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

Nab Scar - a panorama down over Rydal Water and Grasmere in the green valley, fells all around under blue sky
Wainwright — Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Nab Scar

Nab Scar at 450m (1,476ft) is the steep, rocky escarpment directly above Rydal Water, its craggy face one of the most recognisable profiles in the southern Lake District.

450 m
Height
~2–2.5 h
Typical time
+1
Bonus Birkett
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Nab Scar

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

450 mWainwright — Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+1 bonus Birkett within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 450 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 16° to 14°C, gusts to 26 mph, 10.7 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
16° / 14°
💨 26 mph
🌧 10.7 mm (100%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌦️
17° / 13°
💨 27 mph
🌧 1.9 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 27 mph
🌧 0.9 mm (78%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
16° / 3°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (78%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
16° / 4°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.0 mm (54%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
17° / 5°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (24%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
18° / 6°
💨 11 mph
🌧 0.2 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 450 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

Nab Scar

Nab Scar - a panorama down over Rydal Water and Grasmere in the green valley, fells all around under blue sky
© Lee McCoy

Nab Scar at 450m (1,476ft) is the steep, rocky escarpment directly above Rydal Water, its craggy face one of the most recognisable profiles in the southern Lake District. Wainwright described the ascent from Rydal as one of the finest short climbs in the district — steep, direct, and immediately rewarded with outstanding views across Rydal Water to Loughrigg Fell. The summit is the natural starting point for the Fairfield Horseshoe approaching from the south via Heron Pike and Great Rigg.

Routes up Nab Scar

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

Fairfield Horseshoe
16.9 km · ~4.9 hr · Moderate
One of the classic Lakeland rounds and a fine first big horseshoe. From the car park at Rydal it's a steady, moderate climb with only a minor amount of scrambling — my kids, then 7 and 10, managed it, though they found it a long day. You can easily start from Ambleside instead: stock up at the shops on the way out and finish at the Royal Oak for a well-earned pint. The full round takes in eight tops, with Fairfield's broad summit the high point and Windermere laid out behind you on the descent.
Long Hike to Fairfield from Ambleside
22.4 km · ~6.7 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
450 m
Height
1,476 ft
In feet
NY 3553 0723
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: White Moss (paid), about 1.1 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Nab Scar (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.

1.4 km NHeron Pike North Top (Rydal Fell)621 m · Eastern

Routes over Nab Scar

Fairfield HorseshoeRevised
16.92 km · ~925 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6.5 h · Clockwise · Moderate
Summits: Nab ScarHeron Pike (Rydal)Heron Pike North Top (Rydal Fell)Great RiggFairfieldHart CragDove CragHigh Pike (Scandale)Low Pike

⬇️ Download GPX

Best season: Any season in good conditions; save the broad, featureless summit for a clear day.

⚠️ Warnings: Fairfield's broad summit plateau is confusing in cloud — carry a map and compass and take a bearing before descending.; A little easy scrambling in places, but nothing obligatory.

Full route guide ↗

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

Long Hike to Fairfield from AmblesideRevised
22.39 km · ~1350 m ascent · loop · ~6.5–9 h
Summits: Red ScreesDove CragHart CragFairfieldGreat RiggHeron Pike North Top (Rydal Fell)Heron Pike (Rydal)Nab Scar

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

The View from Nab Scar

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 Nab Scar31 labelled tops shown (4 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 14 kmGreat End · 13 kmCrinkle Crags · 11 kmHart Crag · 4 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 12 kmSwirl How · 11 kmDove Crag · 4 kmHigh Raise · 8 kmUllscarf · 8 kmYoke · 8 kmPike of Blisco · 9 kmUllock Pike · 24 kmMiddle Dodd · 5 kmHarter Fell · 16 kmSteel Fell · 5 kmSallows · 9 kmHigh Tove · 11 kmWansfell Pike · 5 kmSour Howes · 8 kmHigh Pike · 2 kmKitty Crag · 10 kmWard's Stone · 54 km · clear daysWhite Stones · 10 kmCalf Crag · 6 kmLow Pike · 2 kmTop o' Selside · 16 kmGummer's How · 19 kmBurney · 23 kmBigland Barrow · 23 kmGrandsire · 13 kmRaven's Barrow · 20 kmBowfell · 11 kmBrim Fell · 12 kmWetherlam · 9 kmSergeant Man · 7 kmLow White Stones · 8 kmLittle Carrs · 10 kmHigh Seat · 13 kmBlake Rigg · 8 kmGreat Knott · 10 kmWhernside · 46 km · clear daysThe Calf · 33 km · clear daysCarron Crag · 13 kmBlawith Knott · 21 kmFair Snape Fell · 65 km · clear daysHolme Fell · 8 kmnameless · 13 kmScout Scar · 20 kmSnowdon · 170 km · a handful of days a yearMoel y Gamelin · 162 km · a handful of days a yearMwdwl-eithin · 159 km · a handful of days a yearBillinge Hill · 107 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Nab Scar, by direction
  • North: Hart Crag (4 km)
  • North-east: Dove Crag (4 km), Middle Dodd (5 km)
  • East: Wansfell (5 km), Yoke (8 km), Sallows (9 km)
  • South-east: Baystones (5 km)
  • South-west: Blake Rigg (8 km), Wetherlam (9 km), Little Carrs (10 km), Great Carrs (10 km), Swirl How (11 km), Brim Fell (12 km), The Old Man of Coniston (12 km), Harter Fell (16 km)
  • West: Codale Head (7 km), Sergeant Man (7 km), Pavey Ark (7 km), Harrison Stickle (7 km), Thunacar Knott (8 km), High Raise (8 km), Low White Stones (8 km), Pike of Blisco (9 km), Cold Pike (10 km), Crinkle Crags (11 km), Shelter Crags (11 km), Crinkle Crags (11 km), Crinkle Crags (11 km), Crinkle Crags (11 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (11 km), Bowfell (11 km), Great End (13 km), Ill Crag (13 km), Scafell Pike (14 km)
  • North-west: Steel Fell (5 km), Ullscarf (8 km), High Tove (11 km), High Seat (13 km), Bleaberry Fell (14 km), Ullock Pike (24 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (170 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (158 km, Wales), Craig Cwm Silyn (178 km, Wales), Moel y Gamelin (162 km, Wales), Cadair Berwyn (177 km, Wales), Moel Famau (146 km, Wales), Mwdwl-eithin (159 km, Wales), Moel Eilio (170 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.

What you can see from Nab Scar

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
38Wainwrights in view+6 marginal
170 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction
1Sea in viewMorecambe Bay

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.

Far horizons
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 170 km clear
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 154 km clear
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 51 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 46 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuaryS · 33 km in view
All 38 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Low Pike, Loughrigg Fell, High Pike (Scandale), Silver How, Helm Crag, Dove Crag, Hart Crag, Middle Dodd, Baystones (Wansfell), Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Blea Rigg, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Black Fell, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Calf Crag, Sergeant Man, Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle, Thunacar Knott, High Raise (High White Stones), Loft Crag, Holme Fell, Ullscarf, Yoke, Sour Howes, Sallows, Pike of Blisco, Wetherlam, Cold Pike, Great Carrs, Swirl How, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Bowfell, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Great End, Scafell Pike, Harter Fell (Eskdale)

How Nab Scar’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.

Best parking to hike Nab Scar

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

White Moss (paid) — 1.1 km from summit (straight line)
Between Rydal and Grasmere — Loughrigg, Silver How, Heron Pike.
Directions
🚺 White Moss (369m) — Free🚺 Public toilets (666m)
Pelter Bridge, Rydal (paid) — 1.6 km from summit (straight line)
For Loughrigg and the Rydal side of the Fairfield Horseshoe.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (254m) — Free🚺 White Moss (1555m) — Free☕ The Tea Room☕ The Old School Room Tea Shop🍺 Badger Bar & Restaurant

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 Fairfield Horseshoe route:

🚌 Church for Rydal Mount (146 m)⛺ map (432 m)⛺ Rydal Hall Youth Centre Bunkhouse (441 m)

On the Long Hike to Fairfield from Ambleside route:

🛖 map (6 m)🛖 map (65 m)🛖 map (77 m)🚺 map (30 m)🚺 map (108 m)🚺 map (123 m)🚌 Loughrigg Avenue (71 m)🚌 Hayes Garden Centre (189 m)🚌 Kelsick Road Stand 1 (256 m)⛺ Ambleside Backpackers (19 m)

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

Buses to Nab Scar from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 555
Kendal – Staveley – Windermere – Ambleside – Rydal – Grasmere – Thirlmere (Wythburn & Swirls) – Keswick
Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside
Year-round, roughly hourly. The backbone bus of the A591 — ideal for Helvellyn (Wythburn/Swirls), Fairfield, the Central fells and anything around Grasmere/Rydal. From Penrith, take the X4/X5 to Keswick and change.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Nab Scar (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Navigating Nab Scar in cloud

Straightforward

A rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. 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 Nab Scar compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Nab Scar

Maps & guidebooks for Nab Scar

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