hikes.guideLake District

597 m · Wainwright — Western Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Haystacks - a rocky summit with an old fence post, Buttermere and Crummock Water glinting between fells under blue sky
Wainwright — Western FellsAlso a Birkett

Haystacks (Buttermere)

Haystacks at 597m (1,959ft) is the fell Wainwright loved above all others — not for its height, but for its character.

597 m
Height
~4–5 h
Typical time
+6
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Haystacks (Buttermere)

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

597 mWainwright — Western Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 597 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 15° to 13°C, gusts to 38 mph, 5.4 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
15° / 13°
💨 38 mph
🌧 5.4 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 31 mph
🌧 10.6 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
12° / 6°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.8 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 2°
💨 23 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 4.5 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
15° / 6°
💨 19 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 6°
💨 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 597 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

Haystacks (Buttermere)

Haystacks - a rocky summit with an old fence post, Buttermere and Crummock Water glinting between fells under blue sky
© Lee McCoy

Haystacks at 597m (1,959ft) is the fell Wainwright loved above all others — not for its height, but for its character. He described it as 'the best fell top of all for a man who has first surveyed the world,' a place of rocky knolls, tiny tarns, heather and unexpected views. His ashes were scattered here at Innominate Tarn. The views of Pillar, High Stile, Great Gable and the head of Ennerdale from the summit are magnificent. The ascent from Buttermere via Scarth Gap is a perfect short mountain day. A fell of extraordinary character that exceeds all expectations for its modest height.

Routes up Haystacks (Buttermere)

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

Haystacks
11.4 km · ~3.5 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
597 m
Height
1,959 ft
In feet
NY 1933 1315
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Gatesgarth Farm, Buttermere (paid), about 1.8 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Haystacks (Buttermere) (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.

0.8 km WNWSeat561 m · Western
1.5 km SSWLooking Stead (Pillar)628 m · Western
2.2 km ENEHonister Crag (Black Star)634 m · Western
2.3 km WSWPillar Rock780 m · Western
2.5 km SSEKirk Fell East Top (Kirk Fell North Top)787 m · Western
2.9 km NWHigh Stile (Grey Crag - High Stile)806 m · Western

Routes over Haystacks (Buttermere)

HaystacksRevised
11.37 km · ~738 m ascent · loop · ~3.5–4.5 h
Summits: Fleetwith PikeHaystacks (Buttermere)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

The View from Haystacks (Buttermere)

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 Haystacks (Buttermere)32 labelled tops shown (4 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 6 kmHelvellyn · 15 kmSkiddaw · 17 kmGreat Gable · 3 kmPillar · 2 kmHigh Crag · 15 kmRaise · 16 kmFairfield · 17 kmGreat Dodd · 17 kmGrasmoor · 7 kmCrag Hill · 7 kmKirk Fell · 3 kmGreen Gable · 3 kmKirk Fell East Top · 2 kmSail · 7 kmDale Head · 4 kmRobinson · 4 kmJenkin Hill · 16 kmBrandreth · 2 kmIron Crag · 7 kmYewbarrow · 5 kmIllgill Head · 9 kmCrag Fell · 10 kmPillar Rock · 2 kmMellbreak North Top · 8 kmHigh Crag · 2 kmThirdgill Head Man · 6 kmCriffel · 54 km · clear daysGrey Knotts · 2 kmSeat · 1 kmLingmell · 5 kmLoweswater Fell · 11 kmBroad Crag · 6 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 16 kmStybarrow Dodd · 16 kmWandope · 7 kmLong Side · 16 kmHindscarth · 4 kmBlack Combe · 28 kmColdbarrow Fell · 10 kmLooking Stead · 2 kmWatendlath Fell · 10 kmShivery Knott · 10 kmLad Hows · 6 kmFellbarrow · 13 kmBowness Knott · 8 kmCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 104 km · a rare clear dayCairn Table · 121 km · a handful of days a yearAgnew's Hill · 177 km · a handful of days a yearColt Hill · 99 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Haystacks (Buttermere), by direction
  • North: Robinson (4 km), Wandope (7 km), Sail (7 km), Crag Hill (7 km), Grasmoor (7 km), Long Side (16 km)
  • North-east: Honister Crag (2 km), Dale Head (4 km), Hindscarth (4 km), Watson's Dodd (16 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (16 km), Skiddaw Little Man (16 km), Jenkin Hill (16 km), Great Dodd (17 km), Skiddaw South Top (17 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (17 km), Skiddaw (17 km)
  • East: Helvellyn Lower Man (15 km), White Side (15 km), Helvellyn (15 km), High Crag (15 km), Nethermost Pike (15 km), Dollywaggon Pike (15 km), Raise (16 km), Stybarrow Dodd (16 km), Fairfield (17 km), Cofa Pike (17 km), Green Side (17 km), St Sunday Crag (18 km)
  • South-east: Brandreth (2 km), Green Gable (3 km), Great Gable (3 km), Broad Crag (6 km)
  • South: Kirk Fell East Top (2 km), Kirk Fell (3 km), Scafell Pike (6 km)
  • South-west: Pillar (2 km), Yewbarrow North Top (4 km), Yewbarrow (5 km)
  • West: Iron Crag (7 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (104 km, Scotland), Cairn Table (121 km, Scotland), Agnew's Hill (177 km, Ireland), Wether Hill (95 km, Scotland), Colt Hill (99 km, Scotland), Blackcraig Hill (108 km, Scotland), Wauk Hill (85 km, Scotland), Windy Standard (105 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 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

What you can see from Haystacks (Buttermere)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
36Wainwrights in view+7 marginal
55 kmFurthest sightlineCriffel
1Sea in viewSolway Firth

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland.

Far horizons
  • Criffel ScotlandNNW · 55 km clear
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNNW · 44 km in view
All 36 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

High Crag (Buttermere), Fleetwith Pike, Pillar, Brandreth, Grey Knotts, Kirk Fell, Green Gable, Great Gable, Dale Head, Robinson, Hindscarth, Knott Rigg, Rannerdale Knotts, Whiteless Pike, Wandope, Sail, Mellbreak (Mellbreak South Top), Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Grasmoor, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Illgill Head, Crag Fell, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Grike, Low Fell, Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, White Side, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Raise, Watson's Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd, Carl Side, Skiddaw Little Man, Skiddaw

How Haystacks (Buttermere)’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 Haystacks (Buttermere)

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

Gatesgarth Farm, Buttermere (paid) — 1.8 km from summit (straight line)
Farm car park at the foot of Haystacks, Fleetwith Pike and the High Stile ridge.
Directions
Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — 3.1 km from summit (straight line)
Pay & display at the top of the pass — Dale Head, Fleetwith Pike, Grey Knotts with minimal ascent.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (61m) — Free🚺 Public toilets (1787m) — Free☕ Sky Hi Cafe

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 Haystacks route:

🚌 Honister Youth Hostel / Slate Quarry (E) (123 m)🚌 map (129 m)⛺ Honister Pass YHA (77 m)

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

Buses to Haystacks (Buttermere) from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

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

My hikes over Haystacks (Buttermere) (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Hazard & Incident Information for Haystacks (Buttermere)

Hazard: Moderate

Haystacks punches above its modest height for incidents. Wainwright's fame — his ashes are scattered at Innominate Tarn — draws an unusually large and varied crowd, including many walkers without previous fell experience. The terrain is genuinely complex: rocky scrambling on the main ascent ridges, a knobbly summit plateau that disorients in mist, and a short but steep descent to Scarth Gap where ankle injuries are a recurring theme. Cockermouth MRT and Keswick MRT both respond here regularly.

  • Summit plateau in mist: The summit area of Haystacks is a maze of rocky knolls, tarns and boggy hollows — one of the most complex summit plateaux in Lakeland. In cloud it is very easy to lose the path and end up above steep crags. Do not attempt the summit in poor visibility unless you are a confident navigator with map and compass.
  • Rocky ascent ridges (Scarth Gap and Black Beck approaches): The main routes involve hands-on scrambling on rough volcanic rock. In wet conditions the rock is greasy and slips are likely. Take your time and do not rush the descent — a head injury was documented in a fall here, and ankle injuries on the descent to Scarth Gap are among the most common call-out reasons.
  • Descent to Scarth Gap: The short descent from the summit plateau to Scarth Gap Pass is steep and rocky. Multiple ankle injuries have occurred here, and Cockermouth MRT has been called to walkers unable to self-evacuate. Trekking poles help significantly.
Who should attempt this fell: Haystacks deserves its reputation as a fell that repays care. The scrambling and complex summit are well within the abilities of an experienced hillwalker, but are not appropriate for beginners in poor conditions. Go on a clear day, wear boots with good ankle support, and carry a compass — the summit tarns make wonderful landmarks on a sunny day but vanish completely in cloud.

Most common causes: Ankle injuries on the rocky descent to Scarth Gap · Navigation errors on the complex summit plateau in mist · Slips on wet rock on the scrambling ascent · Underestimating the technical nature of the terrain

Local Mountain Rescue: Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team · Keswick Mountain Rescue Team — Haystacks incident report · Reviewed 13 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.

Report incorrect information

Navigating Haystacks (Buttermere) in cloud

Severe

A rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. 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 Haystacks (Buttermere) 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 Haystacks (Buttermere)

Is Haystacks hard to climb?

Haystacks is a modest height (597 m / 1,959 ft) but a wonderfully complex little mountain, and harder than its size suggests. The climb is steep in places, the rocky summit is a maze of knolls, tarns and small crags, and there's some minor hands-on scrambling near the top.

It's well within reach of a fit, sure-footed walker, but it needs care with route-finding and steep drops rather than great stamina.

Sources: Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team

What is the best route up Haystacks?

The two popular starts are Gatesgarth Farm (the shorter way, about 7 km / 520 m of ascent) and a fuller circular from Buttermere village (about 13.7 km). It's best walked anti-clockwise — up via Scarth Gap and down past the tarns — so you climb rather than down-climb the short rocky scramble near Scarth Gap.

The return over Innominate and Blackbeck Tarns is the highlight, passing Wainwright's beloved tarn.

How long does it take to climb Haystacks?

Allow about 3.5 hours for the shorter round from Gatesgarth, or 4.5–5 hours for the full circular from Buttermere village. The summit's rocky, twisting paths slow you down, so don't be fooled by the modest height — and allow extra for the many photo stops.

Is there scrambling on Haystacks?

Yes, but only short and easy. There's a little hands-on scrambling near the summit, particularly on the steep step up from Scarth Gap, and careful route selection is needed among the rocks. Walking it anti-clockwise means you go up this rather than down it.

None of it is exposed in the way Striding Edge or Sharp Edge are, but it's slippery when wet and best taken steadily.

Why was Haystacks Wainwright's favourite fell?

Alfred Wainwright loved Haystacks above all others for its intricate, ever-changing summit of knolls, tarns and crags packed into a small space — "the best fell-top of all," he called it. His ashes were scattered by Innominate Tarn on its top, as he wished.

If you walk there, tread gently and respect the spot; it remains a place of quiet pilgrimage for many fellwalkers.

Sources: Walk My World — Haystacks

Can you take a dog up Haystacks, and is it OK for older children?

Yes to both, with care. Most active dogs and sure-footed older children manage Haystacks fine — the scrambly bits are short. But the rocky summit has steep drops, small crags and tarns, so keep dogs and children close on the top and at Scarth Gap.

Keep dogs on a lead around grazing sheep, and watch the lake/tarn edges. Pick a clear day so the maze-like top doesn't confuse you.

Sources: Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team

Is it easy to get lost on Haystacks?

It can be — the summit is a genuine maze of little tops, hollows, tarns and crags, and in mist it's surprisingly easy to lose the path or drift toward a steep edge. This is the main hazard on an otherwise modest fell.

Carry a map and compass, follow the path carefully among the knolls, and save Haystacks for a clear day to enjoy its views and stay on track. Take care on wet rock and in winter.

Sources: Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-06-14 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near Haystacks (Buttermere)

Maps & guidebooks for Haystacks (Buttermere)

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work →