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

Birkett — Western (not a Wainwright summit)Birkett top

Darling Fell

Darling Fell at 392m (1,286ft) is a Birkett top above the south side of Ennerdale, its heathery summit giving views across the valley to the high fells of the Ennerdale horseshoe and west to the Lakeland coast.

392 m
Height
+6
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →
392 mBirkett — Western (not a Wainwright summit)+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 392 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 17° to 15°C, gusts to 32 mph, 1.8 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
17° / 15°
💨 32 mph
🌧 1.8 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 12°
💨 28 mph
🌧 11.8 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 6°
💨 28 mph
🌧 2.9 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 4°
💨 22 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
16° / 7°
💨 15 mph
🌧 1.2 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌤️
17° / 6°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 6°
💨 15 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 392 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

Key information

Darling Fell

Darling Fell at 392m (1,286ft) is a Birkett top above the south side of Ennerdale, its heathery summit giving views across the valley to the high fells of the Ennerdale horseshoe and west to the Lakeland coast. A quiet, seldom-visited fell in the low country south of Ennerdale. Combined with Low Fell above Loweswater on a longer walk.

Routes up Darling Fell

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

Classifications & hill data
Birkett
Synge
392 m
Height
1,286 ft
In feet
NY 1295 2250
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Maggie's Bridge, Loweswater (NT, free), about 1.5 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Darling 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 ESELoweswater Fell (Low Fell South Top)417 m · Western
1.0 km NNESourfoot Fell411 m · Western
1.3 km NNESmithy Fell392 m · Western
2.1 km SSWLoweswater End - Carling Knott519 m · Western
2.3 km NHatteringill Head - Whin Fell385 m · Western
2.5 km SSWCarling Knott544 m · North Western

Routes over Darling Fell

19.13 km · ~1019 m ascent · loop · ~5.5–7.5 h

⬇️ 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 Darling Fell

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

Maggie's Bridge, Loweswater (NT, free) — 1.5 km from summit (straight line)
Small free car park for Mellbreak, Hen Comb and the Loweswater fells.
Directions (opens in new tab)
Lanthwaite Green (NT) — 3.1 km from summit (straight line)
At the foot of Grasmoor and Whiteside, Crummock Water.
Directions (opens in new tab)

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 Darling Fell from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).

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

Maps & guidebooks for Darling Fell

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