Latrigg

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Summited July 2024

Home › Fells › Latrigg

369 mWainwright — Northern Fells+2 bonus Birketts within 3 km Fewer traps in Clag

Latrigg at 369m (1,211ft) is the little fell above Keswick, its summit giving one of the finest and most accessible viewpoints of Derwent Water and the surrounding fells in the whole Lake District.

Summit conditions on Latrigg

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 13° to 7°C, gusts to 46 mph, 11.0 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

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

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 44 mph times our exposure factor of 1.05. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 46 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

11.0 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 5 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 42 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 Latrigg

Choose the way up before the car park: these two routes start from two places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.

Compared	Latrigg	Latrigg, Little Man, Sale & Cumbria Way Section
Starts from	Gale Road car park (Underscar), Keswick	Keswick
Distance and climb	2.48 km, 106 m of climb	18.15 km, 971 m of climb
Time, fast to steady	~½–1 h	~5¼–7 h
Scrambling	Not mentioned in the route’s notes	Not mentioned in the route’s notes
Exposure	Not assessed	Not assessed
Navigation	Easy	Moderate
Steepest stretch	Climb of about 14% at 0.3 km (Easy)	Climb of about 32% at 1.7 km (Hard)
After the summit	No further tops	Over Skiddaw Lesser Man, Skiddaw Little Man and Sale How
Walked or planned	Walked in part; km 1.5–2.5 from the map	Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Car park at the start	Latrigg car park (free)	Keswick Old Station, hotel car park (paid)
Bus to the start	554, 2.6 km walk from Keswick, opposite The Pheasant	509, 450 m walk from Keswick, at Greta Bank

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 →

Is Latrigg easy to climb?

Yes — Latrigg (369 m / 1,211 ft) is one of the easiest fells in the Lakes, and the gentlest summit near Keswick. There's no scrambling, no sheer edges and only a gradual incline on clear, well-made paths, so anyone of moderate fitness can manage it.

Wainwright famously wrote that anybody who couldn't manage Latrigg should give up the idea of becoming a fellwalker — it's a perfect first fell.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 369 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast

Tue 27 Oct

13° / 7°

46 mph

11.0 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

11° / 8°

33 mph

7.3 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

11° / 8°

21 mph

0.3 mm (33%)

Fri 30 Oct

11° / 7°

21 mph

0.0 mm (23%)

Sat 31 Oct

13° / 1°

5 mph

0.0 mm (18%)

Sun 1 Nov

9° / 1°

8 mph

0.0 mm (10%)

Mon 2 Nov

9° / 2°

15 mph

0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 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 Latrigg

Parking

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

Latrigg car park — at the start of Latrigg

Free car park at the top of Gale Road behind Latrigg — the shortest way up Skiddaw via Jenkin Hill, and 0.7 km from Latrigg itself. Gale Road runs a long way down and people park in random spots along it; this pin is the very top. Lee has confirmed in person. Three of our routes start within 70 m of the pin: 'Latrigg', 'Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw Lesser Man, Skiddaw and Bakestall in the sun!' and 'Up to Skiddaw Round Trip'.

Directions Something changed here?

If it is full: Latrigg (verge) (2.5 km, 270 m up); Keswick, Crosthwaite Road (paid) (2.8 km, 289 m up); Keswick, Otley Road (paid) (3.0 km, 303 m up)

Keswick Old Station, hotel car park (paid) — at the start of Latrigg, Little Man, Sale & Cumbria Way Section

One of the two Keswick Old Station car parks at the start of the Keswick to Threlkeld trail; they are run separately, so use the ticket machine for the part you park in (LDNPA directory, read 5 October 2026). The 'Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Trail, with a Pub' route starts 66 m away. Paid parking (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Latrigg (verge) — 1.1 km from summit (straight line)

1.1 km from Latrigg. Roadside; Lee has walked past them.

Directions Something changed here?

2 more places to park near Latrigg

Latrigg, north-west car park — 1.2 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Latrigg (1.2 km), Jenkin Hill (1.8 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (1.9 km). Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.

Directions Something changed here?

Keswick Old Station, leisure centre car park (paid) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)

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 509, 555, X4 and X5 stop at Keswick, at Greta Bank, a 450 m walk from the start of Latrigg, Little Man, Sale & Cumbria Way Section — a route we rate Hard overall (hardest: distance and steepness). We haven’t published last buses, Sunday or winter service yet, so check the timetable before you rely on getting back.

Stagecoach 509

Penrith ↔ Keswick around Ullswater — calls at Pooley Bridge, Watermillock, Glenridding, Patterdale, Hartsop, Dockray, Matterdale, Mungrisdale and Threlkeld

Catch it from: Penrith · Keswick

The Ullswater side of the Penrith–Keswick corridor, and a second option where we previously showed only the 508. Reaches Helvellyn and Catstye Cam from Glenridding, Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes from Patterdale, the Hartsop fells, and Gowbarrow from Dockray. Frequency and season for the whole service are not listed here; where a stop's times have been checked, they are given above with the date. Note the Troutbeck on this route is the one on the A66 near Penrith, not the Troutbeck near Windermere.

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 Latrigg

Hazard & Incident Information for Latrigg

Checked by Lee McCoy, 13 June 2026. Draws on published material from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Low

A short, well-pathed fell on the edge of Keswick with no significant hazards — a popular first hill and an easy evening stroll. The only real risks are the ones common to any fell: deteriorating weather, and underestimating a hill simply because it is small.

Who should attempt this fell: Suitable for most walkers and a good introduction to the fells. Normal hill sense still applies — take a layer and watch the weather.

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)

Safety: 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 near-level ground around 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 Latrigg 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 Latrigg

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

2.8 km NNELonscale Pike (Lonscale Fell East Top)703 m · Northern

2.8 km NJenkin Hill735 m · Northern

Routes over Latrigg

Latrigg, Little Man, Sale & Cumbria Way Section

Summits: LatriggSkiddaw Lesser Man Skiddaw Little Man Sale How

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Route guide: Latrigg, Little Man, Sale & Cumbria Way Section →

Latrigg

Summits: Latrigg

Download GPX Walked in part, July 2024 · km 1.5–2.5 from the map

Route guide: Latrigg →

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 Latrigg

Wainwright included it in The Northern Fells, and it makes an ideal evening walk from Keswick. The short ascent from Gale Road or Keswick gives views of Skiddaw above, Derwent Water below, and the full sweep of the Northern and Central Fells. Deservedly one of the most popular short walks from the town.

Field notes

This is perhaps the cheapest Wainwright in all of Lakeland if you stop at the top of Gale Road. Even though it is hardly a trek to this fell, it probably is, pound for pound, the best-value view in the entire region. If your clutch can survive the drive up the road (I saw a family burn theirs out trying to drive to the top), then you can spend a good couple of hours with a picnic and enjoy the vista over Keswick. And for those of you who like to venture out in trainers, you'll have no experienced hikers roll their eyes at you atop this one.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on our Latrigg route in July 2024

My Strava hikes over Latrigg

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Lattrig - most cheatingest fell there is. You basically drive to the summit. (opens in new tab) — 2.2 km · 88 m ascent · 30 min moving · 27 July 2024

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Latrigg a Wainwright?

Latrigg is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Selected lists

369 m

Height

1,211 ft

In feet

NY 2790 2471

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 Latrigg

The 360° skyline from Latrigg

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-east: Knowe Crags (4 km)
South-east: Little Dodd (7 km), Great Dodd (8 km), Watson's Dodd (8 km), Stybarrow Dodd (9 km), Raise (10 km), White Side (10 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (11 km), Catstye Cam (11 km), Helvellyn (12 km)
South: Glaramara (15 km), Allen Crags (17 km), Great End (17 km), Esk Pike (18 km), Broad Crag (18 km), Scafell Pike (19 km), Bowfell (19 km), Scafell (20 km), Shelter Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (20 km), Grey Friar (24 km), Dow Crag (27 km)
South-west: Sail (9 km), Crag Hill (10 km), Eel Crag (10 km), High Stile (15 km), High Stile (15 km), Red Pike (15 km), Green Gable (15 km), Great Gable (16 km), Pillar (17 km), Scoat Fell (18 km), Lingmell (18 km)
West: Grisedale Pike (8 km), Sand Hill (10 km)
North-west: Skiddaw South Top (4 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Cairnsmore of Fleet (89 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (99 km, Scotland), Millfore (95 km, Scotland), Fell of Fleet (85 km, Scotland), Pibble Hill (83 km, Scotland), Bengray (74 km, Scotland).

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 Latrigg

Latrigg waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls at midsummer, when the sun is up for 56 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 05:32 against an almanac sunrise of 04:36. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the east-north-east from here (56.3°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 5.73°.

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	05:32 BST ±5.0 min	04:36	+56 min
Equinox	06:17 GMT ±5.0 min	06:15	+2 min
Midwinter	09:05 GMT ±5.0 min	08:34	+31 min

The northern horizon stands at about 6.06° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Latrigg

Latrigg loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 November, when last light is 21 minutes before almanac sunset — 16:16 against 16:37. The sun goes down to the west-south-west from here (241.4°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.45°.

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	21:42 BST ±5.0 min	21:53	-11 min
Equinox	18:21 GMT ±5.0 min	18:26	-5 min
Midwinter	15:29 GMT ±5.0 min	15:48	-19 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.

Latrigg 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 Latrigg

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

63Wainwrights in view+2 marginal

44 kmFurthest sightlineGreat Dun Fell

—Sea in viewnone from here

Far horizons

Great Dun Fell North PenninesE · 44 km distant
Cross Fell North PenninesENE · 42 km clear

All 63 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw Little Man, Walla Crag, High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Carl Side, Dodd (Skiddaw), Bleaberry Fell, Clough Head, Barrow, Cat Bells (Catbells), Raven Crag, Barf, Causey Pike, Outerside, Great Dodd, Watson's Dodd, Lord's Seat, Maiden Moor, Scar Crags, Grisedale Pike, Stybarrow Dodd, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Ard Crags, Broom Fell, Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter), Sail, Castle Crag, High Spy, Raise, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Sale Fell, White Side, Knott Rigg, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Hindscarth, Dale Head, Robinson, Catstye Cam, Helvellyn, Great Mell Fell, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Base Brown, Little Mell Fell, Glaramara, Seat Sandal, High Stile, Red Pike (Buttermere), Green Gable, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Great Gable, Pillar, Allen Crags, Great End, Esk Pike, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Lingmell, Scafell Pike, Bowfell, Scafell, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Cold Pike, Grey Friar, Dow Crag

How the view from Latrigg 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 Latrigg. 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 Underscar: 10 places in Keswick

Frequently asked questions about Latrigg

Is Latrigg easy to climb? Answered above.

Is Latrigg easier than Cat Bells?

Marginally, yes. Both are short beginner fells with big views, but Cat Bells has two short polished rock steps where most people use their hands, while Latrigg has none — it's grass and clear track the whole way, with a much gentler start from Gale Road.

A fair rule: Latrigg is the gentler first hill, and the one with a Miles Without Stiles path the national park rates accessible for some; Cat Bells feels slightly more like mountaineering and rewards you with the closer lake views. Ideal first and second fells, in that order.

Is there a wheelchair-accessible path up Latrigg?

Yes — Latrigg is Miles Without Stiles route 38: a well-maintained path from the Gale Road car park (grid NY 281253), about 1 km each way, designed with wheelchair and pram users in mind. The national park rates it "accessible for some": parts are steep and uneven, mobility scooters should be class 2 or 3, and you return the same way.

There are no toilets on the route — the nearest are in Keswick. Check the national park's Miles Without Stiles page for current conditions.

Sources: Lake District National Park — Miles Without Stiles 38: Latrigg (opens in new tab)

What is the easiest route up Latrigg, and how long is it?

The shortest way is from the free Gale Road car park (behind the fell), which starts high — only about 80 m of ascent and under a mile each way on a clear path (0.8 km to the summit on our walked line), taking about ½–1 hour.

A lovely longer circular from Keswick itself, using the old railway line, is about 9.5 km (6 miles) and takes 2.5–3 hours on easy ground.

Is Latrigg good for families and children?

It's one of the best family fells in the Lakes — short and gentle, with huge rewards for little effort. From Gale Road even young children can reach the summit, and the lower circular along the old Keswick railway line is largely pushchair- and wheelchair-friendly to a point.

There are no sheer drops on the usual route, but it's still open fellside, so keep little ones close and dress for the breeze on top.

Can you take a dog up Latrigg?

Yes — it's a popular, dog-friendly walk on good paths, ideal for a quick outing from Keswick. One mapped stile on the route is of unknown type; most dogs will need no more than a lift. Just keep dogs on a lead around the grazing sheep on the open fell, and under control near the road at the Gale Road car park.

What are the views like from Latrigg?

Out of all proportion to the effort. The summit gives a superb panorama over Keswick and Derwentwater, along Bassenthwaite Lake, and across to the Newlands and North Western Fells, with mighty Skiddaw rising behind. On a clear day you can pick out Scafell Pike and Great Gable far to the south.

It's one of the finest viewpoints in the Lakes for so little climbing — which is why it's so popular at sunset.

Sources: Keswick.org — Latrigg walking route (opens in new tab)

Do you need walking boots for Latrigg?

In dry summer conditions sturdy trainers are fine on the good paths, but walking boots or shoes with decent grip are better, as the grass and tracks get muddy and slippery after rain. It's still a fell, so take a waterproof and a warm layer — the breezy summit can be much cooler than Keswick.

Carry water and check the forecast; in winter the paths can be icy.

Sources: MWIS — Lake District forecast (opens in new tab)

How high is Latrigg? Answered above: Classifications & hill data.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-10-20 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Latrigg

Summit conditions on Latrigg

Wind on the top

Rain, and the becks

Routes up Latrigg

Is Latrigg easy to climb?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Latrigg

Parking

Buses

Hazards on Latrigg

Hazard & Incident Information for Latrigg

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Latrigg

Routes over Latrigg

About Latrigg

Field notes

My Strava hikes over Latrigg

Classifications & hill data

Is Latrigg a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Latrigg

The 360° skyline from Latrigg

Sunrise and sunset on Latrigg

Last light — when the sun leaves Latrigg

What you can see from Latrigg

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Latrigg

Other fells near Latrigg