Red Screes
Red Screes at 776m (2,546ft) stands dramatically above the Kirkstone Pass, its steep red scree slopes giving the fell its name and making it one of the most recognisable profiles above the A592.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 779 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 41 mph, 15.4 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 779 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
About the walk
Red Screes
Routes up Red Screes
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Kirkstone Pass (laybys / inn), about 0.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Red Screes (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.
Routes over Red Screes
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
The View from Red Screes
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.
What you can see from Red Screes, by direction
- North: Blencathra (20 km), Atkinson Pike (21 km)
- North-east: High Street (5 km), High Raise (7 km)
- South-west: Swirl How (15 km), The Old Man of Coniston (16 km)
- West: Crinkle Crags (15 km), Crinkle Crags (15 km), Crinkle Crags (15 km), Shelter Crags (15 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (15 km), Crinkle Crags (15 km), Bowfell (15 km), Great End (17 km), Ill Crag (17 km), Broad Crag (18 km), Scafell Pike (18 km), Green Gable (18 km), Great Gable (19 km), Scafell (19 km), Pillar (23 km), Black Crag (23 km), High Stile (23 km), High Stile (24 km), Scoat Fell (24 km), Steeple (24 km)
- North-west: Hart Crag (4 km), Fairfield (5 km), St Sunday Crag (5 km), High Crag (7 km), Nethermost Pike (8 km), Helvellyn (8 km), Catstye Cam (9 km), Raise (10 km), Stybarrow Dodd (12 km), Great Dodd (13 km), Gategill Fell Top (20 km), Crag Hill (23 km), Eel Crag (24 km), Grasmoor (25 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (173 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (161 km, Wales), Moel Siabod (169 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (181 km, Wales), Yr Eifl (194 km, Wales), Craig Cwm Silyn (181 km, Wales), Pendle Hill (79 km, England), Gyrn Ddu (190 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 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.
What you can see from Red Screes
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.
- Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Wales
- Carnedd Llewelyn Wales
- Irish Sea open water
- Ingleborough Yorkshire Dales
- Whernside Yorkshire Dales
- Great Dun Fell North Pennines
- Morecambe Bay bay/estuary
All 103 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
Middle Dodd, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), High Hartsop Dodd, High Pike (Scandale), Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Dove Crag, Hartsop Dodd, Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How), Troutbeck Tongue, Thornthwaite Crag, Baystones (Wansfell), Hart Crag, Froswick, Ill Bell, Heron Pike (Rydal), Great Rigg, Yoke, Fairfield, High Street, Brock Crags (Wainwright), St Sunday Crag, The Knott (High Street), Birks, Rest Dodd, Rampsgill Head, Sallows, Arnison Crag, Harter Fell (Mardale), Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Sour Howes, Kidsty Pike, High Raise (High Street), Kentmere Pike, The Nab, Silver How, Nethermost Pike, Birkhouse Moor, Place Fell, Helvellyn, Catstye Cam, Glenridding Dodd, Beda Fell (Beda Head), Black Fell, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Blea Rigg, Calf Crag, Sheffield Pike, Raise, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts), Sergeant Man, Loadpot Hill, Pavey Ark, Stybarrow Dodd, Holme Fell, Hart Side, Harrison Stickle, Hallin Fell, Thunacar Knott, Loft Crag, Great Dodd, Wetherlam, Pike of Blisco, Cold Pike, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Glaramara, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Bowfell, Little Mell Fell, Allen Crags, Esk Pike, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Great Mell Fell, Great End, High Spy, Scafell Pike, Green Gable, Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Great Gable, Dale Head, Slight Side, Scafell, Hindscarth, Fleetwith Pike, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Souther Fell, Robinson, High Crag (Buttermere), Bowscale Fell, Pillar, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Wandope, High Stile, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Whiteless Pike, Steeple, Red Pike (Buttermere), Grasmoor, Carrock Fell
How Red Screes’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 Red Screes
Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).
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 Long Hike to Fairfield from Ambleside route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
Buses to Red Screes from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
My hikes over Red Screes (Strava)
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- Bit of a hike in the Lake District (opens in new tab) — 23.0 km · 1488 m ascent · 6h 13m moving · 3 Apr 2023
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Hazard & Incident Information for Red Screes
A popular fell rising steeply above the Kirkstone Pass, with a deceptively dangerous western and eastern aspect. The summit plateau is easy, but it is ringed on several sides by steep, crag-riven slopes of loose red scree dropping toward Kirkstone and Caiston Glen. Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground and knows it well — a team member fell roughly 150m on steep ground here during a 2021 callout and was very seriously injured. Stick to the line of the path and keep well back from the broken edges.
- Steep western/eastern slopes above Kirkstone & Caiston Glen: The summit plateau drops away into steep, loose scree and crags on more than one side. A simple slip near the edge — especially in wind, cloud or with tired legs on descent — can turn into a long, uncontrolled fall over broken ground. Keep back from the rim and don't shortcut down the screes.
- Kilnshaw Chimney (direct ascent from Kirkstone Pass): A steep, narrow gully of loose scree that collects water and stays muddy and slippery. Around two-thirds of the way up there is an awkward, near-vertical slippery rock step. Manageable for confident walkers in dry conditions but unpleasant and exposed when wet — not a good descent route.
- Descent toward Snarker Moss / Raven Crag: The path down the Ambleside side is loose in places and passes above crags before reaching boggy ground. Easy to lose the line in mist and drift onto steeper terrain.
Most common causes: Slips on loose scree on the steep flanks · Falls over the crag edges near the summit, especially in poor visibility or wind · Difficulty on the awkward rock step in Kilnshaw Chimney, particularly when wet · Losing the path in cloud on the broad summit and drifting onto steep ground
Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Reviewed 13 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.
Navigating Red Screes in cloud
Serious in cloudWalkable 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 Red Screes compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Frequently asked questions about Red Screes
Is Red Screes hard to climb?
It's short but stiff. From the top of Kirkstone Pass you start high (around 445 m) and only need about 330 m of ascent to the 776 m summit, but it's packed into a steep, rough, rocky climb with some hands-on steps — a sharp pull rather than a long day.
There's no exposed scrambling you must do, but the steep eastern face is crag- and scree-bound, so keep to the path and take care on the rocky, sometimes slippery ground.
What is the easiest (shortest) route up Red Screes?
The shortest way is straight up from the top of Kirkstone Pass — about 2.5 km, with roughly 330 m of ascent — because the road already takes you to 445 m. It's one of the quickest summits in the Lakes, but the path is steep and rough, winding up among the crags on rocky steps.
A gentler but much longer option is the circular from Ambleside via Scandale Pass, returning over the southern ridge.
How long does it take to climb Red Screes?
From Kirkstone Pass allow about 1.5–2 hours for the round trip — it's short but steep. The fuller circular from Ambleside via Scandale Pass and Middle Dodd is a 14 km day taking around 5 hours.
Is the steep face of Red Screes dangerous?
The eastern and western flanks above Kirkstone and Caiston Glen are steep, loose scree and crag, and a slip near the edges — particularly in wind, cloud or on tired legs coming down — can run a long way over broken ground. The direct path's rocky steps are slippery when wet.
Keep to the path, stay back from the steep edges near the summit, and take the descent carefully. The broad top can be disorienting in cloud, so carry a compass.
Is Red Screes suitable for beginners?
The short Kirkstone route makes a good 'quick summit' for fit beginners, but don't underestimate it — it's a steep, rough, rocky pull, not a stroll, and the descent is harder than the climb. Sure-footedness helps on the rocky steps.
Go on a clear, dry day, wear proper boots, carry a map and compass for the broad top, and keep back from the steep edges. Take particular care descending when it's wet.
Where do you park for Red Screes?
For the short route, park at the top of Kirkstone Pass, by the Kirkstone Pass Inn (the highest inn in the Lakes), where there's a car park — the summit path starts from there. It's a popular spot that fills on fine days.
For the Ambleside circular, start from the town and use the car parks there. Note the Kirkstone Pass road is steep and can be closed in winter snow.
Sources: Mud and Routes — Red Screes from Kirkstone Pass (opens in new tab)
What should I wear and take up Red Screes?
Wear proper walking boots with good grip — the path is steep, rough and rocky, and slippery when wet. Even on the short route carry warm and waterproof layers, as the summit is far cooler and windier than the pass.
Take a map and compass (the broad top is confusing in cloud), water, a snack and a charged phone, and check the mountain forecast. In winter the steep ground and the pass road both need real care.
Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-06-14 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)
Other fells near Red Screes
- Arnison Crag
- Birkhouse Moor
- Birks
- Catstye Cam
- Clough Head
- Dollywaggon Pike
- Dove Crag
- Fairfield
- Glenridding Dodd
- Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit)
- Great Dodd
- Great Mell Fell
- Great Rigg
- Hart Crag
- Hart Side
- Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)
- Helvellyn
- Heron Pike (Rydal)
- High Hartsop Dodd
- High Pike (Scandale)
- Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top)
- Little Mell Fell
- Low Pike
- Middle Dodd
- Nab Scar
- Nethermost Pike
- Raise
- Seat Sandal
- Sheffield Pike
- St Sunday Crag
- Stone Arthur
- Stybarrow Dodd
- Watson's Dodd
- White Side
Maps & guidebooks for Red Screes
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