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Sail

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773 mWainwright — North Western Fells+10 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

Sail at 773m (2,536ft) is a rounded summit on the Coledale Horseshoe between Eel Crag and Causey Pike, its attractive profile one of the defining features of the skyline above Braithwaite.

Summit conditions on Sail

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 4°C, gusts to 67 mph, 8.2 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 1.25. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 67 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

8.2 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 −1 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 31 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 Sail

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

Coledale RoundNewlands Hause to the Coledale Tops
Starts fromWhinlatter Pass road car park (above Braithwaite)Newlands Hause
Distance and climb16.13 km, 1,277 m of climb11.4 km, 1,107 m of climb
Time, fast to steady~5¼–7¼ h~4–5½ h
ScramblingHands for a few steps: near the top of Grisedale Pike (km 3.1–3.6). Grisedale Pike's upper climb is steep and craggy — you'll want hands on rock near the top.Not mentioned in the route’s notes
ExposureHardNot assessed
NavigationHardHard
Steepest stretchClimb of about 32% at 3.3 km (Hard)Descent of about 43% at 9.4 km (Severe)
After the summitOver Outerside, Stile End and BarrowOver Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Eel Crag (Birkett), Wandope, Thirdgill Head Man and Whiteless Pike
Walked or plannedWalked by Lee, May 2026Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Car park at the startKinn car parkNewlands Hause car park (free)
Bus to the start77, 720 m walk from Braithwaite, at Croft Terrace77, 2.2 km walk from Buttermere Youth Hostel (near). 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 →

How hard is Sail?

The shortest way up we hold is Newlands Hause to the Coledale Tops — 11.4 km, 1107 m of ascent, ~4–5½ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.

All axes: steepness: Severe · navigation: Hard · length: Moderate · terrain: Not assessed · exposure: Not assessed.

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 773 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°
67 mph
8.2 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
8° / 5°
52 mph
7.1 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
8° / 6°
26 mph
0.8 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°
15 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 Sail

Parking

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

Kinn car park — at the start of Coledale Round
On the Whinlatter Pass road (B5292) above Braithwaite. The 'Coledale Round' starts here. Room for about 10 cars (Lee McCoy, walked through it, 12 August 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Braithwaite village (roadside/small areas) (0.7 km, 70 m up) a few spaces only; Kinn (verge, east) (1.2 km, 72 m up)
Newlands Hause car park — at the start of Newlands Hause to the Coledale Tops
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?
Ard Crags (layby) — 1.8 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Ard Crags (0.8 km), Scar Crags (1.3 km), Causey Pike (1.4 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
3 more places to park near Sail
Knott Rigg (layby) — 1.9 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?
Causey Pike (layby) — 2.4 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Causey Pike (1.3 km), Scope End (1.3 km), Rowling End (1.4 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Robinson (layby) — 2.6 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?

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 and X5 stop at Braithwaite, at Croft Terrace, a 720 m walk and 87 m of ascent from the start of Coledale Round — a route we rate Hard overall (hardest: distance, steepness, navigation and exposure). As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (77): Tuesday to Sunday 17:37 to Keswick, 16:37 to Cockermouth. Towards Workington (X5): Tuesday to Thursday 22:27; Friday and Saturday 00:22 (after midnight); Sunday 20:17. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 24 September 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 Sail

Hazard & Incident Information for Sail

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

Hazard: Moderate

A rounded top on the busy Coledale round, best known for the dramatic zig-zag path that climbs its eastern slope. The zig-zags themselves are well graded; the hazards lie either side of them: a steep, loose, eroded fall-line if you cut the corners, and the narrow, exposed neck of ridge linking Sail to Crag Hill. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this popular ground.

  • The narrow ridge to Crag Hill: The connecting ridge between Sail and Crag Hill narrows to an exposed neck. It is straightforward in calm, dry conditions but unnerving and slippery in strong wind, wet or ice — take it steadily and don't be rushed by the wind.
  • The steep eastern flank (off the zig-zags): The famous zig-zags exist because the direct line is a steep, deeply eroded gully. Cutting the corners puts you on loose, steep ground where a slip runs a long way and you damage the path for everyone. Stay on the hairpins, up and down.
  • Exposure and navigation on the open ridge: The whole Coledale crest is exposed to the wind and featureless in cloud. Keep a bearing between the tops, and remember this is a long, committing round once you are out on it.
Who should attempt this fell: Sail is one of the gentler Coledale tops as long as you stay on the path: take the zig-zags rather than the eroded direct line, and treat the narrow neck to Crag Hill with care in wind or wet. It is exposed, featureless ground in cloud, so keep a compass bearing, and pace the full round so you are not tired and hurried on the steeper sections. Full winter kit when there is snow or ice.

What to watch for: Slips on loose, steep ground when cutting the zig-zags · Being blown off balance on the narrow ridge to Crag Hill in high wind · Navigation errors along the open ridge in cloud · Fatigue late in the long Coledale round

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

A note on Coledale Beck

Coledale Beck runs below the old Force Crag mine and carries mine-derived zinc — enough to matter for river life. In Environment Agency samples taken near our route Coledale Round between 2007 and 2026, no sample put lead or cadmium, the metals that matter for people, above the drinking limit. That is a record of past sampling, not a test of the water today. Treat any hill water before drinking (an ordinary hiking filter won’t remove dissolved metals); don’t single this beck out as a clean fill-up.

What’s actually in this beck — we mapped every mine-fed one →

Metal-mine water data © Environment Agency (Open Government Licence v3.0).

Navigating in cloud

Serious in cloud

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of steep ground within half a kilometre of the summit. 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 Sail 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 Sail

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

0.9 km WNWEel Crag (Birkett)807 m · North Western
1.1 km SIll Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top)546 m · North Western
1.6 km WSWThirdgill Head Man734 m · North Western
1.8 km NNWHobcarton Crag (Hobcarton Head)738 m · North Western
1.9 km NWSand Hill756 m · North Western
2.8 km NWGasgale Crags703 m · North Western
2.8 km NEStile End447 m · North Western
2.8 km WSWLad Hows426 m · North Western
2.8 km NNWLadyside Pike704 m · North Western
2.9 km NWWhiteside East Top (Whiteside) (Gasgale Crags)719 m · North Western

Routes over Sail

Coledale Round
Summits: KinnGrisedale PikeHobcarton Crag (Hobcarton Head)Hopegill HeadSand HillCrag Hill (Eel Crag)SailOutersideStile EndBarrow

The Whinlatter Pass road car park is small and tucked behind the trees — and the bus to Braithwaite makes this an easy car-free round: the start is about 720 m and 87 m of climb up the road from the Croft Terrace stop.

Download GPX Walked by Lee, May 2026

Best season: At its best in clear, settled weather — the airy sections and the broad Crag Hill plateau want good visibility, and they're exactly where care matters most. The lower path up from Braithwaite can be smothered in bracken at the height of summer; in firm winter conditions the Grisedale Pike climb and the exposed tops become a serious proposition for axe-and-crampon walkers only.

Warnings: Grisedale Pike's upper climb is steep and craggy — you'll want hands on rock near the top. It's no place to be rushed, or to be in poor conditions. Along Sand Hill and Hobcarton Crag, keep left in cloud: there's a sharp, rocky drop close on the right that's easy to drift towards. Hopegill Head's summit is tiny and exposed — in a strong wind you may have to crouch to claim it. Watch the short grassy ridge at Kinn; a careless step could slide you down the bank. Worth marking on the GPS. Off Sail, take the switchback path down to the col — the alternative Long Comb line dropping to the right looked treacherous; avoid it. High Moss is reliably boggy underfoot. Grisedale Pike: The northern side of the summit and the ridge toward Hopegill Head drops in steep crags above Hobcarton. In cloud or wind keep back from the edge — the ground that looks like the continuation of the ridge ends in cliffs.

From the hazard notes for Grisedale Pike, each with its sources.

Route guide →

Newlands Hause to the Coledale Tops
Summits: Knott RiggIll Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top)Ard CragsScar CragsSailCrag Hill (Eel Crag)Eel Crag (Birkett)WandopeThirdgill Head ManWhiteless Pike

The start is the free car park at Newlands Hause, the top of the Newlands Pass road between Buttermere and Newlands. No bus stop is mapped within about 1.5 km.

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Warnings: OpenStreetMap maps crag edges within about 5 m of the path in four places: on the ridge between Sail and Crag Hill (Scott Crag, near 5.95 km), just past the top of Crag Hill (near 6.3 km), near 7.55 km before Wandope, and on Whiteless Edge (near 8.5 km). Between about 6.7 and 7.0 km, past the Eel Crag top, the line is up to about 130 m from any mapped path. From Whiteless Pike the line goes very steeply down to Sail Beck, about 43% sustained near 9.4 km, the steepest ground of the walk, then climbs about 250 m almost as steeply to the Knott Rigg path: about 50% over 250 m near 10.7 km. The line crosses streams at two points OpenStreetMap maps as fords: below Ard Crags near 3.15 km, and Sail Beck near 10.15 km. About 4.3 km of the line, in pieces, follows paths that OpenStreetMap does not record as public rights of way; the longest are about 1.1 km from the top of Ard Crags towards Scar Crags (about 2.75 to 3.9 km), about 0.9 km from Crag Hill past the Eel Crag top (about 6.15 to 7.0 km) and about 2 km from Whiteless Pike to the Knott Rigg path (about 8.9 to 10.9 km). The rest is 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 Sail

The path beneath your boots

The elegant zig-zags dropping from Sail to Scar Crags are Fix the Fells at its most photographed. Built in 2010, they tamed an erosion scar already over 15 metres wide and widening fast, on ground so rare it’s protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest — aggregate zig-zags engineered to ease the gradient, because a gentler line holds together where a straight, steep one simply washes away.

Notice underfoot: why the path zig-zags instead of heading straight up — the gentle gradient is what stops it eroding, so it’s worth following rather than short-cutting the corners.

Fix the Fells built and maintains this path. How a fell path is made → · Give back

Path-repair data © Fix the Fells (National Trust / Lake District National Park). Source.

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Coledale Round route:

shelter (weather shelter, mapped, not checked; 25 m off the line) Hope Memorial Camp (64 m from the start, straight line)

On the Newlands Hause to the Coledale Tops route:

shelter (weather shelter, mapped, not checked; 27 m off the line)

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

About Sail

Sail, a Lake District fell
Photo: Cacolantern at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Wainwright noted its fine position on a ridge of great interest, the Sail Pass below being one of the major Lakeland crossings connecting Coledale and the Newlands valley. The views across Coledale to Grisedale Pike are excellent from the summit. An essential part of the classic Coledale Horseshoe — one of the finest circuit walks in the North Western Fells.

Field notes

The subject of many Instagram posts. The route up to it (or down if you're going clockwise) from Causey Pike has a very spectacular zigzag form as it serves to mitigate much of the incline and lessen the load on your knees. Crag Hill is only about 540 metres to the west, summit to summit. If I'm being truthful, though, I don't recall much of Sail as I just wanted to get on with my hike and down the iconic path.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on our Coledale Round route in May 2026

My Strava hikes over Sail

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Sail a Wainwright?

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

Selected lists

Wainwright
North Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
Hewitt
773 m
Height
2,536 ft
In feet
NY 1981 2027
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 Sail

The 360° skyline from Sail

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 Sail36 labelled tops shown (16 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 13 kmHelvellyn · 15 kmSkiddaw · 11 kmGreat End · 12 kmPillar · 9 kmRaise · 15 kmFairfield · 18 kmBlencathra · 15 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 10 kmGreat Dodd · 14 kmStybarrow Dodd · 15 kmScoat Fell · 10 kmHigh Stile · 6 kmSwirl How · 21 kmKirk Fell · 10 kmGlaramara · 11 kmHigh Raise · 14 kmSand Hill · 2 kmRed Pike · 6 kmClough Head · 14 kmUllscarf · 12 kmLonscale Fell · 11 kmUllock Pike · 10 kmCross Fell · 51 km · clear daysBlack Combe · 35 km · clear daysCrag Hill · 0 kmEel Crag · 1 kmGrisedale Pike · 2 kmWandope · 1 kmHobcarton Crag · 2 kmWhiteside East Top · 3 kmLadyside Pike · 3 kmGasgale Crags · 3 kmWhiteless Pike · 2 kmWhernside · 66 km · clear daysLittle Dodd · 7 kmScafell · 14 kmNethermost Pike · 16 kmCatstye Cam · 16 kmEsk Pike · 13 kmGreat Rigg · 19 kmJenkin Hill · 10 kmHarrison Stickle · 15 kmCombe Head · 11 kmLittle Gowder Crag · 11 kmIron Crag · 11 kmLong Side · 10 kmScar Crags · 1 kmPlough Fell · 29 kmCalfhow Pike · 13 kmHigh Spy · 5 kmStarling Dodd · 7 kmUllister Hill · 6 kmGavel Fell · 8 kmSeat How · 6 kmBarrow · 3 kmRed Knott · 3 kmBengray · 69 km · clear daysOrthwaite Bank · 14 kmCalkin Rig · 68 km · clear daysGreen How · 18 kmWatch Hill · 12 kmGrange Fell · 62 km · clear daysBainloch Hill · 48 km · clear daysSlieve Donard · 179 km · a handful of days a yearMerrick · 101 km · a rare clear dayBroad Law · 103 km · a rare clear daySnaefell · 86 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 98 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 84 km · a rare clear dayWindlestraw Law · 124 km · a handful of days a yearTinto · 117 km · a rare clear dayIngleborough · 71 km · a rare clear dayGreen Lowther · 96 km · a rare clear dayCairn Table · 114 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 81 km · a rare clear dayRoan Fell · 77 km · a rare clear dayColt Hill · 93 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 111 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 90 km · a rare clear day
The skyline as a list, by direction
  • North-east: Skiddaw Little Man (10 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (10 km), Skiddaw South Top (10 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (11 km), Skiddaw (11 km), Skiddaw North Top (11 km), Broad End (11 km), Gategill Fell Top (14 km), Blencathra (15 km), Atkinson Pike (15 km)
  • East: Watson's Dodd (14 km), White Side (14 km), Great Dodd (14 km), Stybarrow Dodd (15 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (15 km), Raise (15 km), Helvellyn (15 km), Catstye Cam (16 km)
  • South-east: Nethermost Pike (16 km), High Crag (16 km), Dollywaggon Pike (16 km), Cofa Pike (18 km), Fairfield (18 km)
  • South: Pillar (9 km), Black Crag (9 km), Kirk Fell (10 km), Great Gable (10 km), Great End (12 km), Broad Crag (13 km), Scafell Pike (13 km), Ill Crag (13 km), Esk Pike (13 km), Scafell (14 km), Pike de Bield (14 km), Bowfell (15 km), Swirl How (21 km)
  • South-west: High Stile (6 km), High Stile (6 km), Steeple (10 km), Scoat Fell (10 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (179 km, Ireland), Merrick (101 km, Scotland), Broad Law (103 km, Scotland), Snaefell (86 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (98 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Fleet (84 km, Scotland), Corserine (97 km, Scotland), Windlestraw Law (124 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 Sail

Sail sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (at the March equinox) first light is only 2 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

0°30°40°50°60°04:36
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
Midsummer04:36 BST ±5.0 min04:37-1 min
Equinox06:18 GMT ±5.0 min06:16+2 min
Midwinter08:31 GMT ±5.0 min08:34-3 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.35°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Sail

Sail loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 September, when last light is 48 minutes before almanac sunset — 19:17 against 20:05. The sun goes down to the west from here (275.5°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 6.47°.

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 min21:54+4 min
Equinox18:04 GMT ±5.0 min18:27-23 min
Midwinter15:57 GMT ±5.0 min15:49+8 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 Sail

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
85Wainwrights in view+9 marginal
184 kmFurthest sightlineSlieve Binnian · possible under favourable refraction
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Solway Firth

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.

Far horizons
  • Slieve Binnian Northern IrelandWSW · 184 km clear
  • Slieve Donard Northern IrelandWSW · 179 km clear
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 102 km clear
  • Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 87 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 66 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 53 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesENE · 51 km clear
  • Criffel ScotlandNNW · 49 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterWSW · 42 km in view
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNNW · 38 km in view
All 85 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Ard Crags, Wandope, Scar Crags, Knott Rigg, Causey Pike, Whiteless Pike, Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head, Barrow, Robinson, Hindscarth, Maiden Moor, Cat Bells (Catbells), High Spy, Dale Head, Red Pike (Buttermere), High Stile, High Crag (Buttermere), Haystacks (Buttermere), Starling Dodd, Grey Knotts, Walla Crag, Brandreth, Dodd (Skiddaw), Pillar, Bleaberry Fell, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Base Brown, High Seat, Latrigg, Steeple, Long Side, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Green Gable, Carl Side, Ullock Pike, Kirk Fell, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Great Gable, Skiddaw Little Man, Skiddaw, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Glaramara, Lonscale Fell, Eagle Crag, High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Caw Fell, Sergeant's Crag, Crag Fell, Great End, Lingmell, Allen Crags, Scafell Pike, Esk Pike, Lank Rigg, High Raise (High White Stones), Scafell, Watson's Dodd, Clough Head, White Side, Great Dodd, Bowfell, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Thunacar Knott, Pike of Stickle, Pavey Ark, Helvellyn, Harrison Stickle, Loft Crag, Binsey, Catstye Cam, Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Seat Sandal, Bowscale Fell, Cold Pike, Fairfield, Great Rigg, Heron Pike (Rydal), Great Mell Fell, Great Carrs, Swirl How

How the view from Sail 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 Sail. 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

From Whinlatter: 10 places in Keswick

Other fells near Sail