry, calm conditions but genuinely exposed; take care with foot placement, and treat it with great caution in wind, wet or cloud. The steep scree slope off Dore Head (toward Mosedale) is severely eroded, loose and unpleasant — once a scree run, now a notorious leg-breaker. The steep ground beside it has left walkers cragfast. Avoid it as a descent; safer ground exists, and the screes are best left alone. Red Pike (Wasdale): The summit and the ridge northward run along the lip of steep crags dropping into Mosedale. In wind or cloud a slip near the edge is serious. Keep to the western side of the crest and well back from the brink. Steeple: The summit and its ridge are flanked by steep coves dropping toward Ennerdale. A trip near the edge runs into serious ground. Keep to the crest and don't stray onto the steep grass and rock above the coves. Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell): The summit slopes gently to the south but breaks into impressive crags on its northern side, above the Ennerdale coves. In cloud or wind keep well back from the northern edge — the easy boulder top gives little warning before the drop.
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 Buckbarrow
The 360° skyline from Buckbarrow
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-east: Middle Fell (2 km), Red Pike (5 km), Scoat Fell (6 km), Black Crag (6 km), Great Gable (9 km)
East: Illgill Head (4 km), Scafell (7 km), Slight Side (8 km), Lingmell (8 km), Scafell Pike (8 km), Broad Crag (8 km), Great End (9 km), Seathwaite Fell (10 km), Looking Steads (12 km), Glaramara (12 km)
West: Ponsonby Fell (5 km), Swainson Knott (6 km), Stone Pike (6 km)
North-west: Glade How (0 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (161 km, Wales), Slieve Donard (171 km, Ireland), Carnedd Llewelyn (149 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (186 km, Wales), Snaefell (76 km, Isle of Man), Moel Siabod (158 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (172 km, Wales), Mynydd Mawr (163 km, Wales).
Buckbarrow waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls at midsummer, when the sun is up for 45 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 05:23 against an almanac sunrise of 04:38. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the north-east from here (54.3°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 4.53°.
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
05:23 BST ±5.0 min
04:38
+45 min
Equinox
06:40 GMT ±5.0 min
06:16
+24 min
Midwinter
08:45 GMT ±5.0 min
08:33
+12 min
The northern horizon stands at about 4.88° from here.
Last light — when the sun leaves Buckbarrow
Buckbarrow loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls at midsummer, when last light is 22 minutes before almanac sunset — 21:31 against 21:53. The sun goes down to the north-west from here (310.4°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.12°.
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
21:31 BST ±5.0 min
21:53
-22 min
Equinox
18:32 GMT ±5.0 min
18:27
+5 min
Midwinter
15:56 GMT ±5.0 min
15:50
+6 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 Buckbarrow
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
11Wainwrights in view+2 marginal
176 kmFurthest sightlineSlieve Binnian · possible under favourable refraction
1Sea in viewIrish Sea
On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.
How the view from Buckbarrow 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 Buckbarrow. 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.
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).
