High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
High Rigg at 357m (1,171ft) is a delightful, craggy ridge above St John's in the Vale — one of the most pleasant low-level walks in the Eastern Fells, its heathery knolls giving fine views of Blencathra, Helvellyn and the Vale of St John from multiple viewpoints.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 356 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Fri 11 Sep): 13° to 7°C, gusts to 24 mph, 2.2 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 11 Sep 2026, 08:30 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 356 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
High Rigg (Naddle Fell) at a glance
High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
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.Routes up High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Classifications & hill data
The short answers
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.
Where do you park for High Rigg (Naddle Fell)?
The nearest car park we hold is St John's in the Vale verge, High Rigg (free), about 1.2 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is High Rigg, north-east (layby), 1.3 km out. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.
How hard is High Rigg (Naddle Fell)?
The shortest way up we hold is High Rigg — 3.6 km, 215 m of ascent, about 1.1 hours. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Hard.
All axes: steepness: Hard · navigation: Easy · exposure: Easy · length: Easy · terrain: Easy.
My hikes over High Rigg (Naddle Fell) (Strava)
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- Bagging High Rigg on the way back (opens in new tab) — 3.6 km · 214 m ascent · 54 min moving · 7 Apr 2026
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Parking & buses for High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
Best parking to hike High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).
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.
Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.
Getting to High Rigg (Naddle Fell) by bus
The 509 stops at Threlkeld West End (near). From there it is 2.3 km and 57 m of ascent to the start of High Rigg — a walk in before 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. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
Hazards on High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
No hazard card for this fell. The usual open-fell rules apply: check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected.
Navigating High Rigg (Naddle Fell) in cloud
StraightforwardA broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.
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: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: St John's in the Vale verge, High Rigg (free), about 1.2 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near High Rigg (Naddle Fell) (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.
Routes over High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.
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.
What you can see from High Rigg (Naddle Fell), 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 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 (opens in new tab) (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°.
| First light | Almanac sunrise | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsummer | 04:37 BST ±5.0 min | 04:36 | +1 min |
| Equinox | 07:05 GMT ±5.0 min | 06:15 | +50 min |
| Midwinter | 09:30 GMT ±5.0 min | 08:33 | +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°.
| Last light | Almanac sunset | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsummer | 21:44 BST ±5.0 min | 21:53 | -9 min |
| Equinox | 18:14 GMT ±5.0 min | 18:26 | -12 min |
| Midwinter | 15:10 GMT ±5.0 min | 15:48 | -38 min |
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. 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.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 High Rigg (Naddle Fell)’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.
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?
As easy as a Lakeland fell gets while still feeling like one. Our route is 3.6 km with 215 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 one of the best things to do in the district on a day when the high tops are in cloud. The steepness grade is hard, but only in short bursts.
Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)
Other fells near High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
- Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top)
- Blea Rigg
- Bleaberry Fell
- Calf Crag
- Eagle Crag
- Gibson Knott
- Grange Fell (Brund Fell)
- Great Crag (Stonethwaite)
- Harrison Stickle
- Helm Crag
- High Raise (High White Stones)
- High Seat
- High Tove
- Loft Crag
- Loughrigg Fell
- Pavey Ark
- Pike of Stickle
- Raven Crag
- Sergeant Man
- Sergeant's Crag
- Silver How
- Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
- Tarn Crag (Easedale)
- Thunacar Knott
- Ullscarf
- Walla Crag