Holme Fell

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Summited June 2023

Home › Fells › Holme Fell

316 mWainwright — Southern Fells+11 bonus Birketts within 3 km Fewer traps in Clag

Holme Fell at 316m (1,036ft) is a delightful, craggy little summit above Yewdale near Coniston, its rocky outcrops of Uskdale Gap and Ivy Crag providing surprisingly varied and interesting walking for such a modest height.

Summit conditions on Holme Fell

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 13° to 8°C, gusts to 39 mph, 6.5 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

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

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 39 mph times our exposure factor of 1.05. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 39 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 (opens in new tab) 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

6.5 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 6 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 41 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 (opens in new tab)

Routes up Holme Fell

Both start from Tarn Hows (NT, paid); the last two rows give its parking and bus. Full maps further down.

Compared	Holme Fell and Black Fell	Holme Fell and Black Crag from Tarn Hows
Starts from	Tarn Hows National Trust car park	Tarn Hows National Trust car park
Distance and climb	13.74 km, 614 m of climb	12.91 km, 785 m of climb
Time, fast to steady	~3¾–5¼ h	~3¾–5¼ h
Scrambling	Hands for a few steps: the last push onto Holme Fell (about km 4.4).	Hands for a few steps: the last push onto Holme Fell (about km 2.9).
Exposure	Easy	Not assessed
Navigation	Easy	Moderate
Steepest stretch	Climb of about 21% at 3.2 km (Moderate)	Climb of about 26% at 2.4 km (Hard)
After the summit	Over Black Fell	Over Black Fell
Walked or planned	Walked by Lee, June 2023	Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Car park at the start	Tarn Hows (NT, paid)	Tarn Hows (NT, paid)
Bus to the start	505, 1.2 km walk from Holling Brow (near)	505, 1.2 km walk from Holling Brow (near)

Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.

Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →

How difficult is it to hike Holme Fell?

One of the easiest Wainwrights there is — at 316 m it is the second-lowest in the whole book, and a direct ascent from the Yew Tree Farm side takes well under an hour. The climbing is short and the paths are clear. Two caveats: the final few metres to the top involve a brief rocky step-up that surprises people expecting a stroll, and the fell is a maze of little knolls, quarry hollows and bracken — more than one walker has topped out on the wrong knoll. Our walked round pairs it with Black Fell for a fuller day of 13.7 km and 614 m of ascent; Holme Fell alone is a fraction of that.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 316 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast

Tue 27 Oct

13° / 8°

39 mph

6.5 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

11° / 8°

37 mph

9.7 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

11° / 8°

17 mph

1.3 mm (75%)

Fri 30 Oct

10° / 7°

22 mph

0.0 mm (8%)

Sat 31 Oct

8° / 6°

4 mph

0.0 mm (6%)

Sun 1 Nov

10° / 5°

14 mph

0.3 mm (2%)

Mon 2 Nov

8° / 3°

9 mph

0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 20:59 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Holme Fell

Parking

Where do you park for Holme Fell?

The usual starts are the roadside space near Yew Tree Farm on the A593 (very limited — a handful of cars, and don't block the farm), or the Hodge Close quarry road on the Little Langdale side. Both are informal. The National Trust's Glen Mary Bridge car park on the A593 is the reliable paid option and puts Tom Gill's waterfalls and Tarn Hows on the same day.

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

Tarn Hows (NT, paid) — at the start of Holme Fell and Black Fell and Holme Fell and Black Crag from Tarn Hows

National Trust car park at Tarn Hows. Fees: pay and display (LDNP directory, checked August 2026). £7 for 2 hours; £8.50 for 4 hours; £10 all day (NT, checked August 2026). Free for NT members (checked August 2026).

Typically full before 10:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 9 August 2026.

Directions Something changed here?

Public toilets (~66 m straight line) — Free

Holme Fell, east (layby) — 0.8 km from summit (straight line)

Beside the A593 at Yew Tree Tarn. The Tarn Hows route starts, in the National Trust car park, are about 0.9 km away in a straight line. Free (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Holme Fell, south (layby) — 0.8 km from summit (straight line)

On the lane by Yewdale Beck at Shepherd's Bridge, north of Coniston. The Tarn Hows route starts, in the National Trust car park, are 1.7 km on foot and about 160 m up. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

3 more places to park near Holme Fell

Tilberthwaite (paid) — 0.9 km from summit (straight line)

Quarry car park for Wetherlam and the Tilberthwaite fells. It runs a long way along the road with no single entrance: use the marked parking without blocking the road or gateways. The National Trust's own free car park is across the gill, by the farm track. Fees: pay by app only (no cash), RingGo location 37331 (LDNPA, checked August 2026).

Directions Something changed here?

Glen Mary Bridge (NT, paid) — 1.0 km from summit (straight line)

On the A593 at Glen Mary Bridge, about 2 miles north of Coniston (OpenStreetMap: 'Glen Mary Car Park'). The Tarn Hows route starts, in the National Trust car park above, are 0.8 km on foot and about 110 m up. Fees: pay and display (LDNPA directory, checked August 2026). Gravel surface (OSM-tagged). Free for NT members (checked August 2026).

Directions Something changed here?

Tilberthwaite (NT, free) — 1.0 km from summit (straight line)

The National Trust's car park at Low Tilberthwaite, by the farm track, across the gill from the National Park's paid car park; for Wetherlam and the Tilberthwaite fells. Free (National Trust).

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 505 stops at Holling Brow (near). From there it is 1.2 km and 105 m of ascent to the start of Holme Fell and Black Crag from Tarn Hows — a route we rate Hard overall (hardest: steepness) — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 15.3 km in all, with the walk. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Coniston (505): Tuesday to Sunday 20:05. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 505 “Coniston Rambler”

Windermere – Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Hawkshead – Coniston

Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside

Daily in season (reduced winter service). Best access for the Coniston fells (Old Man, Wetherlam group).

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

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

Hazards on Holme Fell

Hazard & Incident Information for Holme Fell

Checked by Lee McCoy, 27 September 2026. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Moderate

One of the smallest Wainwrights, climbed in well under an hour from the Yew Tree Farm side on short, clear paths. Its hazards are the old Hodge Close and Holme Ground slate quarries, whose edges are unfenced above sheer drops, a brief rocky step-up in the final few metres, and a maze of little knolls, quarry hollows and bracken where it is easy to top out on the wrong knoll.

Unfenced quarry edges: The Hodge Close and Holme Ground slate workings have flooded pits and unfenced edges with sheer drops. Look from a distance, keep children and dogs close, and don't go onto the rims for a photograph.
Rocky step below the top: The final few metres involve a brief rocky step-up that surprises people expecting a stroll.
Knolls, quarry hollows and bracken (navigation): The fell is a maze of little knolls, quarry hollows and bracken, and it is easy to top out on the wrong knoll.

Who should attempt this fell: Holme Fell is a short, easy fell, but keep well back from the quarry edges, especially with children and dogs, and expect a brief rocky step at the top.

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled by hikes.guide from our own fell notes, not from Mountain Rescue reports - 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 (opens in new tab)

Navigating in cloud

Fewer traps in cloud

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of steep ground within half a kilometre of 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 Holme 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 (opens in new tab) (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 Holme Fell

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

1.4 km SWBrackeny Crag364 m · Southern

1.5 km WNWBlake Rigg (Tilberthwaite)423 m · Southern

1.6 km WNWHaystacks (Tilberthwaite)423 m · Southern

1.8 km WNWHawk Rigg441 m · Southern

1.8 km SWLow Wythow372 m · Southern

1.8 km NWHigh Fell (Hawk Rigg)428 m · Southern

2.0 km NWGreat Intake - Low Fell408 m · Southern

2.2 km SWHigh Wythow410 m · Southern

2.3 km WNWBirk Fell Man - Birk Fell528 m · Southern

2.3 km SWLong Crag - Yewdale Fells421 m · Southern

2.5 km SWKitty Crag435 m · Southern

Routes over Holme Fell

Holme Fell and Black Crag from Tarn Hows

Summits: Holme FellBlack Fell

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Route guide: Holme Fell and Black Crag from Tarn Hows →

Holme Fell and Black Fell

Summits: Holme FellBlack Fell

Download GPX Walked by Lee, June 2023

Picked for its light in: January, February, November, December A winter pick assumes the tops are clear of snow and ice on the day, or that you carry winter kit and know how to use it.

Route guide: Holme Fell and Black Fell →

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 Holme Fell

Wainwright was clearly fond of it, describing it as a place of character with excellent views of the Coniston Fells. The ascent from Hodge Close quarry is short but entertaining, weaving through rocky knolls and heathery ledges. The views across Tarn Hows to the Langdale Pikes and Coniston Fells are outstanding — among the best views from any low fell in Lakeland.

My Strava hikes over Holme Fell

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

A couple more Wainrights with the kids (opens in new tab) — 12.8 km · 560 m ascent · 3h 30m moving · 8 June 2023

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Selected lists

316 m

Height

1,036 ft

In feet

NY 3150 0060

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.

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 Holme Fell

The 360° skyline from Holme 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

The skyline as a list, by direction

North: Blea Rigg (7 km), Sergeant Man (9 km), Tarn Crag (9 km), Codale Head (9 km), Steel Fell (11 km), Seat Sandal (11 km), Ullscarf (12 km), Fairfield (12 km), Dollywaggon Pike (13 km), High Crag (13 km), Helvellyn (15 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (15 km), Knowe Crags (26 km)
North-east: High Pike (10 km), Great Rigg (11 km), Dove Crag (12 km), Red Screes (12 km), Hart Crag (12 km), Little Hart Crag (12 km), Yoke (14 km), Stony Cove Pike (14 km), Ill Bell (14 km), Froswick (14 km), Thornthwaite Crag (15 km), Mardale Ill Bell (16 km), Tarn Crag (19 km)
East: Shipman Knotts (17 km), Goat Scar (17 km), Grey Crag (19 km)
South-west: Brim Fell (5 km), The Old Man of Coniston (5 km)
North-west: Wrynose Fell (5 km), Pike of Blisco (6 km), Thorn Crag (7 km), Loft Crag (8 km), Harrison Stickle (8 km), Pavey Ark (8 km), Looking Steads (12 km), Glaramara (12 km), Combe Head (12 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (162 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (150 km, Wales), Moel Siabod (158 km, Wales), Cadair Berwyn (170 km, Wales), Creigiau Gleision (151 km, Wales), Y Garn (157 km, Wales), Winter Hill (92 km, England), Elidir Fawr (156 km, Wales).

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

Sunrise and sunset on Holme Fell

Holme Fell sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 July) first light is only 18 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

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 light	Almanac sunrise	Difference
Midsummer	04:54 BST ±5.0 min	04:37	+17 min
Equinox	06:17 GMT ±5.0 min	06:15	+2 min
Midwinter	08:30 GMT ±5.0 min	08:32	-2 min

The northern horizon stands at about 2.02° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Holme Fell

Holme Fell loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 September, when last light is 66 minutes before almanac sunset — 18:58 against 20:04. The sun goes down to the west from here (271.9°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 9.03°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
	Last light	Almanac sunset	Difference
Midsummer	21:18 BST ±5.0 min	21:52	-34 min
Equinox	17:28 GMT ±5.0 min	18:26	-58 min
Midwinter	15:26 GMT ±5.0 min	15:50	-24 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.

Holme Fell is one of our picked Lake District viewpoints — what you can see from it, when the light is best, and where to park.

What you can see from Holme Fell

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.

42Wainwrights in view+2 marginal

162 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction

—Sea in viewnone from here

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.

Far horizons

Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 162 km clear
Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 147 km clear
Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesESE · 50 km clear
Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 46 km clear

All 42 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Wetherlam, Black Fell, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Loughrigg Fell, Pike of Blisco, Blea Rigg, Loft Crag, Harrison Stickle, Nab Scar, Pike of Stickle, Pavey Ark, Heron Pike (Rydal), Sergeant Man, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Stone Arthur, Low Pike, Baystones (Wansfell), High Pike (Scandale), Great Rigg, Seat Sandal, Dove Crag, Red Screes, Sour Howes, Ullscarf, Hart Crag, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Fairfield, Glaramara, Sallows, Dollywaggon Pike, Yoke, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Ill Bell, Froswick, Helvellyn, Thornthwaite Crag, Mardale Ill Bell, Shipman Knotts, Tarn Crag (Sleddale), Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

How the view from Holme 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 Holme 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 Tarn Hows: 6 places in Ambleside

Frequently asked questions about Holme Fell

How difficult is it to hike Holme Fell? Answered above.

Is Holme Fell a Wainwright?

Yes — one of the Southern Fells in Wainwright's book, and at 316 m among the very smallest. Wainwright rated its view out of all proportion to its height, and he was right: the Coniston fells fill the sky to the west and the whole quiet country of Tarn Hows and Yewdale lies below.

Where do you park for Holme Fell? Answered above: Parking for Holme Fell.

What are the quarries on Holme Fell?

The fell is riddled with the remains of the Hodge Close and Holme Ground slate workings — flooded pits, spoil runs and a small reservoir built to serve them. They are a large part of the fell's character and a genuine hazard: the quarry edges are unfenced and the drops are sheer. Look from a distance, keep children and dogs close, and don't be tempted onto the rims for a photograph.

Is Holme Fell the same as Holme Moss?

No — and the confusion is common enough that searches for one return the other. Holme Fell is the little Lakeland Wainwright above Yewdale; Holme Moss is a very different hill in the Peak District, best known for its transmitter mast, its road climb and a fell race. If you have come looking for the race, you want the Pennines, not Coniston.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-08-03 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Holme Fell

Summit conditions on Holme Fell

Wind on the top

Rain, and the becks

Routes up Holme Fell

How difficult is it to hike Holme Fell?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Holme Fell

Parking

Where do you park for Holme Fell?

Buses

Hazards on Holme Fell

Hazard & Incident Information for Holme Fell

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Holme Fell

Routes over Holme Fell

About Holme Fell

My Strava hikes over Holme Fell

Classifications & hill data

Selected lists

The view from Holme Fell

The 360° skyline from Holme Fell

Sunrise and sunset on Holme Fell

Last light — when the sun leaves Holme Fell

What you can see from Holme Fell

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Holme Fell

Other fells near Holme Fell