⛰️ Haystacks (Buttermere)

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

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

📖 Key Information

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.

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

🎯 Bonus Birketts 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

⚠️ Hazard & Incident Information

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🦶 My hikes over Haystacks (Buttermere) (Strava)

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🅿️ Potential parking

Gatesgarth Farm, Buttermere (paid) — 2.1 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) — 3.2 km from summit (straight line)
Pay & display at the top of the pass — Dale Head, Fleetwith Pike, Grey Knotts with minimal ascent.
Directions ↗

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

🚌 Buses 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.

🌦️ 7-day summit forecast

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Other fells in this region

Open Haystacks (Buttermere) in the interactive explorer ↗