⛰️ High Spy

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

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653 mWainwright — North Western Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+5 bonus Birketts within 3 km

📖 Key Information

High Spy at 653m (2,142ft) is the high point of the Newlands Horseshoe ridge above Maiden Moor, its summit giving excellent views of Derwent Water to the north and the Dale Head group to the south. Wainwright described the view from High Spy's broad summit across Derwent Water as one of the finest lake views from the North Western Fells. The descent to Rigg Head and Dale Head via the ridge is excellent walking. An essential part of the classic Newlands Horseshoe circuit.

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.

2.1 km NWHigh Crags (Newlands)529 m · Western
2.2 km NWRed Knott452 m · Western
2.3 km NNWScope End412 m · Western
2.4 km EKing's How - Grange Fell392 m · Central
3.0 km SWHonister Crag (Black Star)634 m · Western

⚠️ Hazard & Incident Information

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🦶 My hikes over High Spy (Strava)

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🅿️ Potential parking

Seatoller (NT, paid) — 2.6 km from summit (straight line)
Pay & display at the foot of Honister. Bus terminus for Borrowdale.
Directions ↗
Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — 2.8 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 78 “Borrowdale Rambler”
Keswick – Lodore – Grange – Rosthwaite – Seatoller
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 or X4/X5)
Year-round, frequent in season. Serves all the Borrowdale starts — Glaramara, the Scafells and Great Gable via Seathwaite (alight Seatoller, 20 min walk up the lane).
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

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