651 m · Wainwright — Northern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.
Wainwright — Northern FellsAlso a Birkett
Great Sca Fell
Great Sca Fell at 651m (2,136ft) is a rounded, grassy summit in the Back o' Skiddaw country, giving wide views across the northern moorlands to the Solway and the Pennines.
651 mWainwright — Northern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+10 bonus Birketts within 3 km🌫️ Severe in cloud
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 651 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Sat 12 Sep): 14° to 7°C, gusts to 45 mph, 14.0 mm of rain forecast.
Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
14° / 7°
💨 45 mph
🌧 14.0 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌫️
13° / 8°
💨 13 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (10%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌦️
15° / 11°
💨 36 mph
🌧 2.0 mm (94%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌧️
14° / 8°
💨 34 mph
🌧 8.8 mm (94%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
11° / 7°
💨 27 mph
🌧 3.1 mm (39%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
10° / 7°
💨 35 mph
🌧 14.1 mm (84%)
Fri 18 Sep
🌦️
11° / 8°
💨 36 mph
🌧 8.6 mm (75%)
Forecast snapshot from 12 Sep 2026, 18:50 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 651 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
Great Sca Fell at 651m (2,136ft) is a rounded, grassy summit in the Back o' Skiddaw country, giving wide views across the northern moorlands to the Solway and the Pennines. Wainwright included it as part of the Back o' Skiddaw group, noting its remote character and the sense of spaciousness it offers. The ascent from Orthwaite or Fell Side crosses open moorland. Combined naturally with Knott and Brae Fell for a circuit of the northern Skiddaw fells. A fell for those who appreciate wide, peaceful moorland walking.
Field notes
This fell may be 651 metres but its not a challenging one at all as part of the route that I took. I didn't over-think how long it would take, and I'm sure the whole hike was over in a blink. It's a rolling-fell type hike without any major challenging pull-ups and as you can see, it's a flat, grass-topped fell that makes it suitable for children. It may be the farthest point on route, but given its got a number of Wainwrights and Birketts close by, its certainly a very "cheap" summit to bag. I loved the quiet nature of this fell. I don't recall seeing many people for the entirety of my morning.
Routes up Great Sca Fell
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Great Sca Fell is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.
Where do you park for Great Sca Fell?
We hold no car park within 2.5 km of the summit, so there is no short walk-in to recommend here. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.
How hard is Great Sca Fell?
The shortest way up we hold is North of Skiddaw — 13.2 km, 707 m of ascent, about 3.8 hours. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Hard.
All axes: steepness: Hard · length: Moderate · exposure: Easy · navigation: Easy · terrain: Easy.
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Parking & buses for Great Sca Fell
Best parking to hike Great Sca Fell
Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).
Longlands Fell car park — 3.2 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Longlands Fell, Lowthwaite Fell, Brae Fell and Little Sca Fell — the 'North of Skiddaw' route starts 1 m away. Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged). Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.
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 Great Sca Fell by bus
The X4 stops at Bassenthwaite, opposite High Side Farm. From there it is 2.5 km and 142 m of ascent to the start of Cockup at the White Hause and other Birketts — a walk in before the walk. Last bus: Monday to Friday 20:28 towards Workington (X4) and 18:13 towards Wigton (554) and 09:09 towards Carlisle (553); Saturday 20:43 towards Wigton (554) and 20:28 towards Workington (X4) and 18:24 towards Carlisle (553); Sunday 18:24 towards Carlisle (553) and 16:23 towards Wigton (554). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
Year-round, every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday between Penrith and Keswick and hourly on Sundays, from outside Penrith station. One ticket from any station on the West Coast Main Line to Keswick includes this bus: search for ‘Keswick Bus (KWK)’ when you book the train. From Penrith this is your way into Keswick and the Northern fells — Threlkeld/Scales stops serve Blencathra directly, Braithwaite serves the Coledale fells.
No hazard card for this fell. The usual open-fell rules apply: check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected.
Navigating Great Sca Fell in cloud
Severe
A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. 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 Great Sca Fell compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Nearest parking: Longlands Fell car park, about 3.2 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Great Sca Fell (within 3 km)
These Birkett tops are notWainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.
⚠️ Warnings: The Cockup–White Hause–Little Cockup ground is pathless rough grazing and heather edge — expect fences and gates to dictate the line low down, and no trail underfoot higher up.
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 Great Sca Fell
The 360° skyline from Great Sca 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
What you can see from Great Sca Fell, by direction
East: Miller Moss (1 km), Great Lingy Hill (2 km), Hare Stones (2 km), High Pike (3 km), Carrock Fell (5 km), Cross Fell (40 km)
South-east: Coomb Height (2 km), Bowscale Fell (5 km), Tarn Crags Top (6 km)
South: Little Calva (3 km), Sale How (6 km), Skiddaw Little Man (7 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (7 km), Jenkin Hill (7 km), Glaramara (24 km), Looking Steads (24 km), Esk Pike (27 km), Bowfell (28 km)
South-west: Frozen Fell (1 km), Bakestall (4 km), Broad End (5 km), Skiddaw North Top (6 km), Skiddaw (6 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (6 km), Skiddaw South Top (6 km), Lord's Seat (11 km), Graystones (14 km), Swinside (15 km), Whiteside (17 km), Fellbarrow (19 km), Sourfoot Fell (19 km), Loweswater End (22 km), Carling Knott (22 km), Burnbank Fell (22 km), Gavel Fell (23 km), Blake Fell (23 km), Owsen Fell (23 km), Gavel Fell (23 km)
North-west: Little Sca Fell (0 km), Criffel (44 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (192 km, Ireland), Merrick (101 km, Scotland), Snaefell (100 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (95 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (106 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (86 km, Scotland), Corserine (96 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (96 km, Scotland).
Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.
Great Sca Fell sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 December) first light is only 4 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.
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 light
Almanac sunrise
Difference
Midsummer
04:30 BST ±5.0 min
04:36
-6 min
Equinox
06:17 GMT ±5.0 min
06:15
+2 min
Midwinter
08:36 GMT ±5.0 min
08:34
+2 min
A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.4°).
Last light — when the sun leaves Great Sca Fell
Great Sca Fell 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 4 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 light
Almanac sunset
Difference
Midsummer
21:58 BST ±5.0 min
21:54
+4 min
Equinox
18:31 GMT ±5.0 min
18:26
+5 min
Midwinter
15:52 GMT ±5.0 min
15:48
+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 Great Sca 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 Great Sca Fell
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
17Wainwrights in view+12 marginal
102 kmFurthest sightlineMerrick · possible under favourable refraction
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Solway Firth
🌐 On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland and the Isle of Man.
How Great Sca 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.
Both routes off this start are ~23 km loops of 6.7-7 hours whose own warnings say the middle is trackless deep heather and pathless rough grazing. That makes wet boots the certainty, and Bassenfell is the ONLY property in the whole 4.83 km radius whose page names a drying room. It also parks 21 cars, has a ground-floor en-suite bedroom, and runs its own walking weeks - the September Walking Week 2026 blocks 14-19 September on its own availability calendar.
It is an outdoor-activity centre run by a charity, and its dining room seats seventy-five people looking straight out over Bassenthwaite Lake.
Drying room“Drying Room and Laundry Space to dry wet coats and shoes.”
Family rooms“Accommodation 68 Bed spaces in 19 Bedrooms on 3 floors. Rooms range from twin/double up to 6 people each with en-suite or a private bathroom.”
Evening meal“Friendly relaxed atmosphere, comfy accommodation, great food, and quality leadership are the hallmarks of our holiday weeks.”
Parking“Parking Car park space for up to 21 cars.”
Children“A wonderful venue for residential groups whether adults, children, youth or mixed ages.”
The check-in window runs to ten at night, which is the single most useful arrival fact in this cluster: both routes off this start are seven-hour days over trackless heather and finishing late is the norm, not the exception. Free cots and high chairs, and a note that early arrivals can dump the car and wander, cover the other end of the day.
Worth knowing: “One dog is allowed provided all doggy rules are followed. All dog hairs should be removed before the cottage is vacated. Dogs are not allowed in bedrooms or on furniture and must not be left unattended in the cottage. Dogs MUST be on a lead in the communal courtyard”
Guests are invited to let the ducks out of their shed in the morning and keep the eggs, and the cottages were called Loft Holiday Cottages before they were named after the ducks.
Dogs“One dog is allowed provided all doggy rules are followed. All dog hairs should be removed before the cottage is vacated. Dogs are not allowed in bedrooms or on furniture and must not be left unattended in the cottage. Dogs MUST be on a lead in the communal courtyard”
Family rooms“Jemima's Cottage sleeps up to 5 in 2 bedrooms and Rebecca's Cottage sleeps up to 2 in 1 bedroom.”
Parking“Early arrivals can always leave their car and go for a wander or take their car and go and explore the local area.”
Children“Cots and high chairs are available free of charge but must be requested in advance of arrival.”
The furthest of the four at 4.45 km and the only one with a restaurant you can eat in whether or not you are staying: "Our restaurant, lounge, bar and gardens are open to non-residents too". Given the route file records nothing mapped at the start or on the round, that is a real option for the evening after — and, unlike Overwater, it does not shut two days a week. It also offers two different shapes of stay from one address: licensed B&B rooms in the house, or the converted stable block as a self-catering cottage, which is the one to ask about if you are bringing the dog. Be clear about what the evidence will and will not carry. The dog line is not a policy statement: it is a caption inside the site's own embedded Instagram feed — "Happy International Cat Day! Your furry friends are most welcome in Woodlands Cottage" — and it names the Cottage, not the House. Treat it as a lead to confirm, not a booking guarantee, and remember the route file's dog verdict is green (three gates, no stiles), so this is worth a phone call rather than a shrug. On children the site publishes a "Family Friendly" page in its own navigation, but our cache holds only the homepage and the contact page, so the policy itself is unread and this record states nothing about it. Pushchairs are out either way: the route's buggy verdict is red.
A Victorian rectory turned licensed B&B, with the old stable block converted into the self-catering cottage; it looks straight out at Skiddaw and Binsey.
Evening meal“Our restaurant, lounge, bar and gardens are open to non-residents too; please see our Dine page for more details.”
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 Great Sca Fell
Is Great Sca Fell an easy walk?
Yes. It is a rounded grassy top in the quiet Uldale group north of Skiddaw, the slopes are even, and there is nothing steep or rocky to negotiate. Our round over it is 13.2 km with 707 m of ascent, and we grade its navigation easy — unusually kind for open fell.
The one thing to note is that these northern tops are close together and much alike, so it is easy to tick the wrong one. Count them off as you go.
