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

Wainwright — North Western FellsAlso a Birkett

High Spy

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.

653 m
Height
~3–4 h
Typical time
+5
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › High Spy

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

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

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

Modelled guidance for the 653 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 13°C, gusts to 36 mph, 4.5 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
14° / 13°
💨 36 mph
🌧 4.5 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 32 mph
🌧 9.3 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
12° / 4°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.9 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 2°
💨 22 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 2.7 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
15° / 5°
💨 17 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 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 653 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 Spy

High Spy, a Lake District fell
Photo: Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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.

Routes up High Spy

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

Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy
13.8 km · ~4.1 hr · Easy
A lovely, accessible ridge walk above the western shore of Derwentwater, and a great introduction to the fells. From Hawes End it climbs the shapely little peak of Catbells, then follows the airy but easy ridge south over Maiden Moor to High Spy, with Derwentwater and the Newlands valley spread out below. There are a few easy scrambly steps on Catbells that some guides don't mention, but nothing most people can't manage. A modest, rewarding day with some of the best views in the northern Lakes for the effort.
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
North Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
HuMP
653 m
Height
2,142 ft
In feet
NY 2341 1623
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Rosthwaite (NT, paid), about 2.6 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near High Spy (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

Routes over High Spy

Catbells, Maiden Moor & High SpyRevised
13.79 km · ~824 m ascent · loop · ~4–5.5 h · Loop · Easy
Summits: Skelgill BankCat Bells (Catbells)Maiden MoorHigh Spy

⬇️ Download GPX

Best season: A good year-round walk; the steep little steps on Catbells are slippery when wet, and the ridge is exposed to wind.

⚠️ Warnings: A few easy scrambly steps on Catbells — take care, especially when wet.; The ridge is narrow in places with steep ground either side; fine for most, but keep children close.

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 Spy

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 Spy36 labelled tops shown (5 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 9 kmHelvellyn · 11 kmSkiddaw · 13 kmGreat End · 8 kmBowfell · 10 kmGreat Gable · 6 kmHigh Crag · 11 kmRaise · 11 kmFairfield · 13 kmBlencathra · 14 kmGreat Dodd · 12 kmGrasmoor · 7 kmStybarrow Dodd · 11 kmCrag Hill · 6 kmSkiddaw Lesser Man · 12 kmHigh Stile · 7 kmKirk Fell · 7 kmGrisedale Pike · 7 kmGlaramara · 6 kmGreat Rigg · 14 kmWetherlam · 16 kmHigh Raise · 8 kmHobcarton Crag · 7 kmHarrison Stickle · 10 kmHindscarth · 2 kmClough Head · 12 kmUllscarf · 7 kmLonscale Fell · 12 kmUllock Pike · 13 kmCarrock Fell · 20 kmCalfhow Pike · 11 kmWhiteless Pike · 6 kmCausey Pike · 5 kmDale Head · 1 kmLining Crag · 7 kmSeat How · 10 kmScafell · 10 kmNethermost Pike · 11 kmCatstye Cam · 11 kmEsk Pike · 9 kmWhite Side · 10 kmDollywaggon Pike · 12 kmWatson's Dodd · 11 kmSail · 5 kmJenkin Hill · 12 kmCombe Head · 6 kmLow White Stones · 8 kmBrandreth · 5 kmPike of Stickle · 10 kmPavey Ark · 10 kmColdbarrow Fell · 6 kmMiton Hill · 20 kmArd Crags · 4 kmIll Crag · 4 kmThrelkeld Knotts · 12 kmBarrow · 6 kmBinsey · 19 kmScope End · 2 kmKing's How · 2 kmEycott Hill · 20 kmCold Fell · 54 km · clear daysGrange Fell · 66 km · clear daysTinto · 121 km · a handful of days a yearGreen Lowther · 101 km · a rare clear dayWhite Coomb · 99 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 115 km · a rare clear dayWinter Hill · 110 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from High Spy, by direction
  • North: Skiddaw Lesser Man (12 km), Skiddaw Little Man (12 km), Skiddaw South Top (13 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (13 km), Skiddaw (13 km)
  • North-east: Knowe Crags (13 km), Gategill Fell Top (14 km), Blencathra (14 km)
  • East: Helvellyn Lower Man (10 km), White Side (10 km), Watson's Dodd (11 km), Helvellyn (11 km), Raise (11 km), Nethermost Pike (11 km), High Crag (11 km), Stybarrow Dodd (11 km), Catstye Cam (11 km), Great Dodd (12 km), Dollywaggon Pike (12 km), Cofa Pike (13 km), Fairfield (13 km)
  • South-east: Red Screes (18 km)
  • South: Green Gable (6 km), Glaramara (6 km), Great Gable (6 km), Great End (8 km), Lingmell (8 km), Esk Pike (9 km), Broad Crag (9 km), Ill Crag (9 km), Scafell Pike (9 km), Bowfell (10 km), Scafell (10 km)
  • South-west: Kirk Fell East Top (6 km), Kirk Fell (7 km)
  • West: High Stile (7 km), High Stile (7 km)
  • North-west: Crag Hill (6 km), Grasmoor (7 km), Grisedale Pike (7 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Tinto (121 km, Scotland), Green Lowther (101 km, Scotland), White Coomb (99 km, Scotland), Queensberry (87 km, Scotland), Ettrick Pen (92 km, Scotland), Culter Fell (114 km, Scotland), Dun Rig (115 km, Scotland), Winter Hill (110 km, England).

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 Spy

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
73Wainwrights in view+3 marginal
1Sea in viewSolway Firth
Far horizons
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryN · 48 km in view
All 73 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Dale Head, Hindscarth, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Grey Knotts, Ard Crags, Knott Rigg, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Brandreth, Base Brown, Causey Pike, Scar Crags, Sail, High Seat, Barrow, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Wandope, Eagle Crag, Green Gable, Glaramara, Whiteless Pike, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Bleaberry Fell, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Sergeant's Crag, Great Gable, Walla Crag, Kirk Fell, Ullscarf, Grasmoor, Grisedale Pike, Allen Crags, Great End, High Raise (High White Stones), Lingmell, Esk Pike, Scafell Pike, Thunacar Knott, Latrigg, Pike of Stickle, Pavey Ark, Bowfell, Harrison Stickle, Scafell, Loft Crag, White Side, Watson's Dodd, Lord's Seat, Barf, Helvellyn, Raise, Nethermost Pike, Stybarrow Dodd, Dodd (Skiddaw), Catstye Cam, Great Dodd, Dollywaggon Pike, Clough Head, Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Seat Sandal, Lonscale Fell, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Skiddaw, Fairfield, Great Rigg, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, High Pike (Scandale), Wetherlam, Red Screes, Binsey, Carrock Fell

How High Spy’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 Spy

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

Rosthwaite (NT, paid) — 2.6 km from summit (straight line)
Village car park for the central Borrowdale fells and Watendlath ridge.
Directions
🚺 Rosthwaite Village (189m) — Free · Accessible☕ The Flock-in
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
🚺 Public toilets (61m) — Free🚺 Public toilets (1787m) — Free☕ Sky Hi Cafe

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 Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy route:

🚌 Hawes (Cattlegrid) (36 m)⛺ YHA Hawse End Cottage (364 m)

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

Buses to High Spy 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.

My hikes over High Spy (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Hazard & Incident Information for High Spy

Hazard: Moderate

A fell on the long ridge dividing Newlands from Borrowdale, with an easy grassy crest but precipitous crags falling away on both sides — Eel Crags and Blea Crag to the Borrowdale east, steep ground to the Newlands west. The danger is drifting off the broad ridge toward those edges in cloud; disused quarry workings lie on the Borrowdale approach. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Precipitous crags on both flanks: High Spy is defended by steep crags east (Eel Crags / Blea Crag above Borrowdale) and west (toward Newlands). Keep to the crest and well back from both edges, especially in wind or cloud — the gentle grass gives little warning before the drop.
  • Broad ridge navigation in cloud: The summit and the ridge to Maiden Moor and Dale Head are broad and grassy with few features. In mist take a compass bearing so you stay on the crest and don't drift toward the crag edges or the wrong valley.
  • Disused Rigg Head Quarries: The Borrowdale approach passes the disused Rigg Head Quarries; keep clear of spoil, openings and steep quarry edges, particularly in poor light.
Who should attempt this fell: High Spy is easy ridge walking, but it's a knife between two crag-bound valleys — keep to the crest and back from the edges, and navigate by compass in cloud so you don't drift toward the drops or the wrong valley. Keep clear of the old quarry workings, and treat the edges as serious in winter when iced.

Most common causes: Walkers drifting toward the crag edges on either side in poor visibility · Navigation errors on the broad grassy ridge in cloud · Mishaps around the disused Rigg Head Quarries · Winter ice on the crag edges and steep ground

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information

Navigating High Spy in cloud

Severe

Walkable ground sits close to a lethal drop — in cloud it’s easy to walk straight onto steep ground. 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 Spy compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Frequently asked questions about High Spy

Where is High Spy, and is it a Wainwright?

Yes — a 653 m (2,142 ft) Wainwright in the North Western Fells, on the long ridge between Borrowdale and the Newlands valley. It's the high point of the ridge that begins at Catbells and runs south over Maiden Moor, with the Eel Crags face dropping dramatically towards Newlands.

What is the best walk up High Spy?

The classic is the ridge from Catbells over Maiden Moor — our mapped circuit is about 13.8 km (roughly 4–4.5 hours), one of the finest ridge promenades in the district: easy walking, huge views over Derwentwater one side and Newlands the other, and the summits arrive in a natural crescendo.

Keep to the path along the Newlands edge — the Eel Crags face below the ridge is steep, broken ground.

How hard is High Spy?

Moderate — there's no scrambling on the ridge route and the paths are clear, but it's a genuine 2,000-footer and the round from the Newlands or Borrowdale side is a proper half-day-plus. The usual descent to Dalehead Tarn and back down Newlands is rough underfoot in places.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-07-20 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near High Spy

Maps & guidebooks for High Spy

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