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A stony path dropping along a grassy ridge, with a deep valley to the left and a long lake far below in the hazy distance under a clear blue sky.

Fairfield

Written and walked by · Summited

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Home › Fells › Fairfield

873 mWainwright — Eastern Fells+3 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

Fairfield at 873m (2,865ft) gives its name to one of the great classic ridge walks of Lakeland — the Fairfield Horseshoe from Ambleside, a magnificent circuit taking in Hart Crag, Dove Crag, High Pike and Nab Scar.

Summit conditions on Fairfield

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 9° to 3°C, gusts to 57 mph, 15.5 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

72 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 55 mph times our exposure factor of 1.32. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 57 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS 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.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

15.5 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like −2 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 21 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. 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

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

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 →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Routes up Fairfield

Choose the way up before the car park: these three routes start from three places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.

Fairfield HorseshoeLong Hike to Fairfield from AmblesideGrisedale Tarn, Fairfield, St Sunday Crag from Patterdale
Starts fromRydal (or Ambleside)AmblesidePatterdale
Distance and climb16.92 km, 1,009 m of climb22.39 km, 1,425 m of climb15.92 km, 983 m of climb
Time, fast to steady~5–6¾ h~6¾–9¼ h~4¾–6½ h
ScramblingHands for a few steps: High Pike and Low Pike, and a short down-climb by Sweden Crag above Low Sweden Bridge (km 9.4–12.2 and km 13.1–13.5). A little easy scrambling in places, but nothing obligatory.Hands for a few steps: rocky steps between Dove Crag and Hart Crag (km 10.0–11.4).Hands for a few steps: Cofa Pike (km 8.8–9.3).
ExposureHardHardNot assessed
NavigationHardHardModerate
Steepest stretchClimb of about 30% at 1.3 km (Hard)Descent of about 28% at 18.6 km (Hard)Climb of about 41% at 8.1 km (Severe)
After the summitOver Hart Crag, Dove Crag, High Pike (Scandale) and Low PikeOver Great Rigg, Heron Pike North Top (Rydal Fell), Heron Pike (Rydal) and Nab ScarOver Cofa Pike, St Sunday Crag and Birks
Walked or plannedWalked by Lee, April 2023Walked by Lee, April 2023Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Car park at the startPelter Bridge, Rydal (paid)Ambleside, Lake Road (paid)Patterdale Hotel Car Park (Patterdale Hotel, paid)
Bus to the start555, 2.3 km walk from Rydal, at White Moss Common555, 340 m walk from Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre508 at the start

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 the Fairfield Horseshoe hard?

It's a long, strenuous day rather than a technical one. The classic Fairfield Horseshoe from Ambleside is about 16 km (10 miles) with some 1,000 m of ascent, taking in eight or so summits, so it demands stamina and a full day — and there is only a little easy scrambling, none of it obligatory.

The serious part is Fairfield's broad summit, a notorious navigation trap, plus the steep crags on its northern side. Fitness and navigation matter more than technical skill.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 873 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
9° / 3°
57 mph
15.5 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
7° / 4°
43 mph
9.7 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
7° / 5°
28 mph
0.5 mm (33%)
Fri 30 Oct
7° / 4°
29 mph
0.0 mm (23%)
Sat 31 Oct
8° / -1°
12 mph
0.0 mm (18%)
Sun 1 Nov
6° / -1°
13 mph
0.0 mm (10%)
Mon 2 Nov
5° / -1°
16 mph
0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Fairfield

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Pelter Bridge, Rydal (paid) — at the start of Fairfield Horseshoe
For Loughrigg and the Rydal side of the Fairfield Horseshoe. Fees: pay and display; coins and cards; RingGo ID 37305 (LDNPA, checked August 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: White Moss, Lower (paid) (2.4 km, 124 m up); Ambleside, Rydal Road (paid) (1.7 km); White Moss Common, Upper (paid) (2.3 km, 121 m up)
The Old School Room Tea Shop, Rydal Hall (~445 m straight line) — Free The Tea Room The Old School Room Tea Shop Badger Bar & Restaurant
Ambleside, Lake Road (paid) — 0.2 km from the start of Long Hike to Fairfield from Ambleside (straight line)
South end of town towards Waterhead. Fees: pay and display (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked August 2026). 1h £2.60; 2h £4.40; 3h £5.80; 4h £7.40; 6h £8.80; all day £10.60. Early Bird: £1.40 all day if you arrive before 09:00. Motorcycles free. Blue Badge: +1h free. Cash/card/contactless; PayByPhone 9908. 3/7-day passes and permits accepted (W&F council, checked August 2026). Charges apply 08:00-20:00, 7 days a week incl. bank holidays. The council's own page is contradictory about access outside those hours - it says both open all day and open from 8am to 8pm - so do not count on getting in before 08:00 (W&F council, checked August 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
Patterdale Hotel Car Park (Patterdale Hotel, paid) — at the start of Grisedale Tarn, Fairfield, St Sunday Crag from Patterdale
Walking base for Place Fell, The Knight, Arnison Crag and Birks — the 'Place Fell and The Knight' route starts 23 m away. Also serves 'St Sunday Crag'. Fees: pay and display, coins only (LDNPA directory, read 30 August 2026). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
5 more places to park near Fairfield
Steel Fell (layby) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell) (1.0 km), Seat Sandal (1.5 km), Gibson Knott (1.7 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Roadside parking for Steel Fell (free) — 3.1 km from summit (straight line)
0.9 km from Steel Fell. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
Helm Crag (layby) — 3.2 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Helm Crag (0.9 km), Stone Arthur (1.3 km), Gibson Knott (1.9 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Helm Crag car park (paid) — 3.2 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Helm Crag (0.8 km), Stone Arthur (1.5 km), Gibson Knott (1.7 km). Paid parking (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Roadside parking for Helm Crag — 3.5 km from summit (straight line)
1 km from Helm Crag. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

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

The 508 and 509 stop at Patterdale Hotel (opposite), a 20 m walk from the start of Grisedale Tarn, Fairfield, St Sunday Crag from Patterdale — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). The last bus is 19:46 towards Windermere (508) and 15:09 towards Hartsop (509), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 508 “Ullswater Bus”
Penrith – Pooley Bridge – Aira Force – Glenridding – Patterdale (summer services continue over Kirkstone Pass to Troutbeck and Windermere)
Catch it from: Penrith · Windermere (summer only)
The key route from Penrith for the Eastern and Far Eastern fells: Helvellyn from Glenridding, Place Fell, the Hartsop fells. The summer Kirkstone extension drops you at the pass for Red Screes and Caudale Moor.

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

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Fairfield

Hazard & Incident Information for Fairfield

Checked by Lee McCoy, . Draws on published material from Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team and Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Moderate

A popular fell with a deceptive summit: a broad, flat, stony plateau that is a notorious navigation trap in cloud. Walkers regularly lose their bearings here and start down the wrong side — toward the steep crags and gullies that ring the northern and eastern faces above Deepdale and Grisedale.

  • Summit plateau in cloud: Featureless and flat, with steep ground on three sides; in mist it is very easy to walk off on the wrong bearing. A compass and the discipline to trust it are essential — don't rely on cairns.
  • North and east faces (Deepdale / Grisedale): Steep crags and gullies fall away from close to the plateau edge. Drift off-route here and the ground turns dangerous quickly.
  • Cofa Pike: The narrow rocky little top toward St Sunday Crag involves a brief, exposed scramble — straightforward in good conditions, awkward in wind or ice.
Who should attempt this fell: A wonderful round (the Fairfield Horseshoe) in clear weather and within most fit walkers' reach — but the summit demands real navigation skills the moment cloud comes down. If you can't confidently take and follow a compass bearing, save Fairfield for a clear day.

What to watch for: Getting lost or descending the wrong ridge in cloud · Straying onto steep ground off the plateau · Underestimating exposure on the tops in bad weather

Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team · Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team

Safety: 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

Navigating in cloud

Serious in cloud

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of steep ground within half a kilometre of 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 Fairfield 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.

From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Fairfield

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

0.3 km NCofa Pike823 m · Eastern
2.2 km NEGavel Pike784 m · Eastern
2.4 km NWHigh Crag (Grisedale)884 m · Eastern

Routes over Fairfield

Fairfield Horseshoe
Summits: Nab ScarHeron Pike (Rydal)Heron Pike North Top (Rydal Fell)Great RiggFairfieldHart CragDove CragHigh Pike (Scandale)Low Pike

Download GPX Walked by Lee, April 2023

Best season: Any season in good conditions; save the broad, featureless summit for a clear day.

Warnings: Fairfield's broad summit plateau is confusing in cloud — carry a map and compass and take a bearing before descending. A little easy scrambling in places, but nothing obligatory.

Route guide →

Grisedale Tarn, Fairfield, St Sunday Crag from Patterdale
Summits: FairfieldCofa PikeSt Sunday CragBirks

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Route guide →

Long Hike to Fairfield from Ambleside
Summits: Red ScreesDove CragHart CragFairfieldGreat RiggHeron Pike North Top (Rydal Fell)Heron Pike (Rydal)Nab Scar

Download GPX Walked by Lee, April 2023

Warnings: Red Screes: The summit plateau drops away into steep, loose scree and crags on more than one side. A simple slip near the edge — especially in wind, cloud or with tired legs on descent — can turn into a long, uncontrolled fall over broken ground. Keep back from the rim and don't shortcut down the screes. Fairfield: Featureless and flat, with steep ground on three sides; in mist it is very easy to walk off on the wrong bearing. A compass and the discipline to trust it are essential — don't rely on cairns.

From the hazard notes for Red Screes · Fairfield, each with its sources.

Route guide →

Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Fairfield

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Fairfield Horseshoe route:

Church for Rydal Mount (146 m from the start, straight line) campsite (432 m from the start, straight line) Rydal Hall Youth Centre Bunkhouse (441 m from the start, straight line)

On the Long Hike to Fairfield from Ambleside route:

shelter (weather shelter, mapped, not checked; 6 m off the line) bus shelter (65 m off the line) bus shelter (77 m off the line) toilets (30 m off the line) toilets (108 m off the line) toilets (123 m off the line) Loughrigg Avenue (71 m from the start, straight line) Hayes Garden Centre (189 m from the start, straight line) Kelsick Road Stand 1 (256 m from the start, straight line) Ambleside Backpackers (19 m from the start, straight line)

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

About Fairfield

A stony path dropping along a grassy ridge, with a deep valley to the left and a long lake far below in the hazy distance under a clear blue sky.
© Lee McCoy

Wainwright described Fairfield itself as a broad, stony plateau summit with its greatest views to the north-west, where the ridge drops dramatically to Grisedale Tarn and beyond. The summit cairn gives a panorama spanning the full length of the Eastern Fells, with Windermere glinting to the south on clear days.

Field notes

This holds a place in my memory as one Easter weekend I trekked up here in bad weather from Ambleside and thought it wise to take in Cofa Pike and Grisedale Tarn. I bailed so effectively did this summit twice that day. The whole area takes its name from this fell, although there are many legs to it, to the north you traverse Cofa onto St. Sunday, to the east you have Hart Crag, the south Great Rigg that many would bag as most would be part way round the clockwise horseshoe route while others may come over from Seat Sandal if they're lucky enough to get parking at Dunmail Raise. What makes it a good spot and makes it a popular route, notwithstanding that you can start from the tourist town of Ambleside, is that there's plenty of room up there and has some stunning views all around.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on 2 of our routes

My Strava hikes over Fairfield

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Fairfield a Wainwright?

Fairfield is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list, the Marilyn list and the Hewitt list.

Selected lists

Wainwright
Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
Marilyn
Hewitt
873 m
Height
2,865 ft
In feet
NY 3587 1175
Grid ref

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 Fairfield

The 360° skyline from Fairfield

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 Fairfield36 labelled tops shown (17 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 15 kmHelvellyn Lower Man · 4 kmBowfell · 13 kmGreat Gable · 15 kmPillar · 19 kmRaise · 6 kmCrinkle Crags · 13 kmDollywaggon Pike · 2 kmGrasmoor · 20 kmHigh Street · 8 kmHigh Stile · 19 kmHigh Raise · 9 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 16 kmSwirl How · 14 kmGrisedale Pike · 19 kmKidsty Pike · 9 kmDale Head · 14 kmLittle Stand · 14 kmBowscale Fell · 19 kmCross Fell · 40 km · clear daysWhitfell · 27 kmSt Sunday Crag · 2 kmHart Crag · 1 kmCofa Pike · 0 kmDove Crag · 2 kmGavel Pike · 2 kmThornthwaite Crag · 8 kmGreat Rigg · 1 kmHart Side · 8 kmKentmere Pike · 11 kmBirkhouse Moor · 4 kmRed Crag · 10 kmHigh House Tarn Top · 12 kmWether Hill · 11 kmHigh Pike · 3 kmHeron Pike North Top · 3 kmBlencathra · 16 kmEel Crag · 19 kmHaycock · 21 kmDow Crag · 17 kmGrey Friar · 15 kmHopegill Head · 20 kmStonesty Pike · 13 kmRobinson · 16 kmSeatallan · 22 kmCarrock Fell · 22 kmWhiteless Pike · 19 kmDodd · 20 kmHelvellyn · 4 kmHaystacks · 17 kmHigh Crag · 2 kmAllen Crags · 13 kmStony Cove Pike · 6 kmMardale Ill Bell · 9 kmSergeant Man · 8 kmYoke · 9 kmGray Crag · 7 kmRest Dodd · 8 kmSheffield Pike · 6 kmPlough Fell · 28 kmIngleborough · 53 km · clear daysHeron Pike · 6 kmWard's Stone · 58 km · clear daysThe Nab · 8 kmLord's Seat · 21 kmSwarth Fell · 12 kmWhite Howe · 18 kmWhinlatter Top · 21 kmLittle Mell Fell · 14 kmBaystones · 8 kmSour Howes · 11 kmGowk Hill · 10 kmGlenridding Dodd · 6 kmKitty Crag · 14 kmFair Snape Fell · 69 km · clear daysGummer's How · 24 kmHolme Fell · 12 kmLatterbarrow · 13 kmWhite Hill · 62 km · clear daysnameless · 23 kmBigland Barrow · 28 kmRaven's Barrow · 24 kmSnowdon · 174 km · a handful of days a yearMerrick · 119 km · a rare clear dayAran Fawddwy · 196 km · a handful of days a yearCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 115 km · a rare clear dayThe Cheviot · 122 km · a handful of days a yearCairnsmore of Fleet · 102 km · a rare clear dayPendle Hill · 83 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 166 km · a handful of days a yearDivis · 196 km · a handful of days a yearSighty Crag · 73 km · a rare clear dayGreat Whernside · 75 km · a rare clear dayAgnew's Hill · 194 km · a handful of days a yearWisp Hill · 88 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 120 km · a handful of days a yearWinter Hill · 101 km · a rare clear dayBlackwood Hill · 86 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 112 km · a rare clear day
The skyline as a list, by direction
  • North: Raise (6 km), Stybarrow Dodd (7 km), Great Dodd (9 km), Blencathra (16 km), Atkinson Pike (17 km)
  • East: High Street (8 km), Rampsgill Head (8 km), High Raise (9 km)
  • South-west: Bowfell (13 km), Shelter Crags (13 km), Crinkle Crags (13 km), Crinkle Crags (13 km), Crinkle Crags (13 km), Crinkle Crags (13 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (13 km), Swirl How (14 km), Brim Fell (16 km), The Old Man of Coniston (16 km)
  • West: Great End (14 km), Ill Crag (14 km), Green Gable (14 km), Broad Crag (15 km), Great Gable (15 km), Scafell Pike (15 km), Scafell (16 km), Kirk Fell (16 km), Pillar (19 km), High Stile (19 km), Black Crag (19 km), Red Pike (19 km), High Stile (19 km), Scoat Fell (20 km), Steeple (20 km), Haycock (21 km)
  • North-west: Dollywaggon Pike (2 km), Nethermost Pike (3 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (4 km), Crag Hill (19 km), Eel Crag (19 km), Grasmoor (20 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (174 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (162 km, Wales), Merrick (119 km, Scotland), Aran Fawddwy (196 km, Wales), Moel Siabod (170 km, Wales), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (115 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (122 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (102 km, Scotland).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Fairfield

Fairfield catches the sun before the valley does. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does this summit wait for first light — the eastern horizon falls away rather than standing over you, and at midsummer the light reaches it 6 minutes before almanac sunrise.

0°30°40°50°60°04:31
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
Midsummer04:31 BST ±5.0 min04:37-6 min
Equinox06:10 GMT ±5.0 min06:15-5 min
Midwinter08:28 GMT ±5.0 min08:32-4 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.33°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Fairfield

Fairfield holds the light. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does the sun leave this summit before almanac sunset — the ground falls away westward rather than standing over you, and at midsummer it is still in the sun 7 minutes after the valley has lost it.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:59 BST ±5.0 min21:52+7 min
Equinox18:27 GMT ±5.0 min18:26+1 min
Midwinter15:57 GMT ±5.0 min15:49+8 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 Fairfield

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
125Wainwrights in view+19 marginal
174 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction
1Sea in viewMorecambe Bay

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales and Scotland.

Far horizons
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 174 km clear
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 159 km clear
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 120 km clear
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 54 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 48 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 41 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 40 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuaryS · 38 km in view
All 125 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Hart Crag, Great Rigg, Seat Sandal, Dollywaggon Pike, St Sunday Crag, Dove Crag, Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How), High Pike (Scandale), Heron Pike (Rydal), Helvellyn, Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Helm Crag, Catstye Cam, Birkhouse Moor, Middle Dodd, Gibson Knott, Red Screes, Hartsop Dodd, Raise, Calf Crag, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Brock Crags (Wainwright), Silver How, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Glenridding Dodd, Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Sheffield Pike, Ullscarf, Loughrigg Fell, Gray Crag, Blea Rigg, Place Fell, Stybarrow Dodd, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Thornthwaite Crag, Rest Dodd, Sergeant Man, The Knott (High Street), Hart Side, Baystones (Wansfell), Froswick, The Nab, Pavey Ark, High Tove, Rampsgill Head, Ill Bell, Thunacar Knott, Harrison Stickle, Great Dodd, Kidsty Pike, Beda Fell (Beda Head), High Raise (High Street), Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Yoke, Pike of Stickle, Black Fell, Harter Fell (Mardale), Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Wether Hill, Sour Howes, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Glaramara, Kentmere Pike, Pike of Blisco, Loadpot Hill, Holme Fell, Bowfell, Allen Crags, Cold Pike, Bonscale Pike, Shipman Knotts, Wetherlam, Esk Pike, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), High Spy, Base Brown, Great End, Arthur's Pike, Great Carrs, Little Mell Fell, Dale Head, Cat Bells (Catbells), Swirl How, Great Mell Fell, Grey Knotts, Green Gable, Brandreth, Great Gable, Scafell Pike, Hindscarth, Fleetwith Pike, Brim Fell, Scafell, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Kirk Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Robinson, Barrow, Causey Pike, Dow Crag, Ard Crags, Bannerdale Crags, Scar Crags, High Crag (Buttermere), Sail, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Pillar, Wandope, Bowscale Fell, Grisedale Pike, Whiteless Pike, Red Pike (Wasdale), Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Hopegill Head, Red Pike (Buttermere), Lord's Seat, Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter), Carrock Fell, Seatallan, Broom Fell, Great Borne, Crag Fell, Grike

How the view from Fairfield 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 Fairfield. 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.

Places to stay near this fell

From Rydal: 7 places in Ambleside · From Ambleside or Grasmere: 3 places

Frequently asked questions about Fairfield

Is the Fairfield Horseshoe hard? Answered above.

How long does the Fairfield Horseshoe take?

Allow 5–6¾ hours of walking for the full round, more with plenty of stops or in poor conditions. It's roughly 16 km (10 miles) with around 1,000 m of total ascent over the day, so it's a committing outing — start early and leave a good margin of daylight.

What is the route of the Fairfield Horseshoe?

It's a sweeping circular from Ambleside, up one arm and down the other over Fairfield (873 m) at the head. A common direction goes up the eastern arm over Low Pike, High Pike, Dove Crag and Hart Crag to Fairfield, then back down the western arm over Great Rigg, Heron Pike and Nab Scar to Rydal.

Either direction works; the views are superb throughout, with the steep, dramatic ground falling away on the northern (Deepdale/Grisedale) side.

Is Fairfield's summit dangerous, and is it easy to get lost?

Fairfield's top is a broad, flat, stony plateau with few features — one of the classic places in the Lakes to lose your bearings in cloud — and it's ringed on its northern side by steep crags dropping to Deepdale and Grisedale. People regularly set off on the wrong bearing here and end up above that steep ground or in the wrong valley.

Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the summit, keep well back from the northern edge, and in winter the corniced edges make it serious mountaineering ground.

Sources: Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team

Is the Fairfield Horseshoe suitable for beginners?

It's best kept for when you've some hill fitness and a few fells behind you. There's only a little easy scrambling, none of it obligatory, but the length, ascent and exposed, navigation-tricky summit make it a big day for a newcomer.

A fit beginner can enjoy it in clear, settled weather with proper kit, a map and compass, and an early start — but it's not a first-fell choice, and the broad top is unforgiving in mist.

Sources: Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team

Is the Fairfield Horseshoe boggy?

Parts of it, yes. The eastern arm between Low Pike and High Pike is notably boggy — there's even a 'Deep Bog' warning sign on that stretch — so expect wet, soft ground there, especially after rain. Wear waterproof boots.

The higher ridges and summit are drier and stony, but the lower flanks and cols hold water; pick careful lines through the wettest sections.

What should I wear and take for the Fairfield Horseshoe?

Wear proper walking boots (with grip for stony ground and waterproofing for the boggy east ridge) and carry warm, windproof and waterproof layers — the high ridges and summit are exposed and cold.

Take a map and compass and know how to use them (essential for Fairfield's featureless top), plenty of food and water for a long day, and a charged phone. Check the mountain forecast, start early, and carry full winter kit when there's snow.

Sources: MWIS — Lake District forecast

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-06-14 · Suggest a question or correction

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