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732 m · Birkett — Central (not a Wainwright summit) · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Birkett — Central (not a Wainwright summit)Birkett top

Codale Head

Codale Head at 730m (2,395ft) is the high moorland ridge between High Raise and Ullscarf, its broad top giving views across the Central Fells plateau.

732 m
Height
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Codale Head

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

732 mBirkett — Central (not a Wainwright summit)+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 732 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 38 mph, 11.8 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
14° / 13°
💨 38 mph
🌧 11.8 mm (100%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 27 mph
🌧 5.0 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
12° / 4°
💨 28 mph
🌧 1.3 mm (78%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 1°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (78%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 3°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.6 mm (54%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌫️
15° / 5°
💨 19 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (24%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.4 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 732 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

Codale Head

Codale Head at 730m (2,395ft) is the high moorland ridge between High Raise and Ullscarf, its broad top giving views across the Central Fells plateau. A Birkett top on the high ground above Codale Tarn. Most naturally part of the High Raise to Ullscarf traverse across the central plateau. Codale Tarn below is one of the quietest and most secluded tarns in the Central Fells.

Routes up Codale Head

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

West of Grasmere
15.4 km · ~4.4 hr
Classifications & hill data
Birkett
Synge
Nuttall
732 m
Height
2,402 ft
In feet
NY 2888 0907
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Stickle Ghyll / New Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid), about 2.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Codale 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.

1.2 km NWLow White Stones731 m · Central
2.1 km SSWThorn Crag644 m · Central
2.2 km NNWLining Crag542 m · Central
2.4 km SECastle How (Raw Pike)498 m · Central

Routes over Codale Head

West of GrasmereRevised
15.44 km · ~806 m ascent · loop · ~4–6 h
Summits: Tarn Crag (Easedale)Codale HeadSergeant ManBlea RiggSwinescar PikeSilver How

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

Best parking to hike Codale Head

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

Stickle Ghyll / New Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid) — 2.9 km from summit (straight line)
Direct start up Stickle Ghyll for the Langdale Pikes.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (640m) — Free🚺 Public toilets (770m) — Free
Old Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid) — 3.1 km from summit (straight line)
Head of Great Langdale — Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, Pike o' Blisco, the Langdale Pikes.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (510m) — Free🚺 Public toilets (649m) — Free🍺 Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel🍺 Sticklebarn

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 West of Grasmere route:

🛖 map (44 m)🚌 Heaton Cooper Studio (227 m)🚌 School (266 m)🚌 Stock Lane at School (301 m)⛺ map (486 m)

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

Buses to Codale Head from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 516 “Langdale Rambler”
Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Elterwater – New Dungeon Ghyll – Old Dungeon Ghyll
Catch it from: Ambleside · Windermere (change at Ambleside)
The Langdale bus — Pikes, Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, Pike o' Blisco all walkable from the Dungeon Ghyll stops. Seasonal frequency varies; check before relying on the last bus back.

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

My hikes over Codale Head (Strava)

2 logged hikes pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Other fells near Codale Head

Maps & guidebooks for Codale Head

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