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High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

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356 mWainwright — Central Fells+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km Fewer traps in Clag

High Rigg at 356m (1,167ft) is a delightful, craggy ridge above St John's in the Vale — a pleasant low-level walk in the Central Fells, its heathery knolls giving fine views of Blencathra, Helvellyn and the Vale of St John from multiple viewpoints.

Summit conditions on High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 13° to 7°C, gusts to 48 mph, 11.6 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

47 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 44 mph times our exposure factor of 1.05. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 48 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

11.6 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like 5 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 37 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Routes up High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

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

High Rigg Walked by Lee
3.62 km · ~221 m ascent · ~1–1½ h · out and back · 1 summit
Easy effort Moderate: steepness
Park: St John's in the Vale verge, High Rigg (free) · Bus: 509, 2.3 km walk from Threlkeld West End (near)

A round of 1–1½ hours over Naddle Fell, and a great deal of view for 221 m of climbing — with one steep pull near the top and a stretch of pathless ground to keep it honest.

Distance and climb are measured from the route’s GPX track, and the time from them by Naismith’s rule; the route page says what each grade rests on. How we check →

Is High Rigg an easy walk?

As easy as a Lakeland fell gets while still feeling like one. Our route is 3.6 km with 221 m of ascent — one of the shortest days we hold anywhere on the site — and we grade its navigation easy.

What you get for that is out of all proportion: a knobbly little ridge between St John’s in the Vale and Naddle, with Blencathra filling the view north. It is an ideal first fell, a good short evening, and worth keeping for a day when the high tops are in cloud. The steepness grade is hard, but only in short bursts, and there is a short stretch of pathless ground.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 356 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
13° / 7°
48 mph
11.6 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
11° / 8°
33 mph
8.0 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
10° / 9°
28 mph
0.3 mm (33%)
Fri 30 Oct
10° / 8°
29 mph
0.0 mm (23%)
Sat 31 Oct
12° / 1°
8 mph
0.3 mm (18%)
Sun 1 Nov
10° / 1°
8 mph
0.0 mm (10%)
Mon 2 Nov
8° / 2°
14 mph
0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

St John's in the Vale verge, High Rigg (free) — 0.1 km from the start of High Rigg (straight line)
Free verge parking for High Rigg and Naddle Fell, room for about five cars. The nearest parking to either summit.
Directions Something changed here?
High Rigg, north-east (layby) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Threlkeld Knotts, Clough Head, Calfhow Pike and High Rigg (Naddle Fell) — the 'Threlkeld Knotts & Clough Head' route starts 340 m away. Also serves 'High Rigg'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
High Rigg (layby) — 1.4 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Threlkeld Knotts, Clough Head, Calfhow Pike and High Rigg (Naddle Fell) — the 'Threlkeld Knotts & Clough Head' route starts 347 m away. Also serves 'High Rigg'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
2 more places to park near High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
High Rigg, west (layby) — 1.5 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: High Rigg (High Rigg South Top) (1.5 km), High Rigg (Naddle Fell) (1.5 km), Walla Crag (1.7 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
High Rigg South Top (verge) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)
1.1 km from High Rigg High Rigg South Top.
Directions 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 509, X4 and X5 stop at Threlkeld West End (near). From there it is 2.3 km and 57 m of ascent to the start of High Rigg — a route we rate Moderate overall (hardest: steepness) — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 8.2 km in all, with the walk. Last bus: Monday to Friday 22:05 towards Penrith (X5) and 17:02 towards Patterdale (509) and 14:37 towards Hartsop (509); Saturday 22:05 towards Penrith (X5) and 17:02 towards Patterdale (509) and 14:37 towards Hartsop (509); Sunday 18:31 towards Penrith (X5) and 17:02 towards Patterdale (509) and 14:37 towards Hartsop (509). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 509
Penrith ↔ Keswick around Ullswater — calls at Pooley Bridge, Watermillock, Glenridding, Patterdale, Hartsop, Dockray, Matterdale, Mungrisdale and Threlkeld
Catch it from: Penrith · Keswick
The Ullswater side of the Penrith–Keswick corridor, and a second option where we previously showed only the 508. Reaches Helvellyn and Catstye Cam from Glenridding, Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes from Patterdale, the Hartsop fells, and Gowbarrow from Dockray. Frequency and season for the whole service are not listed here; where a stop's times have been checked, they are given above with the date. Note the Troutbeck on this route is the one on the A66 near Penrith, not the Troutbeck near Windermere.

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

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

Hazards on High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

Notes from the High Rigg route

If you need to get off (the leg from Wanthwaite Bridge Car Park): The bail point is to turn back at the Youth Centre but this is an easy walk.

Quoted from the route page: the note for the leg that reaches High Rigg (Naddle Fell).

We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, 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.

Navigating in cloud

Fewer traps in cloud

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of near-level ground around the summit. This top is in the lowest of the index’s four bands, and a low band never means “safe”: carry map and compass and know how to use them.

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 Rigg (Naddle Fell) compares with all 214: the Clag Index (experimental).

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 (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and 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 High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

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

0.5 km SSWHigh Rigg (High Rigg South Top)343 m · Central
2.0 km SSEWren Crag311 m · Central
2.4 km ESECalfhow Pike660 m · Eastern
2.4 km ENEThrelkeld Knotts514 m · Eastern
2.7 km SSECastle Rock339 m · Eastern
2.8 km SSWThe Benn (Sippling Crag)446 m · Central

Routes over High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

High Rigg
3.62 km · ~221 m ascent · out and back · ~1–1½ h
Easy effort Moderate: steepness
Summits: High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

Download GPX Walked by Lee, April 2026

Picked for its light in: June, August

Route guide →

Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.

About High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

High Rigg (Naddle Fell), a Lake District fell
Photo: Michael Graham, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The traverse of the full ridge from Newsham to Legburthwaite is a classic short walk. Fine views of Blencathra's great southern face throughout.

Field notes

This diminutive fell was first attempted late on January where the weather was expectedly cold and blustery. I made my way over the relatively short distance from Instagram mecca that is Raven Crag. This was a rushed route where I didn't plan my route properly using the OS website - I marked my point on what it said was High Rigg, in fact I tagged the general area. When I returned I thought I'd bagged it but Summit Bag said something different - a Birkett: High Rigg South Top. In my angst I reviewed my route, zooming in further and realised my error. The actual Wainwright summit was a hundred yards or so to the north east. I won't be making that mistake again. I eventually summitted the very easy fell from the north side, parking the other side of St Johns-in-the-Vale on a wonderful summery day after doing Haystacks and some others. If you manage to park near the church this is probably the easiest fell after Latrigg.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on our High Rigg route in April 2026

My Strava hikes over High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is High Rigg (Naddle Fell) a Wainwright?

High Rigg (Naddle Fell) is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Fellranger list and the Marilyn list.

Selected lists

Wainwright
Central
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Marilyn
356 m
Height
1,167 ft
In feet
NY 3085 2200
Grid ref

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

The summit is also a Birkett.

Other tops of High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

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 →

The view from High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

The 360° skyline from High Rigg (Naddle 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
Computed 360-degree skyline from High Rigg (Naddle Fell)28 labelled tops shown (1 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWHelvellyn · 8 kmSkiddaw · 9 kmRaise · 6 kmGreat Dodd · 4 kmCrag Hill · 12 kmHigh Stile · 16 kmGrisedale Pike · 11 kmWatson's Dodd · 4 kmLittle Dodd · 3 kmCarl Side · 8 kmDoddick Fell · 6 kmUllscarf · 10 kmLonscale Fell · 6 kmGreat Calva · 9 kmStarling Dodd · 18 kmHigh Seat · 4 kmBleaberry Fell · 3 kmGategill Fell Top · 5 kmSteel Fell · 11 kmLord's Seat · 11 kmIll Crag · 11 kmKnowe Crags · 5 kmWhinlatter Top · 12 kmDodd · 8 kmSale Fell · 14 kmThrelkeld Knotts · 2 kmBrown Rigg · 7 kmEycott Hill · 11 kmWhite Side · 6 kmSand Hill · 12 kmRed Pike · 16 kmHindscarth · 11 kmLonscale Pike · 6 kmScales Fell · 6 kmLow Saddle · 9 kmLittle Calva · 10 kmHobcarton End · 11 kmBlencathra · 6 kmOuterside · 10 kmWythburn Fell · 10 kmSeat How · 10 kmTarbarrel Moss · 11 kmBarf · 10 kmBengairn · 63 km · clear daysLatrigg · 4 kmGreat How · 3 kmLittle Eycott Hill · 11 kmWren Crag · 2 kmLamachan Hill · 103 km · a rare clear day
The skyline as a list, by direction
  • North: Lonscale Pike (6 km), Doddick Fell (6 km), Scales Fell (6 km), Great Calva (9 km), Little Calva (10 km)
  • South-east: Little Dodd (3 km), Watson's Dodd (4 km), Great Dodd (4 km), Raise (6 km), White Side (6 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (7 km), Helvellyn (8 km)
  • South: Low Saddle (9 km), Coldbarrow Fell (9 km), Ullscarf (10 km)
  • South-west: Hindscarth (11 km), Robinson (12 km), High Stile (16 km), Dodd (16 km), Red Pike (16 km)
  • West: Grisedale Pike (11 km), Sail (11 km), Hobcarton End (11 km), Hobcarton Crag (12 km), Crag Hill (12 km), Eel Crag (12 km), Sand Hill (12 km), Wandope (12 km), Hopegill Head (12 km), Whiteless Pike (13 km), Starling Dodd (18 km)
  • North-west: Lonscale Fell (6 km), Jenkin Hill (6 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (7 km), Skiddaw Little Man (7 km), Carl Side (8 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (8 km), Skiddaw (9 km), Skiddaw North Top (9 km), Long Side (9 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Lamachan Hill (103 km, Scotland), Millfore (99 km, Scotland).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

High Rigg (Naddle Fell) waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 February, when the sun is up for 61 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 09:03 against an almanac sunrise of 08:02. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the south-east from here (131.9°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 6.72°.

0°30°40°50°60°04:37
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 lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:37 BST ±5.0 min04:36+1 min
Equinox07:05 GMT ±5.0 min06:15+50 min
Midwinter09:30 GMT ±5.0 min08:33+57 min

The northern horizon stands at about 2.78° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

High Rigg (Naddle Fell) loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 December, when last light is 40 minutes before almanac sunset — 15:12 against 15:52. The sun goes down to the south-west from here (223.4°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 3.92°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:44 BST ±5.0 min21:53-9 min
Equinox18:14 GMT ±5.0 min18:26-12 min
Midwinter15:10 GMT ±5.0 min15:48-38 min

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 High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
40Wainwrights in view+2 marginal
—Sea in viewnone from here
All 40 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Walla Crag, Bleaberry Fell, Raven Crag, Watson's Dodd, Great Dodd, Latrigg, High Seat, Lonscale Fell, Raise, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, White Side, Cat Bells (Catbells), Skiddaw Little Man, Helvellyn, Carl Side, Maiden Moor, Barrow, Dodd (Skiddaw), Skiddaw, Long Side, Causey Pike, Great Calva, Outerside, Ullscarf, Scar Crags, Ard Crags, Barf, Hindscarth, Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Grisedale Pike, Sail, Lord's Seat, Knott Rigg, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Robinson, Wandope, Hopegill Head, Whiteless Pike, Sale Fell, Starling Dodd

How the view from High Rigg (Naddle Fell) compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

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 High Rigg (Naddle 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.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. 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.

Places to stay near this fell

From Wanthwaite Bridge: 4 places in Keswick

Frequently asked questions about High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

Is High Rigg an easy walk? Answered above.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near High Rigg (Naddle Fell)

Places nearby: Threlkeld