High Street
High Street at 828m (2,717ft) takes its name from the Roman road that ran along its broad summit ridge — an ancient highway traversed by legions and drovers alike for 2,000 years.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 828 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 38 mph, 13.5 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 828 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
About the walk
High Street
Routes up High Street
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Mardale Head, Haweswater (free), about 2.7 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near High Street (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 Street
✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
The View from High Street
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 Street, by direction
- West: Hart Crag (7 km), Fairfield (8 km), Cofa Pike (8 km), Dollywaggon Pike (10 km), High Crag (10 km), Nethermost Pike (10 km), Helvellyn (11 km), Shelter Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Bowfell (20 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Great End (22 km), Ill Crag (22 km), Broad Crag (23 km), Scafell Pike (23 km), Great Gable (23 km), Scafell (24 km), Pillar (27 km), High Stile (27 km), Black Crag (28 km), Red Pike (28 km), High Stile (28 km), Scoat Fell (28 km)
- North-west: Catstye Cam (10 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (11 km), Raise (12 km), White Side (12 km), Stybarrow Dodd (12 km), Great Dodd (14 km), Blencathra (20 km), Gategill Fell Top (20 km), Atkinson Pike (21 km), Skiddaw South Top (25 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (25 km), Skiddaw (26 km), Skiddaw North Top (26 km), Broad End (26 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (177 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (165 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (197 km, Wales), Broad Law (116 km, Scotland), Moel Siabod (173 km, Wales), The Cheviot (119 km, England), Arenig Fawr (185 km, Wales), Tinto (133 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.
What you can see from High Street
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.
- Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Wales
- Carnedd Llewelyn Wales
- Irish Sea open water
- Ingleborough Yorkshire Dales
- Whernside Yorkshire Dales
- Morecambe Bay bay/estuary
- Cross Fell North Pennines
- Great Dun Fell North Pennines
All 55 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
Mardale Ill Bell, Kidsty Pike, High Raise (High Street), Harter Fell (Mardale), Froswick, Rest Dodd, Ill Bell, Brock Crags (Wainwright), Branstree, Yoke, Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Selside Pike, Red Screes, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How), Arnison Crag, Dove Crag, Place Fell, Birks, Loadpot Hill, High Pike (Scandale), Hart Crag, Glenridding Dodd, Birkhouse Moor, Sheffield Pike, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Hart Side, Little Mell Fell, Great Mell Fell, Sergeant Man, Clough Head, Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle, Thunacar Knott, Loft Crag, Wetherlam, Pike of Blisco, Cold Pike, Glaramara, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Souther Fell, Allen Crags, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Bowscale Fell, Lonscale Fell, Green Gable, Slight Side, Carrock Fell, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Bakestall, High Pike (Caldbeck), Red Pike (Wasdale), Red Pike (Buttermere)
How High Street’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 Street
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.
Water & shelter on the way up
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
Buses to High Street from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere
No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
My hikes over High Street (Strava)
2 logged hikes pass over this summit:
- A few more in the Far Eastern Fells (opens in new tab) — 13.7 km · 847 m ascent · 3h 47m moving · 12 Jul 2025
- Mardale circuit (opens in new tab) — 17.1 km · 1001 m ascent · 4h 31m moving · 28 Feb 2025
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Hazard & Incident Information for High Street
The highest of the Far Eastern Fells, named for the Roman road that crosses its broad, grassy summit. In clear weather it is an easy whaleback walk, but the very feature that makes it gentle — a wide, near-featureless plateau — makes it one of the classic navigation traps of the Lakes in mist. The plateau is rimmed by serious crags on its eastern side above Blea Water and Riggindale, so a navigation error in cloud can lead onto genuinely dangerous ground. Mardale and Patterdale teams cover this remote fell.
- The summit plateau in poor visibility: Broad, flat and almost featureless, with few landmarks to fix on. In cloud it is very easy to walk off on the wrong bearing and end up above crags or descending into the wrong valley. Take a compass bearing before you leave the summit and trust it — don't navigate by the vague feel of the slope.
- Long Stile / Rough Crag (Riggindale) edge above Blea Water: The eastern rim drops in steep crags to Blea Water, the deepest tarn in the Lakes. The Long Stile ridge is the narrow, craggy crest along this edge. Keep well back from the lip in wind or mist; the ground that looks like a continuation of the plateau ends abruptly in cliffs.
- Winter conditions on the plateau and edges: In winter the plateau holds snow and offers no shelter or reference points, and cornices and ice form along the crag edges above Blea Water. Whiteout navigation here is genuinely serious — full winter skills, ice axe and crampons needed, and extra margin kept from the corniced edge.
Most common causes: Navigation errors in cloud on the featureless summit plateau · Walkers drifting onto the crags above Blea Water / Riggindale · Whiteout disorientation and corniced edges in winter · Underestimating the remoteness and long walk-out from any direction
Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Reviewed 13 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.
Navigating High Street in cloud
SevereWalkable 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 Street 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 Street
Is High Street hard to climb?
It's a long but technically straightforward fell — the highest of the Far Eastern Fells at 828 m (2,717 ft), with a broad, grassy whaleback summit and no scrambling on the usual routes. The effort is the steady climb and the distance.
Its real difficulty is navigation: the wide, featureless plateau is one of the classic places in the Lakes to lose your bearings in cloud, and there are steep crags on its eastern side.
What is the easiest route up High Street?
The two popular ways are from Mardale Head (the western end of Haweswater) and from Troutbeck in the south. From Mardale Head a fine round of about 9 km / 644 m of ascent goes up via Rough Crag and Long Stile, or more gently via Nan Bield Pass.
The Mardale Head car park is small and fills early on busy days, so arrive in good time.
How long does it take to climb High Street?
Allow about 4–4.5 hours for a round from Mardale Head (roughly 9–11.5 km). Bigger circuits taking in Harter Fell, Mardale Ill Bell or High Raise make a longer 6–8 hour day.
It's high, open and remote ground, so start in good time and leave a margin for the weather.
Why is High Street called High Street?
It's named after the Roman road that runs along its summit ridge — one of the highest Roman roads in Britain, linking the forts at Brougham (Penrith) and Ambleside. The route kept to the high, open crest to avoid the wooded, marshy and dangerous valleys below.
The summit is also known as Racecourse Hill, after shepherds' fairs and horse races once held on the broad plateau.
Sources: Wikipedia — High Street (Lake District) (opens in new tab)
Is it easy to get lost on High Street?
Yes — the broad, flat, near-featureless summit is a notorious navigation trap in mist, and a wrong bearing can take you toward the steep crags above Blea Water and Riggindale on the eastern side, or down the wrong valley.
Take a compass bearing before leaving the top (the line of the old wall and the Roman road can help), keep well back from the eastern edge, and in winter treat the corniced rim and exposed plateau as serious ground.
Is High Street suitable for beginners?
A fit beginner can manage it in good, clear weather — there's no scrambling — but it's a long, remote, high day, and the featureless summit demands navigation skills. It's better once you've a few fells behind you.
Go on a settled, clear day, carry a map and compass and full kit, start early, and be ready to turn back if cloud comes down on the plateau.
What should I wear and take up High Street?
Wear proper walking boots for the rough, sometimes boggy ground, and carry warm and waterproof layers — the high, open plateau is exposed and windy. A map and compass (and the skill to use them) are essential here above all, given the featureless top.
Take food, water and a charged phone, check the mountain forecast, and carry full winter kit when there's snow.
Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-06-14 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)
Other fells near High Street
- Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)
- Arthur's Pike
- Baystones (Wansfell)
- Beda Fell (Beda Head)
- Bonscale Pike
- Branstree
- Brock Crags (Wainwright)
- Froswick
- Gray Crag
- Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)
- Hallin Fell
- Harter Fell (Mardale)
- Hartsop Dodd
- High Raise (High Street)
- Ill Bell
- Kentmere Pike
- Kidsty Pike
- Loadpot Hill
- Mardale Ill Bell
- Place Fell
- Rampsgill Head
- Rest Dodd
- Sallows
- Selside Pike
- Shipman Knotts
- Sour Howes
- Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)
- Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)
- Tarn Crag (Sleddale)
- The Knott (High Street)
- The Nab
- Thornthwaite Crag
- Troutbeck Tongue
- Wether Hill
- Yoke
Maps & guidebooks for High Street
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