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

High Crag (Buttermere), a Lake District fell
Wainwright — Western FellsAlso a Birkett

High Crag (Buttermere)

High Crag at 744m (2,441ft) is the south-eastern anchor of the Buttermere ridge, its dramatic Gamlin End providing the steepest descent in the three-peak circuit.

745 m
Height
~5–6 h
Typical time
+7
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

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745 mWainwright — Western Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+7 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 745 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 12°C, gusts to 36 mph, 2.7 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
14° / 12°
💨 36 mph
🌧 2.7 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 10°
💨 29 mph
🌧 11.0 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
11° / 5°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.8 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
13° / 1°
💨 23 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
13° / 4°
💨 15 mph
🌧 4.5 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
14° / 6°
💨 19 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 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 745 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

High Crag (Buttermere)

High Crag (Buttermere), a Lake District fell
© Lee McCoy

High Crag at 744m (2,441ft) is the south-eastern anchor of the Buttermere ridge, its dramatic Gamlin End providing the steepest descent in the three-peak circuit. Wainwright described the ascent from Scarth Gap via Gamlin End as one of the best ridge approaches in the Western Fells — steep, direct and immediately rewarding with views of Haystacks opposite. The traverse from High Crag to High Stile and Red Pike via the Buttermere ridge is one of the classic full-day walks in the western Lake District.

Routes up High Crag (Buttermere)

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

High Stile, Seat via Buttermere
13 km · ~4 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
745 m
Height
2,444 ft
In feet
NY 1804 1399
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Gatesgarth Farm, Buttermere (paid), about 1.7 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near High Crag (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 SESeat561 m · Western
1.3 km NWHigh Stile (Grey Crag - High Stile)806 m · Western
1.9 km SSWPillar Rock780 m · Western
2.3 km SSELooking Stead (Pillar)628 m · Western
2.4 km NWDodd (Buttermere)641 m · North Western
2.7 km SSWBlack Crag828 m · Western
3.0 km NNEHigh Snockrigg526 m · North Western

Routes over High Crag (Buttermere)

High Stile, Seat via ButtermereLive
12.97 km · ~836 m ascent · loop · ~4–5.5 h
Summits: Red Pike (Buttermere)High StileHigh Stile (Grey Crag - High Stile)High Crag (Buttermere)Seat

⬇️ 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 High Crag (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 High Crag (Buttermere)36 labelled tops shown (11 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 8 kmScafell · 8 kmHelvellyn · 16 kmIll Crag · 8 kmSkiddaw · 17 kmGreat Gable · 5 kmPillar · 2 kmRaise · 17 kmFairfield · 18 kmBlencathra · 20 kmGreat Dodd · 17 kmGrasmoor · 6 kmScoat Fell · 3 kmCrag Hill · 6 kmGreen Gable · 5 kmHaycock · 5 kmGlaramara · 7 kmRed Screes · 22 kmHopegill Head · 8 kmRobinson · 4 kmLittle Gowder Crag · 5 kmLow White Stones · 11 kmHindscarth · 4 kmClough Head · 18 kmRed Beck Top · 8 kmHigh Stile · 2 kmHigh Stile · 1 kmCriffel · 53 km · clear daysIron Crag · 6 kmKnott Rigg · 5 kmLank Rigg · 9 kmCrag Fell · 8 kmGreat How · 10 kmMellbreak North Top · 7 kmBlakeley Raise · 11 kmRannerdale Knotts · 4 kmNethermost Pike · 16 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 16 kmDollywaggon Pike · 17 kmStybarrow Dodd · 17 kmEel Crag · 7 kmKirk Fell · 4 kmDove Crag · 20 kmSail · 6 kmHigh Raise · 11 kmLong Side · 16 kmBowscale Fell · 22 kmCaw Fell · 6 kmCalfhow Pike · 17 kmHarter Fell · 15 kmSteeple · 3 kmPillar Rock · 2 kmBrandreth · 4 kmWhiteless Pike · 5 kmHeron Pike North Top · 18 kmShivery Knott · 11 kmGreat Whinscale · 15 kmLad Hows · 5 kmLoweswater Fell · 9 kmDarling Fell · 10 kmBowness Knott · 7 kmBrown How · 7 kmSlieve Donard · 176 km · a handful of days a yearSnaefell · 82 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 102 km · a rare clear daySlieve Croob · 177 km · a handful of days a yearGreen Lowther · 102 km · a rare clear dayDivis · 178 km · a handful of days a yearCairn Table · 119 km · a rare clear dayAgnew's Hill · 176 km · a handful of days a yearCauldcleuch Head · 91 km · a rare clear dayColt Hill · 98 km · a rare clear dayMull Hill · 109 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from High Crag (Buttermere), by direction
  • North: Grasmoor (6 km), Crag Hill (6 km), Eel Crag (7 km)
  • North-east: Skiddaw Lesser Man (16 km), Skiddaw Little Man (16 km), Skiddaw South Top (17 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (17 km), Skiddaw (17 km), Broad End (18 km), Knowe Crags (18 km), Gategill Fell Top (19 km), Blencathra (20 km), Atkinson Pike (20 km)
  • East: Helvellyn Lower Man (16 km), White Side (16 km), Helvellyn (16 km), Nethermost Pike (16 km), High Crag (16 km), Watson's Dodd (16 km), Raise (17 km), Dollywaggon Pike (17 km), Catstye Cam (17 km), Stybarrow Dodd (17 km), Great Dodd (17 km), Cofa Pike (18 km), Green Side (18 km), Fairfield (18 km), Dove Crag (20 km), Red Screes (22 km)
  • South-east: Green Gable (5 km), Great Gable (5 km), Glaramara (7 km), Broad Crag (8 km), Scafell Pike (8 km), Ill Crag (8 km)
  • South: Kirk Fell (4 km), Scafell (8 km)
  • South-west: Pillar (2 km), Scoat Fell (3 km), Haycock (5 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (176 km, Ireland), Snaefell (82 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (102 km, Scotland), South Barrule (100 km, Isle of Man), Slieve Croob (177 km, Ireland), Green Lowther (102 km, Scotland), Divis (178 km, Ireland), Queensberry (88 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 High Crag (Buttermere)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
74Wainwrights in view+7 marginal
83 kmFurthest sightlineSnaefell
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Solway Firth

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Far horizons
  • Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 83 km clear
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 69 km clear
  • Criffel ScotlandNNW · 54 km clear
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNNW · 43 km in view
  • Irish Sea open waterW · 36 km in view
All 74 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

High Stile, Haystacks (Buttermere), Pillar, Fleetwith Pike, Steeple, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Robinson, Kirk Fell, Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Hindscarth, Dale Head, Rannerdale Knotts, Green Gable, Great Gable, Haycock, Whiteless Pike, Knott Rigg, Caw Fell, Wandope, Grasmoor, Ard Crags, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Lingmell, Sail, Scar Crags, Glaramara, Scafell Pike, Causey Pike, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Scafell, Hopegill Head, Crag Fell, Cat Bells (Catbells), Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Grike, Low Fell, Eagle Crag, High Raise (High White Stones), Ullscarf, Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Pike of Stickle, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Bleaberry Fell, Harrison Stickle, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Dodd (Skiddaw), Green Crag, Carl Side, White Side, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Skiddaw Little Man, Watson's Dodd, Raise, Dollywaggon Pike, Seat Sandal, Lonscale Fell, Catstye Cam, Stybarrow Dodd, Skiddaw, Great Dodd, Clough Head, Great Rigg, Fairfield, Heron Pike (Rydal), Dove Crag, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, High Pike (Scandale), Red Screes, Bowscale Fell, Yoke

How High Crag (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 High Crag (Buttermere)

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

Gatesgarth Farm, Buttermere (paid) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)
Farm car park at the foot of Haystacks, Fleetwith Pike and the High Stile ridge.
Directions
Buttermere village (NT, paid) — 3.1 km from summit (straight line)
For Red Pike, High Stile, Robinson, Rannerdale Knotts.
Directions
🚺 Buttermere village (132m) — Accessible☕ Syke Farm Tea Room☕ Croft House Farm Café🍺 The Buttermere Court Hotel

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 High Stile, Seat via Buttermere route:

🚌 Bridge Hotel (6 m)🚌 The Fish Hotel (62 m)🚌 Mountain Road junction (153 m)🚌 Buttermere Youth Hostel (N bound) (312 m)⛺ Syke Farm Campsite (217 m)

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

Buses to High Crag (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.

Navigating High Crag (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 High Crag (Buttermere) compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near High Crag (Buttermere)

Maps & guidebooks for High Crag (Buttermere)

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