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720 m · Birkett — Southern (not a Wainwright summit) · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Birkett — Southern (not a Wainwright summit)Birkett top

Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)

At 720 m (2,362 ft), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) is a Birkett (one of the 541 tops in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells) in the Southern Fells — an overlooked summit away from the crowds.

720 m
Height
+10
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →

Home › Fells › Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)

720 mBirkett — Southern (not a Wainwright summit)+10 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 720 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Fri 11 Sep): 11° to 8°C, gusts to 28 mph, 3.2 mm of rain forecast.

Fri 11 Sep
🌦️
11° / 8°
💨 28 mph
🌧 3.2 mm (100%)
Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
13° / 9°
💨 51 mph
🌧 47.7 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
11° / 7°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.7 mm (74%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌧️
13° / 7°
💨 33 mph
🌧 18.7 mm (96%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌧️
12° / 7°
💨 32 mph
🌧 13.2 mm (100%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
10° / 8°
💨 34 mph
🌧 6.0 mm (96%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
10° / 7°
💨 38 mph
🌧 11.6 mm (98%)

Forecast snapshot from 11 Sep 2026, 08:30 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 720 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

Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) at a glance

Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)

At 720 m (2,362 ft), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) is a Birkett (one of the 541 tops in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells) in the Southern Fells — an overlooked summit away from the crowds. It rises Borrowdale. The name combines red (Old English read, red), and beck (Old Norse bekkr, a stream). It also features on the Synge, Nuttall lists. Its nearest tops are High House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags) (0.5 km SW); Looking Steads (Glaramara) (0.6 km NE); Glaramara (0.8 km NE) — it's usually taken in on a round of these neighbours. It's a worthwhile objective for anyone working through the Birkett list, or as a short extension to a bigger day on the higher neighbouring fells.

Routes up Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)

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

Allan Crags & Glaramara
10.9 km · ~3.5 hr
Glaramara's knobbly crest and Allen Crags, five summits linked along the ridge above Borrowdale. 806 m of climbing in 10.9 km, rated severe for steepness though navigation and exposure both stay moderate. About 3.5 hours.

Classifications & hill data

Birkett
Synge
Nuttall
720 m
Height
2,362 ft
In feet
NY 2426 0971
Grid ref

The short answers

Is Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) a Wainwright?

Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Nuttall list.

Where do you park for Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)?

We hold no car park within 2.5 km of the summit, so there is no short walk-in to recommend here. 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.

How hard is Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)?

The shortest way up we hold is Allan Crags & Glaramara — 10.9 km, 806 m of ascent, about 3.5 hours. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.

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

Parking & buses for Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)

Best parking to hike Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)

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

Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge) — 2.7 km from summit (straight line)
Free verge parking on the Seathwaite lane — the honeypot start for the Scafells, Great Gable and Glaramara. Arrive very early.
🕑 Typically full before 09:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 2026-08-09.
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) (1.8 km); Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.0 km); Rosthwaite (NT, paid) (3.8 km)
🚺 Public toilets (~188 m straight line) — Free
Thornythwaite Fell (layby) — 2.8 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Allen Crags, High House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) and Looking Steads (Glaramara) — the 'Allan Crags & Glaramara' route starts 135 m away. Also serves 'Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Thornythwaite Fell, north-west (layby) — 2.9 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Allen Crags, High House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) and Looking Steads (Glaramara) — the 'Allan Crags & Glaramara' route starts 255 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Rosthwaite Fell car park (paid) — 3.8 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Seathwaite Fell (Great Slack - Seathwaite Fell), Green Gable and Base Brown — the 'Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown' route starts 78 m away. Paid parking (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm.

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 Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) by bus

We don’t know yet. The path network around this start isn’t mapped well enough for us to measure a walk from the nearest stop. That’s a gap in our data, not a sign that no bus comes here.

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

Hazards on Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)

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.

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge), about 2.7 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) (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.

0.5 km SSWHigh House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags)683 m · Southern
0.6 km NELooking Steads (Glaramara)774 m · Southern
1.4 km NNECombe Head735 m · Southern
1.5 km WSeathwaite Fell (Great Slack)631 m · Southern
2.1 km SEBlack Crags (Mickleden)588 m · Southern
2.1 km NThornythwaite Fell574 m · Southern
2.2 km NEDovenest Top (Dovenest Crag) (Stonethwaite Fell)633 m · Southern
2.2 km SSEBuck Pike (Mickleden)606 m · Southern
2.5 km NNERosthwaite Fell (Rosthwaite Cam)612 m · Southern
2.9 km SSWPike de Bield810 m · Southern

Routes over Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)

Allan Crags & GlaramaraLive
10.94 km · ~806 m ascent · loop · ~3.5–4.5 h
Summits: Allen CragsHigh House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags)Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)Looking Steads (Glaramara)Glaramara

⬇️ Download GPX

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.

On the hill: terrain and water on Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Allan Crags & Glaramara route:

⛺ Seathwaite Farm Campsite (185 m)

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

Places to stay near this fell

Seatoller House guest house

about 1.8 km from the start, in a straight line

The strongest family answer in this radius and the only one that names its rooms: two large family rooms (Rabbit and Stag, both with a private bathroom opposite) plus two downstairs bedrooms (Badger and Hedgehog) for anyone who does not want stairs after Glaramara. Food is on site at a fixed hour rather than a drive away. The costs of that: breakfast does not start until 8.00, dinner is a single set menu at 7pm with none at all on Wednesdays and 48 hours notice needed if you booked through an agent, and arrival after 7pm has to be arranged in advance with no hot food after it.

Worth knowing: “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”

A 400-year-old house that has taken guests for over a century and is the biggest building in Seatoller; the bedrooms are named for animals (Badger, Osprey, Otter, Squirrel, Stag), and it is run by managers Nigel and Patricia Dixon, Patricia having lived in the valley most of her life.

  • Dogs “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”
  • Family rooms “Rabbit Large Family room, Private bathroom directly opposite, great views of garden & Fells”
  • Evening meal “DINNER MUST BE PRE-BOOKED 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE if not booked direct,dinner is a set menu served at 7.00pm with the exception of Wednesdays, when Dinner is not served, Alternatively a reservation can be made for you locally.”
  • Parking “There are 10 bedrooms all with private bathrooms, a large award winning garden surrounding the house and ample private car parking.”

YHA Borrowdale hostel

about 2.8 km from the start, in a straight line

The only property in this radius whose own page states a cot, a highchair, ground-floor rooms, accessible rooms and a shared drying room in one place, plus meals until 20:30 and a self-catering kitchen if you arrive after that. It is also the one with the hardest arrival: the door opens at 17:00 and reception shuts at 22:00, there is no email and no contact form so booking is online only, parking is charged, and their own facility list warns 'No mobile coverage' - so agree a plan before you drop into the valley. Dogs go only in the camping pods, tents and Landpods, never in the hostel rooms.

Worth knowing: “Dogs: Pets are not permitted at YHA Borrowdale, except in our Camping & Cabins accommodation. Assistance dogs are welcome - please notify us at the time of booking.”

The hostel dates from Easter 1939, when YHA opened Longthwaite-in-Borrowdale to replace an earlier Grange-in-Borrowdale hostel that had closed in 1937; its own facilities list still carries 'No mobile coverage'.

  • Drying room “Shared drying room”
  • Family rooms “What our private rooms offer Accessible rooms available Bed linen Central heating Cot available Ground floor rooms available Heating Hot water Lock on doors Smoke alarm”
  • Evening meal “Food and drink: Breakfast is served to guests from 07:30”
  • Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Borrowdale (see sample menu ).”
  • Parking “Parking: This hostel has on-site parking (subject to availability). Charges apply though overnight guests benefit from a discounted rate of £5 per vehicle for 24 hours. To claim these rates, please notify reception once you've parked. There is no access for coaches - the nearest drop off is 400m away.”
  • Children “Guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over to stay at YHA.”

YHA Black Sail hostel

about 4.0 km from the start, in a straight line

Include it for the one fact that matters: you cannot drive here. The straight-line 4.04 km from Seathwaite is honest and useless - their own page says the nearest road is 2.5 miles away over Scarth Gap, or six miles up Ennerdale from Bowness Knott, and vehicles are stopped at the gate. A party finishing Great Gable on foot can use it; a family arriving by car cannot. Doors are 17:00 to 20:30 with meals ending at 20:00, there is no signal to ring ahead from the valley, and no dogs unless you hire the whole hut.

Worth knowing: “Dogs: Pets are not permitted at YHA Black Sail, except when hiring the whole hostel through YHA Exclusive Hire.”

The hostel calls itself England's remotest, sits 2.5 miles from the nearest road with 15 mountains round it, and its own facilities list reads 'Intermittent mobile coverage' and 'No WiFi' - the self-catering kitchen runs off an oven and a wood stove.

  • Family rooms “What our private rooms offer Bed linen Cot available Ground floor rooms available Lock on doors Smoke alarm”
  • Evening meal “Take your pick from today's selection of hearty classics and delicious desserts. Vegan and vegetarian options available.”
  • Packed lunch “This hostel offers group catering for pre-booked groups of 16 people or more.”
  • Parking “YHA Black Sail is only accessible by foot or bike. The nearest road is 2.5 miles away in the Buttermere valley, accessing the hostel via 'Scarth Gap pass'. Guests can leave their cars in the Bowness Knott car park and walk or cycle 6 miles up the Ennerdale valley to the hostel. Vehicles are not authorised beyond the gate at Bowness Knott.”
  • Children “Guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over to stay at YHA.”

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.

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