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672 m · Wainwright — North Western Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — North Western FellsAlso a Birkett

Scar Crags

Scar Crags at 672m (2,205ft) is a craggy ridge summit above Coledale between Causey Pike and Sail, its rocky profile one of the features of the Coledale Horseshoe.

672 m
Height
~3–4 h
Typical time
+10
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Scar Crags

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

672 mWainwright — North Western Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+10 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 672 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 13°C, gusts to 37 mph, 4.8 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
14° / 13°
💨 37 mph
🌧 4.8 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
15° / 10°
💨 30 mph
🌧 11.9 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
12° / 4°
💨 29 mph
🌧 3.0 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 2°
💨 22 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 2.7 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
15° / 5°
💨 17 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.4 mm (23%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 672 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Scar Crags

Scar Crags, a Lake District fell
Photo: Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Scar Crags at 672m (2,205ft) is a craggy ridge summit above Coledale between Causey Pike and Sail, its rocky profile one of the features of the Coledale Horseshoe. Wainwright noted its fine rocky character and the excellent views it gives down Coledale. Most naturally part of the Coledale Horseshoe circuit — the ridge between Causey Pike and Sail over Scar Crags is one of the more interesting sections of the horseshoe, with good views of the Coledale valley throughout.

Routes up Scar Crags

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

Scar Crags, Causey Pike
12 km · ~3.8 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
North Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
672 m
Height
2,205 ft
In feet
NY 2084 2066
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Little Town, Newlands (paid, small), about 2.8 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Scar Crags (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

1.7 km SSWIll Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top)546 m · North Western
1.7 km NEStile End447 m · North Western
1.8 km WEel Crag (Birkett)807 m · North Western
2.0 km NWHobcarton Crag (Hobcarton Head)738 m · North Western
2.1 km ERowling End433 m · North Western
2.5 km WNWSand Hill756 m · North Western
2.7 km WSWThirdgill Head Man734 m · North Western
2.8 km NNEKinn374 m · North Western
2.8 km SEScope End412 m · Western
3.0 km SSERed Knott452 m · Western

Routes over Scar Crags

Scar Crags, Causey PikeLive
11.97 km · ~850 m ascent · loop · ~3.5–5 h
Summits: BarrowOutersideScar CragsCausey PikeRowling End

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

The View from Scar Crags

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 Scar Crags36 labelled tops shown (7 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 14 kmHelvellyn · 14 kmSkiddaw · 10 kmGreat End · 12 kmBowfell · 15 kmPillar · 9 kmRaise · 14 kmFairfield · 18 kmBlencathra · 14 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 9 kmGreat Dodd · 13 kmStybarrow Dodd · 14 kmCrag Hill · 2 kmSteeple · 10 kmHigh Stile · 7 kmKirk Fell East Top · 10 kmGlaramara · 11 kmSail · 1 kmHigh Raise · 13 kmSand Hill · 2 kmRed Pike · 7 kmClough Head · 13 kmUllscarf · 12 kmWhiteside East Top · 4 kmLonscale Fell · 10 kmPike of Stickle · 15 kmUllock Pike · 9 kmCross Fell · 50 km · clear daysStarling Dodd · 8 kmLooking Stead · 9 kmHeron Pike North Top · 19 kmEel Crag · 2 kmGrisedale Pike · 2 kmHobcarton Crag · 2 kmOuterside · 1 kmLord's Seat · 6 kmScafell · 14 kmNethermost Pike · 15 kmCatstye Cam · 15 kmGreat Carrs · 21 kmGreat Rigg · 18 kmRobinson · 4 kmJenkin Hill · 10 kmHarrison Stickle · 15 kmCombe Head · 11 kmLong Side · 9 kmWhiteside · 4 kmLow Saddle · 11 kmHopegill Head · 3 kmCalfhow Pike · 12 kmLittle Dodd · 8 kmSeat · 8 kmUllister Hill · 5 kmBroom Fell · 6 kmSeat How · 5 kmWalla Crag · 7 kmWhite Hill · 65 km · clear daysTinto · 116 km · a rare clear dayIngleborough · 70 km · a rare clear dayGreen Lowther · 96 km · a rare clear dayWhite Coomb · 94 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 81 km · a rare clear dayRoan Fell · 76 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 111 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Scar Crags, by direction
  • North-east: Skiddaw Little Man (9 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (9 km), Skiddaw South Top (10 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (10 km), Skiddaw (10 km), Broad End (11 km), Knowe Crags (12 km), Gategill Fell Top (13 km), Blencathra (14 km), Atkinson Pike (14 km)
  • East: Watson's Dodd (13 km), Great Dodd (13 km), White Side (14 km), Stybarrow Dodd (14 km), Raise (14 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (14 km), Helvellyn (14 km), Catstye Cam (15 km)
  • South-east: Nethermost Pike (15 km), High Crag (15 km), Dollywaggon Pike (16 km), Cofa Pike (17 km), Fairfield (18 km)
  • South: Kirk Fell East Top (10 km), Great Gable (10 km), Great End (12 km), Broad Crag (13 km), Ill Crag (13 km), Scafell Pike (14 km), Esk Pike (14 km), Scafell (14 km), Bowfell (15 km), Great Carrs (21 km), Swirl How (21 km)
  • South-west: High Stile (7 km), High Stile (7 km), Pillar (9 km), Steeple (10 km), Scoat Fell (10 km)
  • West: Crag Hill (2 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Tinto (116 km, Scotland), Ingleborough (70 km, England), Green Lowther (96 km, Scotland), White Coomb (94 km, Scotland), Queensberry (82 km, Scotland), Ettrick Pen (87 km, Scotland), Culter Fell (110 km, Scotland), Wisp Hill (81 km, Scotland).

Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.

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

What you can see from Scar Crags

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
75Wainwrights in view+6 marginal
52 kmFurthest sightlineGreat Dun Fell
1Sea in viewSolway Firth
Far horizons
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 52 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesENE · 50 km clear
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryN · 43 km in view
All 75 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Outerside, Ard Crags, Causey Pike, Sail, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Grisedale Pike, Knott Rigg, Barrow, Hopegill Head, Cat Bells (Catbells), Robinson, Maiden Moor, Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), Hindscarth, High Spy, Dale Head, Lord's Seat, Barf, Broom Fell, Walla Crag, Red Pike (Buttermere), High Stile, High Crag (Buttermere), Dodd (Skiddaw), Bleaberry Fell, Latrigg, Starling Dodd, High Seat, Carl Side, Long Side, Brandreth, Ullock Pike, Skiddaw Little Man, Pillar, Skiddaw, Green Gable, Lonscale Fell, High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Great Gable, Steeple, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Glaramara, Sergeant's Crag, Ullscarf, Great End, Clough Head, Watson's Dodd, High Raise (High White Stones), Great Dodd, Scafell Pike, Esk Pike, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, White Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Scafell, Helvellyn, Thunacar Knott, Bowfell, Catstye Cam, Pike of Stickle, Pavey Ark, Nethermost Pike, Binsey, Harrison Stickle, Loft Crag, Dollywaggon Pike, Bowscale Fell, Seat Sandal, Fairfield, Great Rigg, Heron Pike (Rydal), Great Mell Fell, Great Carrs, Swirl How

How Scar Crags’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 Scar Crags

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

Little Town, Newlands (paid, small) — 2.8 km from summit (straight line)
Newlands valley — Catbells, Maiden Moor, Hindscarth, Robinson.
Directions
Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid) — 3.7 km from summit (straight line)
Forest centre — Lord's Seat, Barf, Whinlatter fells, Grisedale Pike's back route.
Directions
🚺 Whinlatter Forest Park Centre (120m) — Free☕ The Cottage in the Wood☕ Cafe Ambio

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 Scar Crags, Causey Pike route:

🛖 map (6 m)🚌 Police Station (W bound) (6 m)🚌 Police Station (E bound) (7 m)🚌 Thornthwaite Road (N bound) (420 m)🚌 Thornthwaite Road (S bound) (426 m)⛺ Hope Memorial Camp (462 m)

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

Buses to Scar Crags from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse 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 (roughly Easter–October). 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.

My hikes over Scar Crags (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Navigating Scar Crags in cloud

Straightforward

Walkable ground sits close to a lethal drop — in cloud it’s easy to walk straight onto steep ground. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.

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 Scar Crags compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Scar Crags

Maps & guidebooks for Scar Crags

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