Lord's Seat

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Summited May 2025

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552 mWainwright — North Western Fells+7 bonus Birketts within 3 km

Lord's Seat at 552m (1,811ft) is the highest point of the Whinlatter Forest fells, a broad, grassy summit giving outstanding views of Bassenthwaite Lake and the Skiddaw massif.

Summit conditions on Lord's Seat

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 12° to 6°C, gusts to 58 mph, 6.2 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

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

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 52 mph times our exposure factor of 1.1. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 58 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

6.2 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 3 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 43 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 Lord's Seat

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

Whinlatter Loop Walked by Lee

13.56 km · ~712 m ascent · ~3¾–5¼ h · loop · 7 summits

Moderate effort Severe: steepness

Park: Spout Force, Whinlatter (free) · Bus: 77, 2.5 km walk from Lorton Winder Hall (near)

A north-western round above Whinlatter that opens with a brutal climb onto Graystones, about 56% over its steepest 250 m.

Distance and climb are measured from the route’s GPX track, and the time from them by Naismith’s rule; the route page says what each grade rests on. How we check →

How hard is Lord's Seat?

The shortest way up we hold is Whinlatter Loop — 13.56 km, 712 m of ascent, ~3¾–5¼ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.

All axes: steepness: Severe · length: Moderate · terrain: Moderate · navigation: Moderate · exposure: Easy.

These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 552 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast

Tue 27 Oct

12° / 6°

58 mph

6.2 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

9° / 7°

42 mph

4.5 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

10° / 6°

22 mph

0.4 mm (6%)

Fri 30 Oct

10° / 6°

15 mph

0.2 mm (9%)

Sat 31 Oct

9° / 3°

7 mph

5.4 mm (12%)

Sun 1 Nov

8° / 0°

15 mph

0.4 mm (2%)

Mon 2 Nov

6° / -1°

5 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 Lord's Seat

Parking

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

Spout Force, Whinlatter (free) — at the start of Whinlatter Loop

Small car park for Spout Force and the Whinlatter northern fells.

Directions Something changed here?

Barf, south-east (layby) — 1.6 km from summit (straight line)

Community walk pages start here for 'Barf, Lord's Seat, Ullister Hill and Seat How' (community walk listings). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Car park for Barf (free) — 1.6 km from summit (straight line)

0.6 km from Barf. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.

Directions Something changed here?

3 more places to park near Lord's Seat

Woodend Brow (Wood End) (free) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)

Beside the A66 on the west shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, by the Woodend Car Park bus stops (OpenStreetMap: 'Woodend Brow Car Park'); the Authority's car-parks directory lists it as 'Wood End, Bassenthwaite western lakeshore'. No route on this site starts within 4 km of it on foot: the nearest, the 'Coledale Round' above Braithwaite and the Whinlatter Forest walk, are about 4.5 km. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Barf (layby) — 2.0 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Barf (1.0 km), Seat How (Thornthwaite) (1.3 km), Ullister Hill (1.5 km). Free (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Beck Wythop (free) — 2.0 km from summit (straight line)

Just off the A66 at Beck Wythop, on the west shore of Bassenthwaite Lake. The nearest route starts are near Wythop Mill, over the hill to the west: 'Rivings and Lothwaite' and 'Ling Fell & Sale Fell', 4.1 km on foot. Free (OSM-tagged).

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 77 stops at Lorton Winder Hall (near). From there it is 2.5 km and 150 m of ascent to the start of Whinlatter Loop — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness) — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 18.5 km in all, with the walk. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. It returns on 22 March 2027. Confirmed with the operator: its last day on 29 August 2026, its return on 16 October 2026. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (77): Tuesday to Sunday 17:56. 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 – Hawes 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 (Summer 2026 timetable: 23 March to 1 November 2026). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

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 Lord's Seat

Hazard & Incident Information for Lord's Seat

Checked by Lee McCoy, 14 June 2026. Draws on published material from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Moderate

The highest of the heavily forested fells north of Whinlatter Pass, an easy grassy top with a fine Bassenthwaite panorama. There are no crags on Lord's Seat itself (Barf, on the same Whinlatter Loop, has its own steep scree and exposed rock), so the hazards here are boggy ground and navigation — a mix of forest tracks, rough paths and very wet sections where, in mist, it's easy to head off in the wrong direction. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

Boggy ground & navigation in mist: The way up and the link to neighbouring tops cross very boggy ground, and among the forest and featureless moor it's easy to take a wrong line in cloud. Sturdy waterproof footwear, a map and compass are needed; best done in good visibility.
Forest tracks & felled areas: Routes use Whinlatter forest tracks that change with felling and can differ from older maps; junctions are easy to muddle. Follow current signage and keep track of your position.
Exposure on the open top: The summit is open and can be windy with little shelter. Dress for changeable conditions, especially in winter when the bog freezes and paths ice.

Who should attempt this fell: Lord's Seat is a gentle, view-rich fell with no real cliffs — its catch is bog and navigation, so wear waterproof boots, carry map and compass, and pick a clear day for the views and to avoid going astray among the forest tracks and wet ground. In winter the boggy ground freezes and the forest paths can be icy.

What to watch for: Navigation errors in mist on boggy, featureless ground and forest junctions · Floundering in the wet ground between the tops · Confusion where forest tracks differ from the map after felling · Exposure in poor weather on the open summit

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

Not graded by the model

Our terrain model finds nothing to grade on this summit, so it gives no cloud grade here — that is not a sign of easy navigation. Read this fell’s hazard notes and the route pages before a day in cloud. 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 Lord's Seat 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 Lord's Seat

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

0.7 km SEUllister Hill525 m · North Western

1.2 km STarbarrel Moss493 m · North Western

1.3 km SESeat How (Thornthwaite)495 m · North Western

1.8 km SSWWhinlatter Top525 m · North Western

2.4 km NWBurthwaite Heights318 m · North Western

2.6 km WGraystones455 m · North Western

3.0 km NNWRivings335 m · North Western

Routes over Lord's Seat

Whinlatter Loop

13.56 km · ~712 m ascent · loop · ~3¾–5¼ h

Moderate effort Severe: steepness

Summits: Graystones Graystones (Graystones North Top)Broom FellLord's SeatBarf Whinlatter Top Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter)

Forestry England says (updated 1 Oct 2026) that the Lord's Seat and Barf trails are diverted: follow the diversion signs. This route's GPX has not been checked against the diversion. Forestry England: Whinlatter updates (read 7 Oct 2026)

Download GPX Walked by Lee, May 2025

Warnings: Forestry England posts felling areas and path diversions at Whinlatter on its Whinlatter updates page (last read 7 Oct 2026). Check it before you go, and follow the signs on the day.

Route guide: Whinlatter Loop →

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 Lord's Seat

The ascent from Thornthwaite or Whinlatter Forest is pleasant and the summit offers a genuine sense of seclusion. Combined naturally with Broom Fell and Whinlatter for a circuit of the Whinlatter Forest fells.

My Strava hikes over Lord's Seat

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

A bit wet and windy doing the Whinlater loop (opens in new tab) — 13.3 km · 776 m ascent · 3h 12m moving · 31 May 2025

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Lord's Seat a Wainwright?

Lord's Seat is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Fellranger list and the Marilyn list.

Selected lists

552 m

Height

1,811 ft

In feet

NY 2043 2655

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 Lord's Seat

The 360° skyline from Lord's Seat

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: Skiddaw (6 km), Skiddaw North Top (6 km), Broad End (7 km)
East: Skiddaw South Top (6 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (6 km), Skiddaw Little Man (6 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (6 km), Knowe Crags (11 km), Gategill Fell Top (11 km), Blencathra (12 km)
South-east: Little Dodd (15 km), Watson's Dodd (15 km), Great Dodd (15 km), Stybarrow Dodd (16 km), Raise (17 km), White Side (17 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (17 km), Helvellyn (18 km), Catstye Cam (18 km), Nethermost Pike (19 km), High Raise (19 km), High Crag (19 km), Dollywaggon Pike (20 km), Fairfield (21 km), Great Rigg (22 km)
South: Grisedale Pike (4 km), Sand Hill (5 km), Eel Crag (6 km), Crag Hill (6 km), Dale Head (11 km), Great Gable (16 km), Glaramara (17 km), Looking Steads (17 km), Great End (18 km), Broad Crag (19 km), Ill Crag (19 km), Scafell Pike (19 km), Scafell (20 km), Bowfell (20 km)
South-west: Grasmoor (7 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (181 km, Ireland), Merrick (98 km, Scotland), Snaefell (89 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (94 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (117 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (81 km, Scotland), Corserine (93 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (92 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 Lord's Seat

Lord's Seat waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 May, when the sun is up for 29 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 06:04 against an almanac sunrise of 05:35. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the east-north-east from here (68.0°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 3.48°.

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	04:37 BST ±5.0 min	04:37	—
Equinox	06:20 GMT ±5.0 min	06:16	+4 min
Midwinter	08:42 GMT ±5.0 min	08:34	+8 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.33°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Lord's Seat

Lord's Seat holds the light. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does the sun leave this summit before almanac sunset — the ground falls away westward rather than standing over you, and at midsummer it is still in the sun 5 minutes after the valley has lost it.

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	21:59 BST ±5.0 min	21:54	+5 min
Equinox	18:32 GMT ±5.0 min	18:27	+5 min
Midwinter	15:53 GMT ±5.0 min	15:49	+4 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.

What you can see from Lord's Seat

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

78Wainwrights in view+5 marginal

186 kmFurthest sightlineSlieve Binnian · possible under favourable refraction

2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Solway Firth

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

Far horizons

Slieve Binnian Northern IrelandWSW · 186 km clear
Slieve Donard Northern IrelandWSW · 181 km clear
Merrick ScotlandNW · 99 km clear
Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 90 km clear
Criffel ScotlandNW · 44 km distant
Solway Firth bay/estuaryNW · 33 km in view
Irish Sea open waterW · 28 km in view

All 78 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Broom Fell, Barf, Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter), Sale Fell, Grisedale Pike, Dodd (Skiddaw), Ullock Pike, Hopegill Head, Long Side, Outerside, Barrow, Carl Side, Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), Scar Crags, Causey Pike, Skiddaw, Skiddaw Little Man, Grasmoor, Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Latrigg, Cat Bells (Catbells), Low Fell, Lonscale Fell, Maiden Moor, Walla Crag, Binsey, Robinson, Great Cockup, Hindscarth, High Spy, Bleaberry Fell, Meal Fell, Burnbank Fell, Dale Head, Great Sca Fell, Longlands Fell, High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Blake Fell, High Seat, Gavel Fell, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Brae Fell, Clough Head, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Watson's Dodd, Great Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd, Eagle Crag, Great Gable, Raise, White Side, Glaramara, Sergeant's Crag, Ullscarf, Grike, Helvellyn, Catstye Cam, Great End, Nethermost Pike, High Raise (High White Stones), Great Mell Fell, Scafell Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Thunacar Knott, Scafell, Pike of Stickle, Bowfell, Seat Sandal, Harrison Stickle, Loft Crag, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Fairfield, Little Mell Fell, Great Rigg, Stone Arthur, Heron Pike (Rydal), Arthur's Pike

How the view from Lord's Seat 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 Lord's Seat. 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

Croftlands Cottages (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 4.7 km
Embleton Spa Hotel (opens in new tab) hotelabout 4.8 km
High Swinside Holiday Cottages (opens in new tab)about 1.4 km

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Lord's Seat

Summit conditions on Lord's Seat

Wind on the top

Rain, and the becks

Routes up Lord's Seat

How hard is Lord's Seat?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Lord's Seat

Parking

Buses

Hazards on Lord's Seat

Hazard & Incident Information for Lord's Seat

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Lord's Seat

Routes over Lord's Seat

About Lord's Seat

My Strava hikes over Lord's Seat

Classifications & hill data

Is Lord's Seat a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Lord's Seat

The 360° skyline from Lord's Seat

Sunrise and sunset on Lord's Seat

Last light — when the sun leaves Lord's Seat

What you can see from Lord's Seat

Places to stay near this fell

Other fells near Lord's Seat