Clough Head
Clough Head at 726m (2,382ft) is the northernmost of the main Helvellyn ridge summits, a grassy whale-back that Wainwright noted as the ideal starting or finishing point for the full northern Dodds traverse.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 726 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 13°C, gusts to 37 mph, 3.7 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 726 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
About the walk
Clough Head
Routes up Clough Head
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Threlkeld village (free/donation), about 3.2 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Clough Head (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.
Routes over Clough Head
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
The View from Clough Head
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.
What you can see from Clough Head, by direction
- North: Gategill Fell Top (5 km), Blencathra (5 km), Atkinson Pike (6 km)
- South-east: High Raise (15 km), High Street (16 km)
- South: Great Dodd (2 km), Raise (5 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (7 km), Helvellyn (8 km)
- South-west: Great Gable (17 km), Great End (18 km), Esk Pike (18 km), High Stile (18 km), Bowfell (18 km), High Stile (18 km), Ill Crag (19 km), Broad Crag (19 km), Lingmell (19 km), Shelter Crags (19 km), Pillar (19 km), Crinkle Crags (19 km), Scafell Pike (19 km), Crinkle Crags (19 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (20 km), Scafell (20 km), Red Pike (21 km), Steeple (21 km)
- West: Crag Hill (14 km), Eel Crag (14 km), Grasmoor (16 km)
- North-west: Knowe Crags (5 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (8 km), Skiddaw Little Man (8 km), Skiddaw South Top (10 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (10 km), Skiddaw (10 km), Skiddaw North Top (10 km), Broad End (10 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snaefell (100 km, Isle of Man), The Cheviot (114 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (94 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (105 km, Scotland), Cadair Berwyn (192 km, Wales), Cairnharrow (87 km, Scotland), Moel Famau (161 km, Wales), Wisp Hill (77 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.
What you can see from Clough Head
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.- Great Dun Fell North Pennines
- Cross Fell North Pennines
All 101 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
Great Dodd, Watson's Dodd, Hart Side, Raven Crag, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Bleaberry Fell, Walla Crag, White Side, Latrigg, Bannerdale Crags, High Seat, Lonscale Fell, Great Mell Fell, Souther Fell, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Helvellyn, High Tove, Bowscale Fell, Skiddaw Little Man, Place Fell, Little Mell Fell, Cat Bells (Catbells), Carl Side, Skiddaw, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Dodd (Skiddaw), Hallin Fell, Bakestall, Maiden Moor, Barrow, Beda Fell (Beda Head), Carrock Fell, Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts), Causey Pike, High Spy, Eagle Crag, Bonscale Pike, Outerside, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Barf, Scar Crags, Sergeant's Crag, Arthur's Pike, Ard Crags, Dale Head, Hindscarth, Wether Hill, Grisedale Pike, Lord's Seat, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Sail, High Raise (High White Stones), Knott Rigg, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Robinson, Sergeant Man, Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter), High Raise (High Street), Rampsgill Head, Broom Fell, Wandope, Hopegill Head, Glaramara, Blea Rigg, Base Brown, High Street, Sale Fell, Whiteless Pike, Harrison Stickle, Grasmoor, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Green Gable, Allen Crags, Rossett Pike, Great Gable, High Crag (Buttermere), Great End, Esk Pike, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Bowfell, High Stile, Kirk Fell, Red Pike (Buttermere), Lingmell, Pillar, Scafell Pike, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Starling Dodd, Scafell, Red Pike (Wasdale), Steeple, Wetherlam, Great Borne, Great Carrs, Swirl How, Caw Fell, Grey Friar, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Dow Crag
How Clough Head’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 Clough Head
Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).
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 Clough Head from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
My hikes over Clough Head (Strava)
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- Crappy Weather Up There But a Nice Leisurely Jaunt Up 6 Wainwrights (opens in new tab) — 22.1 km · 1105 m ascent · 5h 03m moving · 20 Aug 2023
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Hazard & Incident Information for Clough Head
The abrupt northern end of the Helvellyn range above Threlkeld and St John's in the Vale. Its broad grassy top is easy walking, but the whole western face is guarded by steep crags — Buck Castle, Wanthwaite Crags and Bram Crag — and the only direct way up that side, Fisher's Wife's Rake, is a very steep, loose break through the cliffs. The northern slope also drops abruptly in scree and crag. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.
- The crag-guarded western face: Steep rocky crags (Wanthwaite Crags, Bram Crag, Buck Castle) wall the whole western side above St John's in the Vale. Don't try to descend the west face — keep to the established routes — and stay back from the western edge near the top in cloud or wind.
- Fisher's Wife's Rake: This steep grassy-and-scree break is the one direct line up through the western cliffs, but it is very steep, loose and committing, with awkward route-finding (the rowan tree marks its foot). For fit, confident walkers in dry conditions only — and a poor choice as a descent.
- Abrupt northern scree face & summit navigation: North of the summit the ground falls away in steep scree and crag at the end of the range. The broad grassy top has few features, so navigate by compass in cloud and keep clear of the northern and western edges.
Most common causes: Walkers attempting to descend the crag-bound western face · Slips and route-finding trouble on the steep, loose Fisher's Wife's Rake · Straying onto the abrupt northern scree/crag in poor visibility · Navigation errors on the broad featureless summit in cloud
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.
Navigating Clough Head in cloud
Care neededA rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. 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 Clough Head compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Frequently asked questions about Clough Head
Where is Clough Head?
The northernmost summit of the Helvellyn range — 726 m (2,382 ft), an Eastern Fells Wainwright standing over the Vale of St John's, facing Blencathra across the Threlkeld gap. It's where the long grassy highway of the Dodds finally drops to the valley.
What is the easiest route up Clough Head?
Via the Old Coach Road from Wanthwaite in St John's in the Vale: the old track climbs gently round the fell's southern side, and a grassy path takes the final slopes — steady the whole way. The Threlkeld side, by contrast, is the steep face; White Pike and the direct lines are rough going.
Our walked Dodds round (July 2026) finishes over Clough Head and descends this way.
How far is the Clough Head walk?
From Wanthwaite, roughly 7–8 km there and back, 2.5–3 hours. Baggers usually carry on along the ridge to Great Dodd and the rest of the Dodds — some of the easiest high-level walking in the district once you're up.
Where do you park for Clough Head?
Small lay-bys near Wanthwaite bridge in St John's in the Vale for the Old Coach Road start, or Threlkeld village for the steeper northern approaches — both limited, so arrive early and park considerately.
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 Clough Head
- Arnison Crag
- Birkhouse Moor
- Birks
- Catstye Cam
- Dollywaggon Pike
- Dove Crag
- Fairfield
- Glenridding Dodd
- Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit)
- Great Dodd
- Great Mell Fell
- Great Rigg
- Hart Crag
- Hart Side
- Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)
- Helvellyn
- Heron Pike (Rydal)
- High Hartsop Dodd
- High Pike (Scandale)
- Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top)
- Little Mell Fell
- Low Pike
- Middle Dodd
- Nab Scar
- Nethermost Pike
- Raise
- Red Screes
- Seat Sandal
- Sheffield Pike
- St Sunday Crag
- Stone Arthur
- Stybarrow Dodd
- Watson's Dodd
- White Side
Maps & guidebooks for Clough Head
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