Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Loadpot Hill

Loadpot Hill at 671m (2,201ft) is the northern summit of the High Street plateau above Ullswater, the site of a ruined Roman turret on the ancient road that runs along the ridge.

672 m

Height

~3–4 h

Typical time

Bonus Birketts

See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →

Home › Fells › Loadpot Hill

Written and walked by Lee McCoy

672 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+5 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 672 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Sat 12 Sep): 14° to 7°C, gusts to 43 mph, 9.1 mm of rain forecast.

Sat 12 Sep

🌧️

14° / 7°

💨 43 mph

🌧 9.1 mm (100%)

Sun 13 Sep

☁️

14° / 9°

💨 18 mph

🌧 0.0 mm (16%)

Mon 14 Sep

🌦️

15° / 11°

💨 33 mph

🌧 0.9 mm (99%)

Tue 15 Sep

🌦️

14° / 9°

💨 31 mph

🌧 2.2 mm (97%)

Wed 16 Sep

🌦️

11° / 7°

💨 26 mph

🌧 0.6 mm (41%)

Thu 17 Sep

🌦️

10° / 7°

💨 30 mph

🌧 4.3 mm (82%)

Fri 18 Sep

🌦️

11° / 8°

💨 33 mph

🌧 4.6 mm (76%)

Forecast snapshot from 12 Sep 2026, 15:36 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 672 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

Loadpot Hill at a glance

Loadpot Hill

Loadpot Hill at 671m (2,201ft) is the northern summit of the High Street plateau above Ullswater, the site of a ruined Roman turret on the ancient road that runs along the ridge. Wainwright found the historical associations of this stretch of road compelling — the idea of Roman legions marching across this high ground is vivid from the summit. The views north to Penrith and the Eden Valley are distinctive from this angle. Most naturally approached from Pooley Bridge or Howtown as the start of the long High Street traverse south to Windermere.

Routes up Loadpot Hill

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

Fusedale Circuit

14.7 km · ~4.4 hr

A quiet ~15 km circuit of the Far Eastern fells from Howtown on Ullswater — Hallin Fell, Steel Knotts, Wether Hill, Loadpot Hill, Arthur's Pike and Bonscale Pike — broad grassy tops with grandstand views over the lake. A fine Steamer-and-walk outing.

Swarth Fell and Loadpot Hill

9.7 km · ~2.9 hr

Four far-eastern tops above Ullswater — Swarth Fell, Loadpot Hill, Brownthwaite Crag and Steel Knotts — in 9.7 km with 568 m of climbing. Severe for steepness, hard for navigation and exposure; under three hours.

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright

Far Eastern

Birkett

Fellranger

Synge

Nuttall

672 m

Height

2,205 ft

In feet

NY 4563 1804

Grid ref

The short answers

Is Loadpot Hill a Wainwright?

Loadpot Hill 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 Loadpot Hill?

The nearest car park we hold is Hallin Fell (layby), about 2.2 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is Steel Knotts (layby), 2.3 km out. 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.

My hikes over Loadpot Hill (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Fusedale Circuit - absolutely stunning weather. Could see for miles. (opens in new tab) — 15.5 km · 999 m ascent · 4h 10m moving · 6 Sep 2024

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Parking & buses for Loadpot Hill

Best parking to hike Loadpot Hill

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

Hallin Fell (layby) — 2.2 km from summit (straight line)

Walking base for Swarth Fell (Ullswater), Loadpot Hill, Brownthwaite Crag and Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) — the 'Swarth Fell and Loadpot Hill' route starts 421 m away. Also serves 'Hallin Fell'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Steel Knotts (layby) — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) (0.7 km), Sleet Fell (1.2 km), Beda Fell (Beda Head) (1.3 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Martindale, St Peter's church (free, limited) — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)

Quiet side of Ullswater — Hallin Fell, Steel Knotts, Beda Fell, Pikeawassa.

Directions Something changed here?

If it is full: Aira Force, High Cascades (NT, paid) (3.6 km); Aira Force (NT, paid) (3.9 km)

Hallin Fell, south-east car park (free) — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)

Walking base for Hallin Fell, Sleet Fell, Low Birk Fell and Birk Fell (Bleaberry Knott - Birk Fell) — the 'Hallin Fell' route starts 8 m away. Also serves 'Birketts to the South of Ullswater'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Hallin Fell car park (free) — 2.4 km from summit (straight line)

Walking base for Swarth Fell (Ullswater), Loadpot Hill, Brownthwaite Crag and Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) — the 'Swarth Fell and Loadpot Hill' route starts 6 m away. Also serves 'Hallin Fell'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

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.

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 Loadpot Hill by bus

The UB1 stops at Martindale Cattle Grid (near), 530 m and 74 m of ascent from the start of Swarth Fell and Loadpot Hill. This looks like a seasonal service. Our timetable data has the UB1 stopping on 1 November 2026, but we haven’t confirmed that with the operator — so treat it as a reason to check rather than a date to plan around. We haven’t published its last bus times, so check the timetable before you rely on getting back — times here are a guide, not a promise.

Ullswater Hopper UB1

Troutbeck (Basecamp North Lakes) – Aira Force – Watermillock – Pooley Bridge – Askham

Catch it from: Pooley Bridge · Penrith (change to the 508 or 509)

The community hopper run for SITU by Stagecoach: 28 March to 1 November 2026 at weekends and bank holidays, and every day from 25 to 29 May and throughout July, August and September. Calls at the steamer piers, the campsites and the hotels around the northern half of the lake, and the driver will stop anywhere safe on request. £3 single, dogs welcome, no bike trailer in 2026. With the 508 it gives Gowbarrow, Little Mell Fell and the Pooley Bridge end of the High Street ridge a second option.

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

Hazards on Loadpot Hill

No hazard card for this fell. The usual open-fell rules apply: check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected.

Navigating Loadpot Hill in cloud

Severe

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. 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 Loadpot Hill 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: Hallin Fell (layby), about 2.2 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Loadpot Hill (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.

1.5 km WSWBrownthwaite Crag444 m · Far Eastern

1.5 km NSwarth Fell (Ullswater)545 m · Far Eastern

1.8 km SWGowk Hill471 m · Far Eastern

2.4 km SELow Kop572 m · Far Eastern

3.0 km SRed Crag711 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Loadpot Hill

Fusedale CircuitRevised

14.68 km · ~856 m ascent · loop · ~4–6 h

Summits: Hallin Fell Bonscale Pike Arthur's PikeLoadpot HillWether Hill Brownthwaite Crag Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)

✎️ Come by boat if you can. Howtown has almost nowhere to park and the eastern-shore lane is long and narrow, but the Ullswater Steamer pier is a few minutes from this start — sail in, walk the round, sail back, and the car never comes down the lane at all. Take the outward sailing first and walk afterwards, so an unhurried day on the tops can’t turn into a missed last boat. Sailings are seasonal, so check the timetable before you build a day around it. (Checked 4 Aug 2026; we don’t publish times here because a stale one would be worse than none.)

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: Steep crag edges above Ullswater: Bonscale Tower and the western drops off Arthur's Pike and Bonscale Pike are serious — keep well back, especially in cloud or wind. Boggy, featureless plateau: the Loadpot Hill saddle is peat-hagged and wet, and the broad grassy tops give little to aim for in mist — a compass day if the cloud is down. Summer bracken + a washed-out descent: the Brock Crag short-cut and the steep drop off Bonscale to Mellguards can be thick, navigation-sapping bracken, with one eroded section underfoot — walking poles help. Easy-to-miss summits: Wether Hill and Loadpot Hill both have their true top just off the obvious path — step the few metres across to be sure you've actually bagged them.

Full route guide ↗

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

Swarth Fell and Loadpot HillPlanned

9.69 km · ~568 m ascent · loop · ~2.5–4 h

Summits: Swarth Fell (Ullswater)Loadpot HillBrownthwaite Crag Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

🥾 Walked in part — Lee walked this ground in September 2024; km 0.3–0.8, km 2.3–3.5, km 4.6–5.5 of this line are from the map.

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 Loadpot Hill

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Fusedale Circuit route:

💧 possible water source (99 m)🛖 map (89 m)🚺 map (95 m)🚺 map (99 m)🚌 Hause Farm (166 m)

On the Swarth Fell and Loadpot Hill route:

🚌 Hause Farm (183 m)

💧 Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is usually a tap or public supply, but never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock or a carcass upstream and leave you seriously ill. Run it through a filter or purifier (a LifeStraw, Sawyer Squeeze or HydraPak) or bring it to a rolling boil first.

The view from Loadpot Hill

The 360° skyline from Loadpot Hill

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

What you can see from Loadpot Hill, by direction

South: Low Raise (4 km), High Raise (5 km), Rampsgill Head (5 km), The Knott (6 km), High Street (7 km)
South-west: Stony Cove Pike (9 km), Caudale Moor (9 km), Gavel Pike (10 km), St Sunday Crag (10 km), Red Screes (11 km), Hart Crag (11 km), Dove Crag (11 km), Cofa Pike (12 km), Fairfield (12 km), Dollywaggon Pike (12 km), Seat Sandal (13 km), Brim Fell (27 km), The Old Man of Coniston (27 km)
West: Hart Side (10 km), Catstye Cam (11 km), Raise (11 km), Stybarrow Dodd (11 km), Great Dodd (12 km), Helvellyn (12 km), Nethermost Pike (12 km), White Side (12 km), High Crag (12 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (12 km), Watson's Dodd (12 km)
North-west: Blencathra (16 km), Gategill Fell Top (17 km), Atkinson Pike (17 km), Knowe Crags (17 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (21 km), Skiddaw Little Man (21 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (22 km), Skiddaw South Top (22 km), Skiddaw (22 km), Skiddaw North Top (22 km), Broad End (23 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Broad Law (110 km, Scotland), Tinto (127 km, Scotland), Green Lowther (109 km, Scotland), White Coomb (101 km, Scotland), Queensberry (94 km, Scotland), Ettrick Pen (93 km, Scotland), Cairn Table (129 km, Scotland), Great Whernside (70 km, England).

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.

Sunrise and sunset on Loadpot Hill

Loadpot Hill sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 August) first light is only 1 minute 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	04:35 BST ±5.0 min	04:36	-1 min
Equinox	06:12 GMT ±5.0 min	06:14	-2 min
Midwinter	08:30 GMT ±5.0 min	08:32	-2 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.35°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Loadpot Hill

The evening here runs close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its earliest evening of the modelled year (on 1 March) last light is only 10 minutes before almanac sunset, so the published sunset time is a fair guide on Loadpot Hill.

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	21:53 BST ±5.0 min	21:52	+1 min
Equinox	18:23 GMT ±5.0 min	18:25	-2 min
Midwinter	15:42 GMT ±5.0 min	15:48	-6 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 Loadpot Hill. 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 Loadpot Hill

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

48Wainwrights in view+12 marginal

53 kmFurthest sightlineIngleborough

—Sea in viewnone from here

Far horizons

Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSSE · 53 km clear
Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 46 km clear
Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 29 km clear
Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 28 km clear

All 48 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Beda Fell (Beda Head), The Nab, High Raise (High Street), Rest Dodd, Place Fell, Rampsgill Head, Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), The Knott (High Street), Brock Crags (Wainwright), Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Little Mell Fell, Gray Crag, Arnison Crag, High Street, Hartsop Dodd, Birks, Sheffield Pike, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Great Mell Fell, Birkhouse Moor, Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How), High Hartsop Dodd, St Sunday Crag, Hart Side, Middle Dodd, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Red Screes, Catstye Cam, Hart Crag, Dove Crag, Raise, Stybarrow Dodd, Fairfield, Great Dodd, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, White Side, Dollywaggon Pike, Watson's Dodd, High Pike (Scandale), Seat Sandal, Low Pike, Souther Fell, Carrock Fell, High Pike (Caldbeck), Dodd (Skiddaw), Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)

How Loadpot Hill’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

Low Gale (opens in new tab) self-catering

about 0.9 km from the start, in a straight line

The most complete answer in the cluster and the one physically tied to these routes: it sleeps 7 in four bedrooms, has a cot, off-road parking, drying facilities, its own washing machine, is dog friendly, is single storey, and prepared meals can be had from the owners' hotel kitchen without getting back in the car. It also states its minimum stay, which nothing else at Howtown does.

The cottage stands right beside Fusedale Beck - the beck the Fusedale Circuit follows out of Howtown - and the steamer jetty is reachable on foot without a car.

Dogs “Low Gale Ullswater is an elevated single storey, dog friendly holiday cottage located just beside Fusedale Beck and can easily accomodate 7 people.”
Family rooms “2 bathrooms 1 double bedroom 2 twin rooms 1 single room Ample storage and drying facilites”
Parking “Free Superfast Broadband Dog friendly Off road parking Smoke-free Garden / Patios Cot available Dishwasher *Washing Machine”
Children “Free Superfast Broadband Dog friendly Off road parking Smoke-free Garden / Patios Cot available Dishwasher *Washing Machine”

Howtown Cottages (opens in new tab) self-catering

about 0.8 km from the start, in a straight line

Four cottages 200 yards from the lake and under a kilometre from the start, every one of them dog friendly with parking, a cot and drying facilities. Cottage No4 is the one to ask for with a bad knee or a buggy: it puts a shower room AND a triple room on the ground floor, which nothing else at Howtown does.

There is no booking engine. You email David at the Howtown Hotel, and he confirms the cottage and the dates himself.

Dogs “Competitively priced, warm, cosy, functional and comfortable holiday homes for 4 to 7 visitors + dogs, 200yds from Ullswater”
Family rooms “Howtown Cottage No 4: Sleeps seven people with one double and one twin on the first floor and a triple room on the ground flo or.”
Parking “Facilities: Howtown Cottage No1 Free Superfast Broadband Dog friendly Parking Smoke-free Garden / Patios”
Children “1 Shower room on ground floor 1 bathroom 1 double bedroom 1 twin room 1 triple room on ground floor Dishwasher Cot available”

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 (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Loadpot Hill

Is Loadpot Hill a hard walk?

Long rather than steep, and quiet rather than difficult. Our Fusedale circuit over it is 14.7 km with 856 m of ascent; the shorter round with Swarth Fell is 9.7 km and 568 m. Neither involves any scrambling.

What makes it a day to plan is the ground: broad, grassy and open, with we grade the navigation hard on the Fusedale round. There is little to aim at up here in poor visibility, and it is a long way back to a road from the middle of it.

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 (opens in new tab)

Loadpot Hill

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

Loadpot Hill at a glance

Loadpot Hill

Routes up Loadpot Hill

Classifications & hill data

The short answers

Is Loadpot Hill a Wainwright?

Where do you park for Loadpot Hill?

My hikes over Loadpot Hill (Strava)

Parking & buses for Loadpot Hill

Best parking to hike Loadpot Hill

Getting to Loadpot Hill by bus

Hazards on Loadpot Hill

Navigating Loadpot Hill in cloud

Map & nearby Birketts

Birketts near Loadpot Hill (within 3 km)

Routes over Loadpot Hill

On the hill: terrain and water on Loadpot Hill

Water & shelter on the way up

The view from Loadpot Hill

The 360° skyline from Loadpot Hill

Sunrise and sunset on Loadpot Hill

Last light — when the sun leaves Loadpot Hill

What you can see from Loadpot Hill

Places to stay near this fell

Low Gale (opens in new tab) self-catering

Howtown Cottages (opens in new tab) self-catering

Frequently asked questions about Loadpot Hill

Other fells near Loadpot Hill