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662 m · Wainwright — Northern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — Northern FellsAlso a Birkett

Carrock Fell

Carrock Fell at 663m (2,175ft) is the easternmost of the Northern Fells, an isolated summit above the Vale of Eden with a remarkable ancient hillfort on its summit — one of the finest Iron Age fortifications in northern England.

662 m
Height
~3–4 h
Typical time
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →
662 mWainwright — Northern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 662 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Fri 11 Sep): 11° to 8°C, gusts to 29 mph, 1.6 mm of rain forecast.

Fri 11 Sep
🌦️
11° / 8°
💨 29 mph
🌧 1.6 mm (90%)
Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
14° / 8°
💨 47 mph
🌧 22.0 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
12° / 7°
💨 21 mph
🌧 0.3 mm (48%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌧️
14° / 7°
💨 28 mph
🌧 5.4 mm (84%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌦️
13° / 8°
💨 34 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (75%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
11° / 8°
💨 30 mph
🌧 0.7 mm (57%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
10° / 8°
💨 35 mph
🌧 3.6 mm (74%)

Forecast snapshot from 11 Sep 2026, 08:30 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 662 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Carrock Fell at a glance

Carrock Fell

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

Carrock Fell at 663m (2,175ft) is the easternmost of the Northern Fells, an isolated summit above the Vale of Eden with a remarkable ancient hillfort on its summit — one of the finest Iron Age fortifications in northern England. Wainwright was fascinated by this historical dimension, and the views east to the Pennines and north across the Eden Valley are outstanding. The ascent from Mosedale is short and rewarding. An unusual fell in the Lake District for its combination of history and commanding eastward views.

Routes up Carrock Fell

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

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright
Northern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
662 m
Height
2,172 ft
In feet
NY 3416 3364
Grid ref

Parking & buses for Carrock Fell

Best parking to hike Carrock Fell

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

Roadside parking for Carrock Fell (free) — 1.2 km from summit (straight line)
1.2 km from Carrock Fell. Added from the 5 Aug 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Carrock Fell (verge, south) — 1.2 km from summit (straight line)
1.2 km from Carrock Fell.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Carrock Fell, north-east (layby) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Carrock Fell (1.3 km), Round Knott (1.9 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Grass surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Mosedale / Bowscale (verge, west) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)
Verge parking on the Caldew valley road, 1.2 km west of the other Mosedale / Bowscale verge - for Carrock Fell, Round Knott and the back o' Skiddaw fells. Fee and capacity are unknown: this is a location Lee supplied, not a survey.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Carrock Fell, north-east (layby 2) — 1.4 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Carrock Fell (1.4 km), Round Knott (1.9 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Grass surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?

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.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Carrock Fell by bus

The nearest bus stop we hold is the 509 at Mungrisdale, adjacent to Road End, 5.5 km of walking from the start — not realistically reachable without a car.

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

Hazards on Carrock Fell

Hazard & Incident Information for Carrock Fell

Hazard: Moderate

A rough, rugged fell at the northern edge of the Lakes above Mosedale, crowned by an ancient hill fort and girt with crags of loose volcanic rock. Its steep south-western face is a tortuous tangle of crag, scree, heather and bracken, threaded only by an indistinct grassy rake, and its lower slopes are riddled with the disused shafts and levels of Carrock Mine. Rough and tricky in mist. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Crags, loose rock & the hidden Rake Trod: The crags are bypassed by a steep grassy rake (Rake Trod) that is hard to find, hidden among bracken and scree, on loose volcanic rock. Take care to locate and stay on the line; the loose rock, thistles and heather make for a tortuous, slippery climb.
  • Disused Carrock Mine workings: The lower reaches are littered with the open shafts and levels of Carrock Mine. Keep clear of openings and spoil, and don't enter or peer into the old workings.
  • Rough terrain & navigation in mist: Carrock Fell is rough and genuinely tricky to navigate in mist, with steep, unstable scree on the descent. Carry map and compass, take the loose descent carefully, and pick a clear day if you can.
Who should attempt this fell: Carrock Fell is rougher and rockier than most — find and keep to the grassy rake through the crags, take care on the loose volcanic rock and scree, and stay well clear of the old mine shafts on the lower slopes. It's tricky to navigate in mist, so carry map and compass and favour clear, dry conditions; treat the loose ground as serious in winter.

Most common causes: Slips on loose volcanic rock, scree and the hidden Rake Trod · Falls into or near the disused Carrock Mine shafts and levels · Navigation errors on the rough, craggy ground in mist · Unstable scree on the steep descent

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. 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)

Navigating Carrock Fell in cloud

Straightforward

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. 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 Carrock Fell compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Roadside parking for Carrock Fell (free), about 1.2 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Carrock Fell (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.

0.7 km WRound Knott603 m · Northern
1.3 km WNWMiton Hill607 m · Northern
2.8 km WNWHare Stones627 m · Northern

Routes over Carrock Fell

15.34 km · ~668 m ascent · loop · ~4–5.5 h

⬇️ 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. How to use this guide.

16.62 km · ~718 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

20.98 km · ~826 m ascent · loop · ~5.5–7.5 h

⬇️ 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. How to use this guide.

The view from Carrock Fell

The 360° skyline from Carrock 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
Computed 360-degree skyline from Carrock Fell33 labelled tops shown (15 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWHelvellyn · 18 kmSkiddaw · 9 kmGreat Gable · 27 kmPillar · 28 kmBlencathra · 6 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 10 kmSt Sunday Crag · 20 kmHigh Street · 25 kmStony Cove Pike · 25 kmRed Pike · 26 kmLow Raise · 23 kmKnott · 5 kmBannerdale Crags · 5 kmLoadpot Hill · 19 kmHigh Pike · 3 kmGreat Sca Fell · 5 kmCross Fell · 35 km · clear daysCriffel · 48 km · clear daysBakestall · 8 kmHare Stones · 3 kmThe Calf · 49 km · clear daysWild Boar Fell · 54 km · clear daysSighty Crag · 54 km · clear daysWisp Hill · 66 km · clear daysCauldcleuch Head · 68 km · clear daysCalkin Rig · 54 km · clear daysFaulds Brow · 8 kmMickle Fell · 47 km · clear daysRogan's Seat · 65 km · clear daysBlackwood Hill · 65 km · clear daysBishop Forest Hill · 67 km · clear daysCold Fell · 34 km · clear daysGrange Fell · 49 km · clear daysFairfield · 22 kmGategill Fell Top · 7 kmCrag Hill · 20 kmBroad End · 9 kmKnowe Crags · 7 kmKirk Fell · 27 kmWatson's Dodd · 14 kmThornthwaite Crag · 25 kmKidsty Pike · 24 kmRed Screes · 26 kmDoddick Fell · 6 kmLittle Sca Fell · 5 kmCoomb Height · 3 kmMiton Hill · 1 kmSwineside Knott · 14 kmGreat Mell Fell · 10 kmGreat Shunner Fell · 62 km · clear daysDodd Fell Hill · 70 km · clear daysBennan · 68 km · clear daysGreatmoor Hill · 69 km · clear daysLarriston Fells · 63 km · clear daysKillyleoch Hill · 67 km · clear daysMerrick · 105 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 99 km · a rare clear dayThe Cheviot · 104 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 90 km · a rare clear dayTinto · 108 km · a rare clear dayGreen Lowther · 90 km · a rare clear dayWhite Coomb · 83 km · a rare clear dayCairnharrow · 84 km · a rare clear dayPen-y-ghent · 78 km · a rare clear dayTosson Hill · 93 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 98 km · a rare clear dayBlackcraig Hill · 101 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 72 km · a rare clear dayHoove · 71 km · a rare clear dayKirkland Hill · 103 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Carrock Fell, by direction
  • South-east: High Raise (23 km), Rampsgill Head (23 km), Kidsty Pike (24 km), High Street (25 km)
  • South: Atkinson Pike (6 km), Blencathra (6 km), Gategill Fell Top (7 km), Great Dodd (13 km), Little Dodd (13 km), Watson's Dodd (14 km), Green Side (15 km), White Side (17 km), Catstye Cam (18 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (18 km), Helvellyn (18 km), St Sunday Crag (20 km), Gavel Pike (20 km), Fairfield (22 km), Hart Crag (22 km), Stony Cove Pike (25 km), Thornthwaite Crag (25 km), Red Screes (26 km)
  • South-west: Knowe Crags (7 km), Broad End (9 km), Skiddaw North Top (9 km), Skiddaw (9 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (9 km), Skiddaw Little Man (10 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (10 km), Skiddaw South Top (10 km), Crag Hill (20 km), High Stile (26 km), Green Gable (26 km), Great Gable (27 km), Kirk Fell East Top (27 km), Pillar Rock (27 km), Kirk Fell (27 km), Pillar (28 km), Scoat Fell (29 km), Red Pike (29 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Merrick (105 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (99 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (104 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (90 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (100 km, Scotland), Tinto (108 km, Scotland), Green Lowther (90 km, Scotland), White Coomb (83 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 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Carrock Fell

Carrock Fell sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (at the March equinox) first light is only 1 minute after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

30°40°50°60°04:30
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
Midsummer04:30 BST ±5.0 min04:35-5 min
Equinox06:16 GMT ±5.0 min06:15+1 min
Midwinter08:31 GMT ±5.0 min08:34-3 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.41°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Carrock Fell

The evening here runs close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its earliest evening of the modelled year (on 1 February) last light is only 14 minutes before almanac sunset, so the published sunset time is a fair guide on Carrock Fell.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:58 BST ±5.0 min21:54+4 min
Equinox18:28 GMT ±5.0 min18:26+2 min
Midwinter15:44 GMT ±5.0 min15:48-4 min

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 Carrock 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. 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 Carrock Fell

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
59Wainwrights in view+11 marginal
49 kmFurthest sightlineCriffel
1Sea in viewSolway Firth

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland.

Far horizons
  • Criffel ScotlandNW · 49 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesE · 37 km distant
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNNW · 36 km in view
  • Cross Fell North PenninesE · 34 km clear
All 59 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

How Carrock Fell’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.

Places to stay near this fell

Mosedale End Farm B&B (opens in new tab) guest house

about 0.3 km from the start, in a straight line

The only property in this cluster with a fetchable page, and it answers most of what a family arriving off Carrock Fell needs: a child-capable room with its own capacity stated, its own parking yard, an EV charger, picnic food on site and a breakfast that does not tie you to a sitting. It is also 260 m from the start and names the exact fells these two routes climb. The two things it will not do - dogs, and any child outside The Grainery Suite - are both stated in its own words.

Worth knowing: “Sorry we do not take DOGS or offer help the farmer or work experience days”

The farm runs a set of free extras aimed squarely at children, and they are seasonal in a way that clashes: the lambing shed opens to guests mid-March to April with a live camera into it, while the sheepdog demonstration stops for exactly those two months. Year-round there is a bag of corn for the hens and egg collecting with JoAnne Fell, a walks leaflet with a sheep identification quiz, and cameras on the farm's own badger sett, nest boxes and cow shed viewable on a borrowed guest tablet.

  • Family rooms “Sleeps 2 adults + 2 children.”
  • Packed lunch “Picnics available.”
  • Parking “Mosedale End Farm is a traditional Lake District white farm house and is set back off the road, behind its own private yard where you may park your car.”

Great Lingy Hut (opens in new tab) hut

about 4.7 km from the start, in a straight line

Recorded so nobody mistakes it for accommodation and nobody misses that it exists. It is an unlocked, unbookable, unstaffed shelter at around 600m with a sleeping platform, no stove, no water mentioned and no toilet mentioned - useless to a family arriving by car, and the only roof on the high ground between the fells these two routes cross. Its page also fixes it precisely: 'Grid Ref: LR89: NY 311 335'.

The hut is a mine building twice repurposed. It was put up for miners at Carrock Mine - the tungsten mine below - then moved uphill after the mine closed to serve as a shooting box; in the 1960s the Friends' Quaker boarding school at Wigton leased it as an outdoor base and fitted the sleeping platform, and after the school closed the Lake District National Park maintained it until the Mountain Bothies Association took it on and refurbished it in 2017.

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Carrock Fell

Is Carrock Fell a Wainwright?

Yes — 662 m (2,172 ft) in the Northern Fells, out in the quiet Back o' Skiddaw country above Mosedale. It's the odd one out among its grassy neighbours: rocky, heathery and craggy-fronted, with far more mountain character than its height suggests.

Is Carrock Fell hard to climb?

Moderate, and rougher than most Northern Fells: the direct way up from the Mosedale road picks through heather, scree and rocky steps — hands out of pockets occasionally, nothing sustained. In descent, or in mist, the broken ground demands more attention than the map suggests.

What is on the summit of Carrock Fell?

The remains of a large ancient hillfort — a tumbled stone rampart ringing the whole summit plateau, one of the most striking archaeological sites on any Lakeland top. Its age and story are still debated by archaeologists; walk the wall line and don't move the stones.

Where do you park for Carrock Fell?

Roadside pull-offs on the Mosedale–Calebreck lane below the fell's eastern front (the Stone Ends area) — informal and limited; park considerately on firm verge only. Baggers usually pair Carrock with High Pike for a half-day round.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-07-20 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Other fells near Carrock Fell