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

Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Rampsgill Head

Rampsgill Head at 792m (2,598ft) stands above the head of the wild Rampsgill valley above Martindale, a broad summit giving excellent views down the glaciated trough and across to the Ullswater fells.

792 m
Height
~5–6 h
Typical time
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Rampsgill Head

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

792 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 792 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 12°C, gusts to 38 mph, 15.1 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
14° / 12°
💨 38 mph
🌧 15.1 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 10°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.8 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
12° / 4°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 1°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 2°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
15° / 3°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 5°
💨 12 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (24%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 792 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

Rampsgill Head

Rampsgill Head, a Lake District fell
Photo: Mick Knapton, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rampsgill Head at 792m (2,598ft) stands above the head of the wild Rampsgill valley above Martindale, a broad summit giving excellent views down the glaciated trough and across to the Ullswater fells. Wainwright described the approach up Rampsgill as one of the finest valley walks in the Far Eastern Fells. The summit is most naturally reached from Howtown or as part of the High Street plateau traverse. The views west across Hayeswater to the Helvellyn range and north down Rampsgill to Ullswater are particularly fine.

Routes up Rampsgill Head

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

Birketts West of Haweswater
23.8 km · ~6.8 hr
Mardale Horseshoe
15.3 km · ~4.6 hr
Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty Pike
13.7 km · ~4.2 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
792 m
Height
2,598 ft
In feet
NY 4433 1287
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Hartsop village (free, donation), about 3.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Rampsgill Head (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.

1.6 km NELow Raise754 m · Far Eastern
2.0 km SERough Crag (Riggindale)628 m · Far Eastern
2.4 km NNERed Crag711 m · Far Eastern
2.6 km ECastle Crag (Mardale)395 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Rampsgill Head

Birketts West of HaweswaterPlanned
23.83 km · ~1235 m ascent · loop · ~6.5–9 h
Summits: High StreetRampsgill HeadHigh Raise (High Street)Low RaiseRed CragGowk HillLow KopCastle Crag (Mardale)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.

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

Mardale HorseshoeRevised
15.33 km · ~900 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6 h
Summits: Kidsty PikeRampsgill HeadThe Knott (High Street)High StreetMardale Ill BellHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter Fell

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty PikeRevised
13.7 km · ~862 m ascent · loop · ~4–5.5 h
Summits: Mardale Ill BellHigh StreetThe Knott (High Street)Rampsgill HeadHigh Raise (High Street)Kidsty Pike

⬇️ 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 Rampsgill Head

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 Rampsgill Head36 labelled tops shown (12 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 24 kmHelvellyn · 10 kmSkiddaw · 24 kmPillar · 27 kmHigh Crag · 10 kmRaise · 11 kmFairfield · 8 kmBlencathra · 19 kmCrinkle Crags · 21 kmStybarrow Dodd · 12 kmHigh Street · 2 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 23 kmSwirl How · 21 kmThornthwaite Crag · 3 kmHarter Fell · 4 kmStony Cove Pike · 4 kmMardale Ill Bell · 3 kmBowscale Fell · 21 kmCarrock Fell · 23 kmHarter Fell · 26 kmCross Fell · 32 km · clear daysHigh Raise · 1 kmKidsty Pike · 0 kmLow Raise · 2 kmRed Crag · 2 kmLittle Harter Fell · 4 kmBranstree NE Top · 5 kmSelside Pike · 5 kmGrey Crag · 8 kmWard's Stone · 56 km · clear daysSwarth Fell · 7 kmGreat Mell Fell · 13 kmBrown Howe · 4 kmLittle Mell Fell · 11 kmHare Shaw · 5 kmGowk Hill · 4 kmBowfell · 21 kmNethermost Pike · 10 kmCatstye Cam · 10 kmWhite Side · 11 kmDollywaggon Pike · 10 kmGreat Dodd · 13 kmRed Pike · 28 kmKnowe Crags · 19 kmLittle Stand · 22 kmKnott · 25 kmBranstree · 4 kmLoadpot Hill · 5 kmGreat Yarlside · 10 kmWasdale Pike · 10 kmThe Tongue · 20 kmHigh Wether Howe · 7 kmGlede Howe · 8 kmPowleys Hill · 6 kmBrownthwaite Crag · 4 kmGreat Ladstones · 9 kmGreen Hill · 9 kmGreat Meldrum · 10 kmNaddle High Forest · 5 kmSteel Knotts · 5 kmNaddle Low Forest · 6 kmHarper Hills · 7 kmTop o' Selside · 25 kmRogan's Seat · 49 km · clear daysBeacon Fell · 28 kmCold Fell · 46 km · clear daysScout Scar · 21 kmDufton Pike · 29 kmSnowdon · 179 km · a handful of days a yearBroad Law · 115 km · a rare clear dayThe Cheviot · 117 km · a rare clear dayTinto · 131 km · a handful of days a yearGreen Lowther · 113 km · a rare clear dayBoulsworth Hill · 91 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 87 km · a rare clear dayRoan Fell · 80 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 120 km · a handful of days a yearPeel Fell · 89 km · a rare clear dayBlackwood Hill · 84 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 112 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Rampsgill Head, by direction
  • South: High Street (2 km)
  • South-west: Crinkle Crags South Top (21 km)
  • West: St Sunday Crag (7 km), Hart Crag (8 km), Fairfield (8 km), Cofa Pike (8 km), Dollywaggon Pike (10 km), Catstye Cam (10 km), High Crag (10 km), Nethermost Pike (10 km), Helvellyn (10 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (11 km), White Side (11 km), Bowfell (21 km), Crinkle Crags (21 km), Crinkle Crags (21 km), Crinkle Crags (21 km), Esk Pike (21 km), Great End (22 km), Ill Crag (23 km), Broad Crag (23 km), Scafell Pike (24 km), Scafell (24 km), Pillar (27 km), Black Crag (28 km), Red Pike (28 km), Scoat Fell (28 km)
  • North-west: Raise (11 km), Stybarrow Dodd (12 km), Great Dodd (13 km), Blencathra (19 km), Gategill Fell Top (19 km), Atkinson Pike (20 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (23 km), Skiddaw Little Man (23 km), Skiddaw South Top (24 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (24 km), Skiddaw (24 km), Skiddaw North Top (24 km), Broad End (25 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (179 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (167 km, Wales), Broad Law (115 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (117 km, England), Tinto (131 km, Scotland), Yr Eifl (200 km, Wales), Green Lowther (113 km, Scotland), Craig Cwm Silyn (187 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 Rampsgill Head

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
72Wainwrights in view+16 marginal
179 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction
—Sea in viewnone from here

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.

Far horizons
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 179 km clear
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 163 km clear
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 49 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 43 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesNE · 33 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 32 km clear
All 72 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Kidsty Pike, High Raise (High Street), Rest Dodd, The Nab, Mardale Ill Bell, Brock Crags (Wainwright), Thornthwaite Crag, Hartsop Dodd, Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Harter Fell (Mardale), Branstree, Beda Fell (Beda Head), Selside Pike, Loadpot Hill, Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts), High Hartsop Dodd, Arnison Crag, Place Fell, Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How), Red Screes, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Birks, Tarn Crag (Sleddale), Hallin Fell, Dove Crag, St Sunday Crag, Hart Crag, Glenridding Dodd, High Pike (Scandale), Fairfield, Birkhouse Moor, Great Rigg, Sheffield Pike, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Dollywaggon Pike, Catstye Cam, Nethermost Pike, Helvellyn, Hart Side, Raise, White Side, Little Mell Fell, Stybarrow Dodd, Great Dodd, Great Mell Fell, Clough Head, Souther Fell, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Pike of Blisco, Wetherlam, Cold Pike, Bowscale Fell, Great Carrs, Lonscale Fell, Esk Pike, Great End, Brandreth, Skiddaw Little Man, Carrock Fell, Scafell Pike, Skiddaw, Scafell, Knott, Bakestall, High Pike (Caldbeck), Harter Fell (Eskdale), Pillar, Red Pike (Wasdale), Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Steeple, Haycock

How Rampsgill Head’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 Rampsgill Head

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

Hartsop village (free, donation) — 3.3 km from summit (straight line)
For Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, High Street via Hayeswater, Brock Crags.
Directions
Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — 3.4 km from summit (straight line)
Free but small and fills very early — High Street, Harter Fell, Kidsty Pike, Branstree.
Directions

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 Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty Pike route:

🛖 map (6 m)🛖 map (6 m)🛖 map (6 m)

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

Buses to Rampsgill Head from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).

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

My hikes over Rampsgill Head (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Hazard & Incident Information for Rampsgill Head

Hazard: Moderate

A remote hub of the Far Eastern Fells where several ridges meet north of High Street, with a steep northern face plunging some 1,800 ft in crag and rough ground into the bowl of Rampsgill, and a scree-lined western flank. The gentle-looking top sits amid pathless, boggy ground and a confusing junction of ridges, so navigation is the main challenge — in committing, far-from-the-road country. Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • The steep northern face above Rampsgill: The north side drops about 1,800 ft over crag and rough ground into upper Rampsgill, and precipitous cliffs line the ridge nearby. Keep well back from the northern edge, especially in cloud or wind where the broad top gives little warning.
  • Pathless ground & the ridge junction (navigation): Ridges to The Knott/Rest Dodd, High Raise, High Street and the Straits of Riggindale all meet here over pathless, boggy ground. In mist it is easy to take the wrong arm. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the summit.
  • Scree-lined western flank & remoteness: The western side is steep and scree-lined, and the whole area is a long way from any road. A slip or navigation error becomes serious for being so remote — carry full kit and navigation and allow plenty of time.
Who should attempt this fell: Rampsgill Head is a navigation fell in remote country: keep well back from the steep northern face, and be confident with map and compass at the tangle of ridges, where it's easy to set off the wrong way in mist. Account for the boggy, pathless ground and the long walk-out, carry what you need, and treat the edges as serious in winter.

Most common causes: Walkers straying toward the steep northern crags above Rampsgill in poor visibility · Taking the wrong ridge at the pathless junction in cloud · Slips on the scree-lined western flank · Difficulties magnified by remoteness and boggy, trackless ground

Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. 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

Navigating Rampsgill Head in cloud

Severe

Walkable ground sits close to a lethal drop — in cloud it’s easy to walk straight onto steep ground. 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 Rampsgill Head 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 Rampsgill Head

Maps & guidebooks for Rampsgill Head

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