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542 m · Birkett — Central (not a Wainwright summit) · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Birkett — Central (not a Wainwright summit)Birkett top

Lining Crag

Lining Crag at 542m (1,778ft) is a Birkett top on the ridge above the Langstrath valley in the Central Fells, its rocky character giving views down into the wild Langstrath and across to the Eagle Crag ridge.

542 m
Height
+7
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

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542 mBirkett — Central (not a Wainwright summit)+7 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 542 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 15° to 14°C, gusts to 38 mph, 11.8 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
15° / 14°
💨 38 mph
🌧 11.8 mm (100%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
15° / 12°
💨 27 mph
🌧 5.0 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
13° / 6°
💨 28 mph
🌧 1.3 mm (78%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 2°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (78%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 4°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.6 mm (54%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌫️
16° / 6°
💨 19 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (24%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 6°
💨 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 542 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

Lining Crag

Lining Crag at 542m (1,778ft) is a Birkett top on the ridge above the Langstrath valley in the Central Fells, its rocky character giving views down into the wild Langstrath and across to the Eagle Crag ridge. Part of the approach to Bowfell from Stonethwaite. An impressive position above one of Lakeland's finest remote valleys.

Routes up Lining Crag

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

Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag
14.8 km · ~4.2 hr
A rugged ~15 km round from Stonethwaite over three Wainwrights — the bold rocky nose of Eagle Crag, neighbouring Sergeant's Crag, and the broad whaleback of Ullscarf — returning down the quiet head of Borrowdale.
Classifications & hill data
Birkett
Synge
542 m
Height
1,778 ft
In feet
NY 2830 1121
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Stonethwaite (roadside, limited), about 3.6 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Lining Crag (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.

1.2 km SLow White Stones731 m · Central
1.8 km NNEColdbarrow Fell - High Saddle675 m · Central
2.1 km NNELow Saddle656 m · Central
2.2 km SSECodale Head732 m · Central
2.5 km NNEStanding Crag611 m · Central
2.6 km WDovenest Top (Dovenest Crag) (Stonethwaite Fell)633 m · Southern
2.8 km WNWRosthwaite Fell (Rosthwaite Cam)612 m · Southern

Routes over Lining Crag

Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's CragRevised
14.83 km · ~720 m ascent · loop · ~4–5.5 h
Summits: Lining CragUllscarfSergeant's CragEagle Crag

✎️ Walked and described first-hand by Lee. A serious round: the navigation over Ullscarf and Greenup Edge is boggy and featureless (a compass is essential in cloud), and the direct Eagle Crag line is steep and intricate — good-weather, sure-footed terrain. Carry OS Explorer OL4.

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: The direct Eagle Crag route (described here in descent) is a steep, intricate line of rock terraces and a wet gully that guidebooks recommend for ascent only, and only in good weather — consider walking the round the other way to climb it, and avoid it altogether in the wet.; On Eagle Crag's terraces, don't go too far right where the terrace narrows above steep drops; sight each terrace before committing.; The Bleak How step-stile has a rotted lower step — a big step down; take care and lift or assist dogs.; Lining Crag's north face is near-vertical into Greenup Gill with little warning from the grassy top — keep back from the lip.; Greenup Edge and the Ullscarf plateau are boggy and featureless — serious navigation in mist; rely on the old fence posts, cairns and bearings.

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Best parking to hike Lining Crag

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

Stonethwaite (roadside, limited) — 3.6 km from summit (straight line)
Small roadside area near the hamlet — Eagle Crag, Sergeant's Crag, Langstrath approaches.
Directions
🚺 Rosthwaite Village (1156m) — Free · Accessible☕ Peathouse Tea & Coffee Shop🍺 The Langstrath Inn
Seatoller (NT, paid) — 3.9 km from summit (straight line)
Pay & display at the foot of Honister. Bus terminus for Borrowdale.
Directions
🚺 Rosthwaite Village (1669m) — Free · Accessible🚺 Public toilets (1903m) — Free☕ Honisters Yew Tree Coffee House

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 Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag route:

🚌 Stonethwaite Village (237 m)🚌 Chapel Howe Road End (375 m)🚌 Stonethwaite Road End (390 m)🚌 Longthwaite Road End (394 m)⛺ Chapel House Farm Campsite (322 m)

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

Buses to Lining Crag 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.

Other fells near Lining Crag

Maps & guidebooks for Lining Crag

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