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Robinson - the summit cairn on the rocky top, with the long ridge of Grasmoor and the north-western fells beyond, hazy under a milky sky

Robinson

Written and walked by · Summited

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738 mWainwright — North Western Fells+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km Fewer traps in Clag

Robinson at 738m (2,420ft) is the north-western bastion of the Newlands Horseshoe — the great classic ridge walk that circuits the Newlands valley.

Summit conditions on Robinson

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 4°C, gusts to 69 mph, 8.5 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

72 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 58 mph times our exposure factor of 1.23. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 69 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

8.5 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like 0 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 27 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Routes up Robinson

Choose the way up before the car park: these three routes start from three places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.

Little Dale HorseshoeDale Head Hindscarth and RobinsonHonister to Keswick: over the Newlands fells
Starts fromChapel Bridge Car ParkHonister (NT, paid)Honister Slate Mine
Distance and climb10.77 km, 793 m of climb17.46 km, 808 m of climb19.62 km, 1,057 m of climb
Time, fast to steady~3¼–4¾ h~4¾–6½ h~5½–7¾ h
ScramblingHands for a few steps: short awkward scrambles on the Scope End ridge (km 6.6–7.7).Hands for a few steps: short steps on the pull up Robinson and a rock step just below its top (about km 5.8).Not mentioned in the route’s notes
ExposureNot assessedNot assessedNot assessed
NavigationHardModerateModerate
Steepest stretchDescent of about 34% at 7.1 km (Hard)Descent of about 27% at 6.8 km (Hard)Descent of about 38% at 6.1 km (Severe)
After the summitOver Hindscarth, High Crags (Newlands), Red Knott and Scope EndNo further topsOver Ill Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top) and Ard Crags
Walked or plannedPlanned: drawn, not yet walkedWalked by Lee, July 2026Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Car park at the startLittle Town, Newlands (paid, small)Honister (NT, paid)Honister Pass (paid, slate mine)
Bus to the start77, 2.7 km walk from Manesty, outside Cocklety How. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day.77 at the start. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day.77 at the start. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day.

Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.

Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →

Is Robinson hard to climb?

It's a moderate fell — a broad, grassy whaleback that's a steady rather than fierce climb, though some routes have steep zig-zags and a few rocky steps for interest. Robinson (738 m / 2,420 ft) sits between the Newlands valley and Buttermere.

The main things to watch are the boggy crossing of Buttermere Moss and route-finding on the broad top. The climb from Littledale Edge has a couple of short rocky steps where hands help, and the north-east ridge has a steep rock step just below the summit — easy in the dry, polished and slippery when wet.

Sources: Knowledge.me.uk — Fell Guide: Robinson

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 738 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
10° / 4°
69 mph
8.5 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
8° / 5°
51 mph
7.3 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
8° / 6°
25 mph
0.6 mm (26%)
Fri 30 Oct
8° / 5°
25 mph
0.0 mm (31%)
Sat 31 Oct
9° / 0°
8 mph
0.0 mm (25%)
Sun 1 Nov
7° / 0°
5 mph
0.0 mm (12%)
Mon 2 Nov
6° / 1°
17 mph
0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Robinson

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Little Town, Newlands (paid, small) — at the start of Little Dale Horseshoe
Newlands valley — Catbells, Maiden Moor, Hindscarth, Robinson.
Directions Something changed here?
Honister (NT, paid) — at the start of Dale Head Hindscarth and Robinson
Walking base for Great Gable, Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knotts — the 'Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine' route starts 61 m away. Also serves 'Haystacks'. Paid National Trust car park - the prices we used to show here came from an aggregator rather than the Trust, so we no longer publish a figure; check the machine on arrival, and members should bring their card (National Trust car-park list, checked August 2026). The machine takes cards, and National Trust members park free on production of their membership card (Lee McCoy, local observation, recorded 12 August 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — 0.1 km from the start of Honister to Keswick: over the Newlands fells (straight line)
Paid parking at the top of the pass — Dale Head, Fleetwith Pike, Grey Knotts with minimal ascent. This is the slate mine's own car park, the WESTERN one; the National Trust car park 170 m east is a separate one. Fees: Day parking GBP 5 per day for visitors; free for all Honister activity guests (honister.com/your-visit/). Overnight parking GBP 15 a night in the large bottom car park, open to campervans, motorhomes and vans, no tent camping, no facilities, no electric hook-ups; book online or pay by QR code on arrival and display confirmation on the dashboard (honister.com/your-visit/overnight-parking) (operator, checked August 2026). You pay by card, inside the building, not at a machine in the car park. The posted opening is 9am but it is often later; the mine is content for you to arrive before it and pay on the way out, and the car park is covered by cameras (Lee McCoy, local observation, recorded 12 August 2026). Pay and display (LDNPA, checked August 2026).
Typically full before 10:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 9 August 2026.
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.4 km, 259 m up)
Public toilets (~136 m straight line) — Free Sky Hi Cafe
5 more places to park near Robinson
Robinson (layby) — 1.1 km from summit (straight line)
A lay-by on the Newlands Pass road (way/585193027), 0.3 km east of the top of Newlands Hause, on the Newlands side. The 'Knott Rigg & Ard Crags Out-and-Back from Newlands Pass' and 'Newlands Hause to the Coledale Tops' routes start at Newlands Hause, 0.3 km away in a straight line (this pin sits too far from the mapped paths to measure a walk). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Newlands Hause car park — 1.2 km from summit (straight line)
At Newlands Hause, the top of the Newlands Pass road above Buttermere. The 'Knott Rigg & Ard Crags Out-and-Back from Newlands Pass' route starts here. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
Knott Rigg (layby) — 1.6 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Knott Rigg (0.8 km), Ill Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top) (0.8 km), Ard Crags (1.3 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Hassness (free) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)
On the B5289 above the north-east shore of Buttermere at Hassness, about 80 m from the Dalegarth bus stops. The nearest route starts are in Buttermere village: 'High Snockrigg, Eel Crag & Lad Hows', 1.7 km north-west on foot, and 'Great Borne & Starling Dodd', 1.8 km. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Fleetwith Pike (layby) — 2.0 km from summit (straight line)
On the Honister Pass road (B5289), about 610 m east of the Gatesgarth Farm car park. The nearest route start is 'Fleetwith Edge and Haystacks', at the Gatesgarth Farm car park, about 0.6 km west in a straight line. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?

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 77 stops at Honister Youth Hostel (near), a 90 m walk from the start of Dale Head Hindscarth and Robinson — a route we rate Hard overall (hardest: distance and steepness). Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. It returns on 22 March 2027. Confirmed with the operator: its last day on 29 August 2026, its return on 16 October 2026. The last bus is 18:33 towards Keswick (77), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawes End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (Summer 2026 timetable: 23 March to 1 November 2026). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

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

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Robinson

Hazard & Incident Information for Robinson

Checked by Lee McCoy, . Draws on published material from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Moderate

A big, broad-topped fell between Buttermere and the Newlands valley, easy underfoot on its grassy upper slopes but defended by bands of rock and a featureless summit that catches people out in cloud. The ridge carries a set of rock steps that need hands and care when wet, and the approaches run above lines of crag. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers the Newlands side of this fell.

  • The rock steps on the ridge: The climb from Littledale Edge has a couple of short rocky steps where hands help, and the north-east ridge has a steep rock step just below the summit — easy in the dry, polished and slippery when wet. Take them carefully, test holds, and don't rush the down-climb if descending this way.
  • Crag bands on the approaches (Blea Crags / High Snab): The paths from the Newlands side run above lines of crag, including by Blea Crags. Keep to the path and don't drift toward the edges in mist; the easy grass can give way to steep ground without much warning.
  • The broad summit in cloud: Robinson's top is wide and largely featureless, with steep flanks down to both Buttermere and Newlands. It is easy to leave on the wrong bearing in mist and end up above crags or in the wrong valley. Set a compass bearing before you descend.
Who should attempt this fell: Robinson is a straightforward grassy hill for the most part, but respect the rock steps — easy when dry, genuinely awkward when wet — and the crag bands on the approaches. The summit is a navigation fell in cloud: take a bearing before leaving it so you pick the right ridge and avoid the steep edges. Full winter kit when there is snow or ice on the rock steps and upper slopes.

What to watch for: Slips on the wet, polished rock steps · Walkers drifting over crag edges on the approaches in poor visibility · Navigation errors off the broad featureless summit in cloud · Misjudging the steep flanks down to Buttermere or Newlands

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team

Safety: 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 in cloud

Fewer traps in cloud

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of near-level ground around the summit. This top is in the lowest of the index’s four bands, and a low band never means “safe”: carry map and compass and know how to use them.

From walking it — not from the terrain model

What catches people out: Buttermere Moss lures you onto a bog plateau with no features, and the northern edge (Robinson Crags) is closer to the summit than it feels.

The line to take: The fence along Littledale Edge toward Hindscarth is a handrail in cloud for as long as it runs; know where it ends and take your bearing from there. If heading for the Moss, accept wet feet and hold a hard bearing for the Newlands Hause path.

First-hand knowledge of this top, written by Lee. It adds to the computed grade above — it never changes it, and its absence on another fell means only that it has not been written yet.

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 Robinson compares with all 214: the Clag Index (experimental).

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 (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Robinson

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

1.5 km WHigh Snockrigg526 m · North Western
1.7 km ENEHigh Crags (Newlands)529 m · North Western
2.2 km ENERed Knott452 m · North Western
2.3 km NIll Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top)546 m · North Western
2.6 km NEScope End412 m · North Western
2.9 km SSEHonister Crag (Black Star)634 m · Western

Routes over Robinson

Dale Head Hindscarth and Robinson
Summits: Dale HeadHindscarthRobinson

Download GPX Walked by Lee, July 2026

Warnings: Dale Head: The easy southern slope ends suddenly right at the top, where the ground drops away in crags to Newlands. The cairn sits near this brink. In mist or strong wind it is dangerously easy to step toward the edge — keep well back and don't approach the rim for the view in poor visibility.

From the hazard notes for Dale Head, each with its sources.

Route guide →

Honister to Keswick: over the Newlands fells
Summits: Dale HeadHindscarthRobinsonIll Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top)Ard Crags

Because it finishes in a different valley from where it starts, this one suits a car–free day: the seasonal Honister Rambler (the 77 / 77A) sets you down at Honister Hause and you walk back into Keswick for the bus home. From Penrith it’s the X4 / X5 to Keswick, then the Rambler up to Honister. Check the last bus before you set off — the walk’s long tail down the Newlands valley eats time when legs are tired.

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Best season: Late spring to autumn, in clear conditions. The steep descent off Robinson to Newlands Hause is rough and slippery when wet, and the broad grassy tops need a compass in mist; in full winter it’s a serious outing.

Warnings: The descent off Robinson to Newlands Hause is the crux — steep, eroded and grassy (around a 40–45% pull), and slippery when wet. Take the walkers’ line and keep away from the crags; cross the Buttermere road with care at the bottom. A long day — nearly 20 km and about 1,035 m of ascent over six tops, with a further long walk–out down the valley at the end. Carry map, compass, food and water, and start early. The high ridge from Dale Head over Hindscarth and Robinson is broad and grassy — easy to drift off line in cloud, so navigate on a bearing between the tops. It’s a linear route: fix your return transport (and the last bus time) before you leave, as there’s no loop back to the start. Dale Head: The easy southern slope ends suddenly right at the top, where the ground drops away in crags to Newlands. The cairn sits near this brink. In mist or strong wind it is dangerously easy to step toward the edge — keep well back and don't approach the rim for the view in poor visibility.

From the hazard notes for Dale Head, each with its sources.

Route guide →

Little Dale Horseshoe
Summits: RobinsonHindscarthHigh Crags (Newlands)Red KnottScope End

The start is Chapel Bridge Car Park at Little Town. Scope End, Hindscarth & Dale Head from Little Town starts there too and goes up the same Scope End ridge that this walk comes down.

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Warnings: The descent off Hindscarth is steep: about 34% sustained near 7.1 km, and about 43% over 250 m near 6.9 km. Crags are mapped close beside the path on the climb to Robinson: Blea Crags about 10 m from it near 2.4 km and Robinson Crags about 15 m near 3.5 km. Keep to the path, especially in cloud. The first 1.15 km or so, from Chapel Bridge, and the last 0.3 km are on lanes open to traffic; OpenStreetMap records no pavement. About 6.5 km of the line follows paths that OpenStreetMap does not record as public rights of way: High Snab Bank and the climb to Robinson (about 1.5 to 3.6 km), and from the low point before Hindscarth over Hindscarth and down the Scope End ridge (about 5.6 to 9.5 km); the track past Low Snab is not recorded either. The path up from the lane and the path over Robinson to the low point are public footpaths. That is a map-data note, not a ruling on access: check the access land and rights of way maps before relying on this stretch.

Route guide →

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.

On the hill: terrain and water on Robinson

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Dale Head Hindscarth and Robinson route:

Keswick Bus Stn Stand 1 (19 m from the start or finish, straight line) Keswick Bus Stn Stand 2 (33 m from the start or finish, straight line) Keswick Bus Stn Stand 3 (38 m from the start or finish, straight line) Keswick Bus Stn Stand 4 (45 m from the start or finish, straight line) Honister Pass YHA (16 m from the start or finish, straight line) Keswick YHA (411 m from the start or finish, straight line)

On the Honister to Keswick: over the Newlands fells route:

Keswick Bus Stn Stand 1 (16 m from the start or finish, straight line) Keswick Bus Stn Stand 2 (25 m from the start or finish, straight line) Keswick Bus Stn Stand 3 (29 m from the start or finish, straight line) Keswick Bus Stn Stand 4 (35 m from the start or finish, straight line) Honister Pass YHA (89 m from the start or finish, straight line) Keswick YHA (422 m from the start or finish, straight line)

On the Little Dale Horseshoe route:

shelter (mapped, not checked; 6 m off the line)

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

About Robinson

Robinson - the summit cairn on the rocky top, with the long ridge of Grasmoor and the north-western fells beyond, hazy under a milky sky
© Lee McCoy

Wainwright included Robinson in the North Western Fells, noting its commanding position above Buttermere and Crummock Water and the excellent views it gives north across the Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite fells. The descent from Robinson to Hindscarth follows a fine ridge. The Newlands Horseshoe — Cat Bells, Maiden Moor, High Spy, Dale Head, Hindscarth and Robinson — is one of the finest full-day ridge walks in Lakeland.

Field notes

Looking north-east from the summit of Robinson you get a splendid, undulating view down the ridge line, with Scope Beck just to the east and Keskadale Beck just to the north. I visited from Hindscarth, but I expect people will enjoy the walk up from either the Newlands Pass car park, which is a relatively short walk, or the slightly longer one from Buttermere and High Snockrigg.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on our Dale Head Hindscarth and Robinson route in July 2026

My Strava hikes over Robinson

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Robinson a Wainwright?

Robinson is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list, the Marilyn list and the Hewitt list.

Selected lists

Wainwright
North Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
Marilyn
Hewitt
738 m
Height
2,420 ft
In feet
NY 2019 1687
Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

The summit is also a Birkett.

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 →

The view from Robinson

The 360° skyline from Robinson

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 Robinson36 labelled tops shown (11 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 10 kmScafell · 10 kmHelvellyn · 14 kmSkiddaw · 14 kmGreat End · 9 kmBowfell · 11 kmPillar · 6 kmHigh Crag · 14 kmRaise · 14 kmFairfield · 16 kmBlencathra · 16 kmGreat Dodd · 14 kmGrasmoor · 4 kmStybarrow Dodd · 14 kmCrag Hill · 4 kmSkiddaw Lesser Man · 13 kmHigh Stile · 4 kmKirk Fell · 6 kmHaycock · 8 kmGrisedale Pike · 6 kmGlaramara · 8 kmWandope · 3 kmWetherlam · 18 kmHigh Raise · 11 kmRed Pike · 4 kmDale Head · 3 kmHobcarton Crag · 5 kmHarrison Stickle · 12 kmClough Head · 14 kmUllscarf · 10 kmLonscale Fell · 13 kmCaw Fell · 9 kmUllock Pike · 13 kmGreat Borne · 8 kmIllgill Head · 12 kmScar Crags · 4 kmIll Crag · 10 kmCatstye Cam · 15 kmWhite Side · 14 kmScoat Fell · 7 kmWatson's Dodd · 14 kmKirk Fell East Top · 6 kmRed Screes · 21 kmSail · 3 kmLittle Gowder Crag · 8 kmPike of Stickle · 12 kmBowscale Fell · 19 kmPavey Ark · 12 kmCross Fell · 52 km · clear daysBlack Combe · 32 km · clear daysThirdgill Head Man · 3 kmGrey Knotts · 5 kmWhiteless Pike · 3 kmCausey Pike · 4 kmStarling Dodd · 6 kmYewbarrow · 9 kmWhernside · 64 km · clear daysBlake Fell · 10 kmSeat · 4 kmLord's Seat · 10 kmCarling Knott · 9 kmHigh Snockrigg · 2 kmUllister Hill · 9 kmGavel Fell · 9 kmCrag Fell · 11 kmLoweswater End · 9 kmGavel Fell · 8 kmBanna Fell · 9 kmLoweswater Fell · 8 kmWalla Crag · 9 kmEycott Hill · 22 kmWatches · 14 kmSnowdon · 173 km · a handful of days a yearSlieve Donard · 179 km · a handful of days a yearMerrick · 104 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 86 km · a rare clear dayWindlestraw Law · 127 km · a handful of days a yearSlieve Croob · 179 km · a handful of days a yearDivis · 180 km · a handful of days a yearEttrick Pen · 91 km · a rare clear dayCairnharrow · 78 km · a rare clear dayAgnew's Hill · 177 km · a handful of days a yearCauldcleuch Head · 88 km · a rare clear day
The skyline as a list, by direction
  • North: Crag Hill (4 km), Grisedale Pike (6 km)
  • North-east: Skiddaw Lesser Man (13 km), Skiddaw Little Man (13 km), Skiddaw South Top (13 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (13 km), Skiddaw (14 km), Knowe Crags (15 km), Gategill Fell Top (16 km), Blencathra (16 km), Atkinson Pike (17 km)
  • East: Helvellyn Lower Man (14 km), White Side (14 km), Raise (14 km), Helvellyn (14 km), Stybarrow Dodd (14 km), Nethermost Pike (14 km), High Crag (14 km), Great Dodd (14 km), Catstye Cam (15 km), Dollywaggon Pike (15 km), Cofa Pike (16 km), Fairfield (16 km), Dove Crag (18 km)
  • South: Kirk Fell (6 km), Great Gable (7 km), Great End (9 km), Broad Crag (10 km), Scafell Pike (10 km), Ill Crag (10 km), Esk Pike (10 km), Scafell (10 km), Pike de Bield (11 km), Bowfell (11 km)
  • South-west: High Stile (4 km), High Stile (4 km), Pillar (6 km), Scoat Fell (7 km), Haycock (8 km)
  • North-west: Grasmoor (4 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (173 km, Wales), Slieve Donard (179 km, Ireland), Carnedd Llewelyn (161 km, Wales), Merrick (104 km, Scotland), Moel Siabod (170 km, Wales), Cairnsmore of Fleet (86 km, Scotland), Corserine (99 km, Scotland), Windlestraw Law (127 km, Scotland).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Robinson

Robinson sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 October) first light is only 6 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

0°30°40°50°60°04:34
Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.
Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
First lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:34 BST ±5.0 min04:37-3 min
Equinox06:18 GMT ±5.0 min06:16+2 min
Midwinter08:34 GMT ±5.0 min08:34—

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean 0.21°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Robinson

Robinson holds the light. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does the sun leave this summit before almanac sunset — the ground falls away westward rather than standing over you, and at midsummer it is still in the sun 5 minutes after the valley has lost it.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:58 BST ±5.0 min21:53+5 min
Equinox18:33 GMT ±5.0 min18:27+6 min
Midwinter15:54 GMT ±5.0 min15:49+5 min

These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

What you can see from Robinson

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
83Wainwrights in view+11 marginal
184 kmFurthest sightlineSlieve Binnian · possible under favourable refraction
1Sea in viewIrish Sea

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Far horizons
  • Slieve Binnian Northern IrelandWSW · 184 km clear
  • Slieve Donard Northern IrelandW · 179 km clear
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 173 km clear
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 158 km clear
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 105 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 64 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 53 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesENE · 51 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterW · 38 km in view
All 83 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Hindscarth, Knott Rigg, Dale Head, Fleetwith Pike, Ard Crags, Whiteless Pike, Wandope, Sail, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), High Crag (Buttermere), Maiden Moor, Rannerdale Knotts, Scar Crags, Haystacks (Buttermere), High Stile, Causey Pike, Grasmoor, Red Pike (Buttermere), Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Mellbreak (Mellbreak South Top), Barrow, Pillar, Grisedale Pike, Starling Dodd, Green Gable, Kirk Fell, Great Gable, Steeple, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Hen Comb, Glaramara, Great Borne, Haycock, High Seat, Low Fell, Lingmell, Gavel Fell, Walla Crag, Great End, Bleaberry Fell, Yewbarrow, Allen Crags, Blake Fell, Scafell Pike, Lord's Seat, Esk Pike, Ullscarf, Scafell, High Raise (High White Stones), Crag Fell, Latrigg, Bowfell, Dodd (Skiddaw), High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Pike of Stickle, Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Skiddaw Little Man, Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw, White Side, Watson's Dodd, Raise, Helvellyn, Stybarrow Dodd, Nethermost Pike, Clough Head, Pike of Blisco, Great Dodd, Catstye Cam, Dollywaggon Pike, Seat Sandal, Fairfield, Great Rigg, Wetherlam, Dove Crag, Binsey, Bowscale Fell, Red Screes, Thornthwaite Crag

How the view from Robinson compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Robinson. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. 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.

Places to stay near this fell

Also nearby, but not independent

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.

Frequently asked questions about Robinson

Is Robinson hard to climb? Answered above.

What is the best route up Robinson?

Two favourites: the High Snab Bank north-east ridge from the Newlands valley (Little Town), a lovely steady ridge rising in steps to the summit; and the steeper climb from Buttermere via High Snockrigg, using zig-zags through gullies and terraces with a couple of rocky steps.

Robinson also pairs naturally with Hindscarth and Dale Head on the Newlands Horseshoe. The climb from Littledale Edge has a couple of short rocky steps where hands help, and the north-east ridge has a steep rock step just below the summit — easy in the dry, polished and slippery when wet.

Sources: Where2Walk — Robinson from Newlands Hause

How long does it take to climb Robinson? Answered above: Routes up Robinson.

How boggy is Robinson, and is Buttermere Moss bad?

Robinson is genuinely boggy in places, and Buttermere Moss — the broad, peaty plateau on the Buttermere side — is notoriously wet, with sucking, ankle-deep ground that's hard to cross dry-shod after rain.

Wear waterproof boots, expect to pick your way around the worst, and note it's easy to lose the line across the moss in mist, so carry a compass. In a wet spell, the Newlands ridge stays drier underfoot.

Sources: Knowledge.me.uk — Fell Guide: Robinson

Who is Robinson named after?

Unusually for a Lakeland fell, Robinson is named after a person — Richard Robinson, a 16th-century landowner who acquired the fell after the dissolution of the monasteries. It's one of the very few Wainwrights to carry a plain surname rather than a descriptive Norse or English name.

That quirk often surprises walkers, who expect a 'Robinson Fell' or similar.

Sources: Wikipedia — Robinson (Lake District)

Is Robinson suitable for beginners?

Yes, for a fit beginner on a clear day — the normal routes have a few short rock steps where a hand helps, easy in the dry and awkward in the wet, and the gradients are manageable. The catches are the wet ground (especially Buttermere Moss) and navigating the broad, featureless summit in cloud.

Choose the drier Newlands ridge in wet spells, wear waterproof boots, carry a map and compass, and pick settled weather for the best of the views. Those steps are on the climb from Littledale Edge and on the north-east ridge, whose steep step just below the summit is polished and slippery when wet.

Sources: Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team

What should I wear and take up Robinson?

Wear waterproof walking boots — the boggy ground and Buttermere Moss are wet underfoot — and carry warm and waterproof layers, as the broad summit is exposed. A map and compass matter for navigating the featureless top in cloud, along with water, food and a charged phone.

Check the mountain forecast, and take care on the steep zig-zags and rocky steps on the Buttermere side, especially when wet or icy.

Sources: MWIS — Lake District forecast

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-06-15 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near Robinson

Places nearby: Moss Force · Buttermere