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807 m · Wainwright — Southern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — Southern FellsAlso a Birkett

Lingmell

Lingmell at 807m (2,648ft) stands sentinel above Wasdale Head, a broad grassy dome that Wainwright described as providing one of the finest close-up views of Scafell Pike — the great crags of Pikes Crag and the Corridor Route are seen to dramatic effect from its summit.

807 m
Height
~4.5–5.5 h
Typical time
+6
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →

Home › Fells › Lingmell

807 mWainwright — Southern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 807 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Fri 11 Sep): 10° to 8°C, gusts to 32 mph, 3.3 mm of rain forecast.

Fri 11 Sep
🌦️
10° / 8°
💨 32 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (100%)
Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
13° / 8°
💨 54 mph
🌧 54.5 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
11° / 6°
💨 21 mph
🌧 0.7 mm (74%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌧️
13° / 6°
💨 33 mph
🌧 18.7 mm (96%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌧️
12° / 6°
💨 32 mph
🌧 13.2 mm (100%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
9° / 7°
💨 34 mph
🌧 6.0 mm (96%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
9° / 7°
💨 38 mph
🌧 11.6 mm (98%)

Forecast snapshot from 11 Sep 2026, 08:30 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 807 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

Lingmell at a glance

Lingmell

Lingmell, a Lake District fell
Photo: Doug Sim, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lingmell at 807m (2,648ft) stands sentinel above Wasdale Head, a broad grassy dome that Wainwright described as providing one of the finest close-up views of Scafell Pike — the great crags of Pikes Crag and the Corridor Route are seen to dramatic effect from its summit. Most walkers pass it by in their hurry to reach the Pike, but it deserves a visit for its own sake: the views down Wasdale to the lake, and across to Great Gable and Kirk Fell, are excellent. The usual ascent is from Wasdale Head via Lingmell Beck, returning via Brown Tongue for a satisfying half-day round.

Routes up Lingmell

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

Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route
15.8 km · ~4.7 hr · Difficult
A grander, more interesting way up England's highest mountain than the Wasdale tourist path — the Corridor Route threads beneath the crags from Seathwaite in Borrowdale, with Lingmell a worthwhile detour for the finest view of the Scafell face. I haven't walked this exact line myself, and there are plenty of accounts of people struggling on certain sections, so read up or watch a route video first. Whatever you do, never be tempted onto Broad Stand. It's a long, rough and serious day on the highest ground in England.

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright
Southern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
807 m
Height
2,648 ft
In feet
NY 2093 0817
Grid ref

The short answers

Is Lingmell a Wainwright?

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

Where do you park for Lingmell?

The nearest car park we hold is Car park for Yewbarrow (free), about 2.3 km from the summit in a straight line. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

Parking & buses for Lingmell

Best parking to hike Lingmell

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

Car park for Yewbarrow (free) — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)
1.3 km from Yewbarrow. Added from the 5 Aug 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
Wasdale Head (NT car park) — 2.7 km from summit (straight line)
National Trust, pay & display (free for members). The classic base for Scafell Pike, Great Gable, Kirk Fell, Yewbarrow. Fills very early. Fees: £7 up to 2 hours; £8.50 up to 4 hours; £10 all day. Charges apply at all times (NT, checked Aug 2026). Free for NT members (checked Aug 2026).
🕑 Typically full before 10:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 2026-08-09.
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Overbeck Bridge, Wastwater (NT, paid) (2.0 km); Greendale, Nether Wasdale (roadside, free) (4.3 km)
🍺 Wasdale Head Inn
Lake Head, Wasdale (NT, paid) — 2.8 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Scafell Pike — the 'Great Gable & Kirk Fell' route starts 10 m away. Also serves 'Scafell Pike from Wasdale, by Lingmell Col'. National Trust's access statement records a pay-and-display machine here (National Trust, January 2024) but does not say which payment methods it takes; the same document notes mobile reception is poor across Wasdale, so carry coins as well as a card. Compacted surface (OSM-tagged). Toilets on site.
Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Lingmell by bus

The 77 stops at Seatoller, at National Trust car park. From there it is 2.2 km and 79 m of ascent to the start of Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route — a route we rate Difficult — a walk in before the walk. The last bus is 20:00 towards Keswick (78), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

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.

Hazards on Lingmell

Hazard & Incident Information for Lingmell

Hazard: High

A bold fell thrust out from Scafell Pike above Wasdale, whose northern and eastern faces fall straight from the summit as the great cliffs of Lingmell Crag — around 1,000 ft of crag with another 1,000 ft of scree below. Its eastern flank overlooks Piers Gill, a deep ravine and one of Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team's worst accident blackspots, and the popular Corridor Route to Scafell Pike skirts its head. Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Piers Gill (accident blackspot): The deep ravine of Piers Gill, below Lingmell's eastern crags, has a grim accident record: walkers descending the Corridor Route in poor visibility stray toward it and become cragfast or fall. Never try to descend the gill or its stream bed; keep well away and stay on the Corridor Route, which goes round and above the gill to Sty Head. There is no mobile phone signal at the gill, so if you are in difficulty, get back up to where you have coverage or attract attention rather than wait for a call to connect.
  • Lingmell Crag (northern & eastern faces): Crags drop directly from the summit — about 1,000 ft of cliff with 1,000 ft of scree beneath. Keep well back from the northern and eastern edges, especially in cloud or wind; the grassy top gives little warning.
  • Navigation at Lingmell col / Corridor Route: At the path junction above Lingmell col it is easy to miss the turn and carry on onto steep ground above Piers Gill. Know the junction, navigate carefully by compass in mist, and don't follow the gill downhill.
Who should attempt this fell: Lingmell is an easy grassy walk if you stay on its safe side, but it sits on seriously dangerous ground: never descend into Piers Gill, keep well back from Lingmell Crag, and take great care with the path junction at Lingmell col where people stray onto the gill's steep ground. Navigate by compass in cloud, allow for tired legs after Scafell Pike, and treat the edges as full winter terrain when iced.

Most common causes: Walkers straying off the Corridor Route into Piers Gill, especially tired and in poor visibility · Falls from or near the cliffs of Lingmell Crag · Missing the path junction at Lingmell col and ending up above the gill · Cornices and ice on the edges in winter

Local Mountain Rescue: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team · Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team - Piers Gill, Scafell Pike · 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 Lingmell in cloud

Straightforward

Walkable ground sits close to a lethal drop — in cloud it’s easy to walk straight onto steep ground. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.

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 Lingmell compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Car park for Yewbarrow (free), about 2.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Lingmell (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.

1.1 km ESEBroad Crag935 m · Southern
1.6 km ESEIll Crag931 m · Southern
1.9 km SEPen762 m · Southern
2.4 km NESeathwaite Fell (Great Slack)631 m · Southern
2.7 km NNWKirk Fell East Top (Kirk Fell North Top)787 m · Western
3.0 km ESEPike de Bield810 m · Southern

Routes over Lingmell

Scafell Pike via the Corridor RoutePlanned
15.84 km · ~937 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6.5 h · Clockwise · Difficult
Summits: LingmellScafell PikeBroad Crag

⬇️ Download GPX

Best season: Late spring to autumn in clear weather; the summit is hard to navigate and the ground is serious in winter.

⚠️ Warnings: Never attempt Broad Stand (the direct link to Scafell) — it's a graded rock climb and a notorious accident spot. Rough, rocky ground and a boulder-field summit that is very hard to navigate in cloud — carry map, compass and GPS. A long, committing mountain day; start early and watch the time. Piers Gill: go round it, not into it — and there is no phone signal here. Where the Corridor Route reaches the head of the gill, the safe line is to go right round the corner of the crossing and slightly uphill, well away from Piers Gill, following the path down to Sty Head. Do not drop toward the gill or try to walk down the bed of the stream — it is a canyon of waterfall pitches (Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team: “do not attempt to walk down the bed of the stream”). The bank paths are worse than they look: the west (river-left) bank has no path at all, and WMRT report fatalities there in recent years; the path on the other bank has steep sections above big drops and a record of serious accidents — if you get onto it and into difficulty, turn around and retrace to the Corridor Route rather than press on. There is no mobile phone coverage around the gill, so do not sit and wait for a call to connect — get back up to where you have signal, or make yourself seen and heard. See phone & satellite SOS. Guidance from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, shared at their request. Greta Gill — and the false track that isn’t the route. Lower down, the Corridor Route crosses Greta Gill after a rock step that Wasdale MRT warn “can be hazardous or impossible if the weather is wet.” Do not follow what looks like a track down the north (river-right) bank of Greta Gill: it is unconsolidated, has steep drops into the gill, and is not the continuation of the Corridor Route. Stay on the made path.

Full route guide ↗

✎️ 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. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Lingmell

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route route:

⛺ Seathwaite Farm Campsite (174 m)

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

The view from Lingmell

The 360° skyline from Lingmell

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 Lingmell27 labelled tops shown (12 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWHelvellyn · 15 kmSkiddaw · 22 kmGreat End · 2 kmPillar · 6 kmHigh Crag · 14 kmRaise · 16 kmBlencathra · 23 kmGreat Dodd · 18 kmGrasmoor · 13 kmScoat Fell · 6 kmCrag Hill · 12 kmBlack Crag · 6 kmHigh Stile · 8 kmHaycock · 7 kmKirk Fell East Top · 3 kmClough Head · 19 kmLonscale Fell · 20 kmSeatallan · 7 kmScafell Pike · 1 kmBroad Crag · 1 kmGreat Gable · 2 kmIllgill Head · 5 kmMiddle Fell · 6 kmWhite Pike · 14 kmBuckbarrow · 8 kmBoat How · 6 kmMuncaster Fell · 14 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 20 kmDollywaggon Pike · 14 kmStybarrow Dodd · 17 kmRed Pike · 5 kmGrisedale Pike · 14 kmWandope · 12 kmHigh Crag · 6 kmKnott · 26 kmMungrisdale Common · 23 kmSouther Fell · 26 kmGlaramara · 4 kmYewbarrow North Top · 4 kmHigh Seat · 13 kmCarling Knott · 15 kmHigh Tove · 12 kmSlieve Donard · 178 km · a handful of days a yearBroad Law · 116 km · a rare clear daySnaefell · 84 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 109 km · a rare clear dayMynydd Mawr · 168 km · a handful of days a yearSlieve Croob · 179 km · a handful of days a yearDivis · 182 km · a handful of days a yearCairn Table · 126 km · a handful of days a yearAgnew's Hill · 180 km · a handful of days a yearBogrie Hill · 88 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 101 km · a rare clear dayMull Hill · 110 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Lingmell, by direction
  • North: Green Gable (3 km), Kirk Fell East Top (3 km), Wandope (12 km), Sail (12 km), Crag Hill (12 km), Grasmoor (13 km), Hopegill Head (14 km), Grisedale Pike (14 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (20 km), Skiddaw Little Man (20 km), Skiddaw South Top (21 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (21 km), Skiddaw (22 km)
  • North-east: Nethermost Pike (15 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (15 km), Helvellyn (15 km), White Side (15 km), Raise (16 km), Watson's Dodd (17 km), Stybarrow Dodd (17 km), Little Dodd (18 km), Green Side (18 km), Great Dodd (18 km), Knowe Crags (22 km), Gategill Fell Top (22 km), Blencathra (23 km)
  • East: Great End (2 km), High Crag (14 km), Dollywaggon Pike (14 km)
  • West: Haycock (7 km)
  • North-west: Kirk Fell (3 km), Red Pike (5 km), Pillar (6 km), Black Crag (6 km), Scoat Fell (6 km), Steeple (6 km), High Crag (6 km), High Stile (8 km), High Stile (8 km), Red Pike (9 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (178 km, Ireland), Broad Law (116 km, Scotland), Snaefell (84 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (109 km, Scotland), Mynydd Mawr (168 km, Wales), South Barrule (100 km, Isle of Man), Slieve Croob (179 km, Ireland), Yr Eifl (184 km, Wales).

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.

Sunrise and sunset on Lingmell

Lingmell waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls at midwinter, when the sun is up for 97 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 10:10 against an almanac sunrise of 08:33. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the south-south-east from here (152.2°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 8.21°.

0°30°40°50°60°04:33
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 lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:33 BST ±5.0 min04:38-5 min
Equinox06:30 GMT ±5.0 min06:16+14 min
Midwinter10:10 GMT ±5.0 min08:33+97 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.1°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Lingmell

The evening here runs close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its earliest evening of the modelled year (at midsummer) last light is only 5 minutes before almanac sunset, so the published sunset time is a fair guide on Lingmell.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:48 BST ±5.0 min21:53-5 min
Equinox18:33 GMT ±5.0 min18:27+6 min
Midwinter15:58 GMT ±5.0 min15:50+8 min

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 Lingmell. 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. 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.

What you can see from Lingmell

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
53Wainwrights in view+9 marginal
84 kmFurthest sightlineSnaefell
1Sea in viewIrish Sea

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Far horizons
  • Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 84 km clear
  • Criffel ScotlandNNW · 60 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterWSW · 40 km in view
All 53 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Scafell Pike, Great End, Great Gable, Kirk Fell, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Base Brown, Yewbarrow, Glaramara, Red Pike (Wasdale), Illgill Head, Pillar, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Middle Fell, Steeple, High Crag (Buttermere), Haycock, Seatallan, Buckbarrow, High Stile, High Spy, Robinson, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Ullscarf, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Whiteless Pike, High Tove, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Wandope, Sail, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), High Seat, Grasmoor, Bleaberry Fell, Raven Crag, Grisedale Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Nethermost Pike, Walla Crag, Helvellyn, White Side, Raise, Watson's Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd, Latrigg, Great Dodd, Clough Head, Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Great Calva, Knott

How Lingmell’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.

Places to stay near this fell

Seatoller House guest house

about 1.8 km from the start, in a straight line

The strongest family answer in this radius and the only one that names its rooms: two large family rooms (Rabbit and Stag, both with a private bathroom opposite) plus two downstairs bedrooms (Badger and Hedgehog) for anyone who does not want stairs after Glaramara. Food is on site at a fixed hour rather than a drive away. The costs of that: breakfast does not start until 8.00, dinner is a single set menu at 7pm with none at all on Wednesdays and 48 hours notice needed if you booked through an agent, and arrival after 7pm has to be arranged in advance with no hot food after it.

Worth knowing: “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”

A 400-year-old house that has taken guests for over a century and is the biggest building in Seatoller; the bedrooms are named for animals (Badger, Osprey, Otter, Squirrel, Stag), and it is run by managers Nigel and Patricia Dixon, Patricia having lived in the valley most of her life.

  • Dogs “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”
  • Family rooms “Rabbit Large Family room, Private bathroom directly opposite, great views of garden & Fells”
  • Evening meal “DINNER MUST BE PRE-BOOKED 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE if not booked direct,dinner is a set menu served at 7.00pm with the exception of Wednesdays, when Dinner is not served, Alternatively a reservation can be made for you locally.”
  • Parking “There are 10 bedrooms all with private bathrooms, a large award winning garden surrounding the house and ample private car parking.”

YHA Borrowdale hostel

about 2.8 km from the start, in a straight line

The only property in this radius whose own page states a cot, a highchair, ground-floor rooms, accessible rooms and a shared drying room in one place, plus meals until 20:30 and a self-catering kitchen if you arrive after that. It is also the one with the hardest arrival: the door opens at 17:00 and reception shuts at 22:00, there is no email and no contact form so booking is online only, parking is charged, and their own facility list warns 'No mobile coverage' - so agree a plan before you drop into the valley. Dogs go only in the camping pods, tents and Landpods, never in the hostel rooms.

Worth knowing: “Dogs: Pets are not permitted at YHA Borrowdale, except in our Camping & Cabins accommodation. Assistance dogs are welcome - please notify us at the time of booking.”

The hostel dates from Easter 1939, when YHA opened Longthwaite-in-Borrowdale to replace an earlier Grange-in-Borrowdale hostel that had closed in 1937; its own facilities list still carries 'No mobile coverage'.

  • Drying room “Shared drying room”
  • Family rooms “What our private rooms offer Accessible rooms available Bed linen Central heating Cot available Ground floor rooms available Heating Hot water Lock on doors Smoke alarm”
  • Evening meal “Food and drink: Breakfast is served to guests from 07:30”
  • Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Borrowdale (see sample menu ).”
  • Parking “Parking: This hostel has on-site parking (subject to availability). Charges apply though overnight guests benefit from a discounted rate of £5 per vehicle for 24 hours. To claim these rates, please notify reception once you've parked. There is no access for coaches - the nearest drop off is 400m away.”
  • Children “Guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over to stay at YHA.”

YHA Black Sail hostel

about 4.0 km from the start, in a straight line

Include it for the one fact that matters: you cannot drive here. The straight-line 4.04 km from Seathwaite is honest and useless - their own page says the nearest road is 2.5 miles away over Scarth Gap, or six miles up Ennerdale from Bowness Knott, and vehicles are stopped at the gate. A party finishing Great Gable on foot can use it; a family arriving by car cannot. Doors are 17:00 to 20:30 with meals ending at 20:00, there is no signal to ring ahead from the valley, and no dogs unless you hire the whole hut.

Worth knowing: “Dogs: Pets are not permitted at YHA Black Sail, except when hiring the whole hostel through YHA Exclusive Hire.”

The hostel calls itself England's remotest, sits 2.5 miles from the nearest road with 15 mountains round it, and its own facilities list reads 'Intermittent mobile coverage' and 'No WiFi' - the self-catering kitchen runs off an oven and a wood stove.

  • Family rooms “What our private rooms offer Bed linen Cot available Ground floor rooms available Lock on doors Smoke alarm”
  • Evening meal “Take your pick from today's selection of hearty classics and delicious desserts. Vegan and vegetarian options available.”
  • Packed lunch “This hostel offers group catering for pre-booked groups of 16 people or more.”
  • Parking “YHA Black Sail is only accessible by foot or bike. The nearest road is 2.5 miles away in the Buttermere valley, accessing the hostel via 'Scarth Gap pass'. Guests can leave their cars in the Bowness Knott car park and walk or cycle 6 miles up the Ennerdale valley to the hostel. Vehicles are not authorised beyond the gate at Bowness Knott.”
  • Children “Guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over to stay at YHA.”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions about Lingmell

Is Lingmell a hard climb?

The walking is not the problem; the edge is. Lingmell is thrust out from Scafell Pike above Wasdale, and its northern and eastern faces drop straight from close to the summit as Lingmell Crag. There is no gradual slope to warn you on that side.

We usually take it as part of the Corridor Route day, 15.8 km with 937 m of ascent, which we rate Difficult. Treat the summit plateau with the respect the drop deserves, keep well back from the northern rim in poor visibility, and the fell itself asks nothing technical of you.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near Lingmell