hikes.guideLake District

Herdus

Short entry: no route or hazard notes for this fell yet.

Nearest route starts ↓
562 mBirkett — Western (not a Wainwright summit)+10 bonus Birketts within 3 km

Herdus (562 m / 1,844 ft) is a Birkett (one of the 541 tops in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells), in the Western Fells. It also features on the Synge list.

Summit conditions on Herdus

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 12° to 6°C, gusts to 61 mph, 2.1 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

The forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Parking & buses

Bowness Knott, Ennerdale (Forestry, paid)
1.3 km from summit (straight line)
Kelton Fell (layby)
3.5 km from summit (straight line)

Parking & buses ↓

Routes near Herdus

No route guide for this fell yet. The nearest route starts we publish, in a straight line from the summit:

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 562 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
12° / 6°
61 mph
2.1 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
9° / 7°
42 mph
4.4 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
10° / 8°
23 mph
0.3 mm (67%)
Fri 30 Oct
9° / 6°
25 mph
0.0 mm (12%)
Sat 31 Oct
9° / 3°
8 mph
0.0 mm (8%)
Sun 1 Nov
8° / 1°
12 mph
1.2 mm (2%)
Mon 2 Nov
7° / -2°
7 mph
0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 20:59 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Parking & buses for Herdus

Parking

Bowness Knott, Ennerdale (Forestry, paid) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)
Forestry England car park at the end of the Ennerdale valley road, on the lake's north shore (OS NY 110 154; parking charges apply since 2023) — Great Borne, Starling Dodd, and the long walk-ins to Pillar and Steeple. Fees (Forestry England, read 17 October 2026): up to 2 hours £3, up to 4 hours £6, all day £10; cards only, or RingGo within 48 hours; Blue Badge holders pay; free to Forestry England members; no overnight stays. The last 4 km of road to the car park is narrow and bendy, with few passing places, and there is no vehicle access beyond it.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Kelton Fell (layby) — 3.5 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Kelton Fell (0.7 km), Murton Fell (Knock Murton) (1.2 km), Godworth (1.4 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Kelton Fell, west (layby) — 3.7 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Kelton Fell (0.8 km), Murton Fell (Knock Murton) (1.1 km), Godworth (1.4 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)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 nearest bus stop we hold is the 77 and 77A stop at Buttermere, outside Court Hotel, 8.9 km of walking from the nearest parking for this fell — no bus route we hold serves it. It is a seasonal service too: 1 November 2026 is its last day of the year (confirmed with the operator, 29 August 2026); it returns on 22 March 2027.

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

Hazards on Herdus

We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.

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 (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).

Map & 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 Herdus

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

0.6 km SSWBrown How (Ennerdale)330 m · Western
1.0 km SSWBowness Knott333 m · Western
1.1 km NBanna Fell455 m · Western
1.1 km NNEFloutern Cop451 m · Western
1.6 km EGale Fell518 m · Western
2.6 km NWGodworth365 m · Western
2.7 km NNWHigh Pen475 m · Western
2.9 km NNWLow Pen435 m · Western
2.9 km NWKelton Fell311 m · Western

About Herdus

Its nearest tops are Brown How (Ennerdale) (0.6 km SW); Great Borne (0.6 km E); Bowness Knott (1.0 km SW) — it's usually taken in on a round of these neighbours. It's a worthwhile objective for anyone working through the Birkett list.

Classifications & hill data

Is Herdus a Wainwright?

Herdus is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list and the Synge list.

Selected lists

562 m
Height
1,844 ft
In feet
NY 1176 1634
Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

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 →

Other fells near Herdus