Orthwaite Bank
Orthwaite Bank at 348m (1,142ft) is a Birkett top in the Back o' Skiddaw country north of the main Lakeland fells, its open moorland summit giving views across the Uldale Fells and north towards the Solway.
Summit conditions on Orthwaite Bank
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 13° to 8°C, gusts to 49 mph, 8.1 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.
The forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →
Routes up Orthwaite Bank
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Eight tops in the grassy country north of Skiddaw — Longlands Fell, Brae Fell, the two Sca Fells, Meal Fell and Great Cockup among them.
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 Orthwaite Bank?
The shortest way up we hold is North of Skiddaw — 13.22 km, 729 m of ascent, ~3¾–5¼ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Hard.
All axes: steepness: Hard · length: Moderate · terrain: Easy · navigation: Easy · 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 348 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
Full 7-day forecast
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)
Parking & buses for Orthwaite Bank
Parking
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
2 more places to park near Orthwaite Bank
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 nearest bus stop we hold is the 553, 554 and X4 stop at Bassenthwaite, at Village turn, 6.4 km of walking from the start — no bus route we hold serves it.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Hazards on Orthwaite Bank
Notes from the North of Skiddaw route
If you need to get off (the leg from Great Cockup): Continue the descent; you are well on your way off the high fell.
Quoted from the route page: the note for the leg that reaches Orthwaite Bank.
We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.
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
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.
Birketts within 3 km of Orthwaite Bank
These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.
Routes over Orthwaite Bank
Download GPX Walked by Lee, August 2024
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 Orthwaite Bank
My Strava hikes over Orthwaite Bank
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- Got here early for parking, but too early for the weather. What a cock up. (opens in new tab) — 13.2 km · 721 m ascent · 3h 19m moving · 3 August 2024
Data from Strava.
Classifications & hill data
Is Orthwaite Bank a Wainwright?
Orthwaite Bank is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list.
Selected lists
This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.
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 →
Places to stay near this fell
- Woodlands Country House & Cottage (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 4.5 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).