hikes.guideLake District

737 m · Wainwright — Eastern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Seat Sandal

Seat Sandal at 736m (2,415ft) is an isolated summit above Dunmail Raise, its pointed profile clearly visible from the A591 and from Grasmere below.

737 m
Height
~3–4 h
Typical time
+2
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Seat Sandal

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

737 mWainwright — Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+2 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 737 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 38 mph, 8.4 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
14° / 13°
💨 38 mph
🌧 8.4 mm (100%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 31 mph
🌧 5.1 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
13° / 4°
💨 27 mph
🌧 1.1 mm (78%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 1°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (78%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 2°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.0 mm (54%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
15° / 3°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (24%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 4°
💨 12 mph
🌧 0.2 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 737 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

Seat Sandal

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

Seat Sandal at 736m (2,415ft) is an isolated summit above Dunmail Raise, its pointed profile clearly visible from the A591 and from Grasmere below. Wainwright praised its excellent position — the views down to Grasmere and Rydal Water from the summit are among the finest in the Eastern Fells, and the panorama across to Helvellyn and Fairfield is superb. Ascent from Grasmere or Dunmail Raise is straightforward, and the fell is often combined with Fairfield via Grisedale Tarn for a rewarding high-level circuit. A fell whose modest height disguises a commanding and rewarding summit.

Routes up Seat Sandal

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

Cofra Pike Via Seat Sandal and Dollywaggon
9.2 km · ~3.7 hr
Helvellyn & Nethermost Pike via Seat Sandal
15.7 km · ~5 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
Marilyn
737 m
Height
2,418 ft
In feet
NY 3441 1153
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Steel End, Thirlmere (paid), about 2.2 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Seat Sandal (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.

1.5 km ENECofa Pike823 m · Eastern
2.1 km NHigh Crag (Grisedale)884 m · Eastern

Routes over Seat Sandal

Cofra Pike Via Seat Sandal and DollywaggonPlanned
9.19 km · ~1142 m ascent · loop · ~3.5–5 h
Summits: Seat SandalCofa PikeDollywaggon Pike

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.

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

Helvellyn & Nethermost Pike via Seat SandalRevised
15.66 km · ~1121 m ascent · loop · ~5–6.5 h
Summits: HelvellynNethermost PikeHigh Crag (Grisedale)Dollywaggon PikeSeat Sandal

⬇️ 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 Seat Sandal

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 Seat Sandal35 labelled tops shown (9 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 14 kmSkiddaw · 19 kmBowfell · 11 kmGreat Gable · 13 kmPillar · 17 kmFairfield · 2 kmCrinkle Crags · 12 kmGrasmoor · 19 kmHigh Stile · 18 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 16 kmSwirl How · 13 kmGrisedale Pike · 18 kmRed Screes · 6 kmDale Head · 13 kmLittle Stand · 12 kmHelvellyn Lower Man · 4 kmBlack Combe · 33 km · clear daysHigh Crag · 2 kmDollywaggon Pike · 2 kmSt Sunday Crag · 3 kmLord's Seat · 20 kmCofa Pike · 2 kmGreat Rigg · 2 kmCriffel · 64 km · clear daysLoadpot Hill · 13 kmHeron Pike North Top · 3 kmThe Knight · 9 kmLittle Mell Fell · 15 kmStone Arthur · 2 kmDodd · 19 kmWansfell Pike · 9 kmKitty Crag · 14 kmLoughrigg Fell · 6 kmTop o' Selside · 20 kmClaife Heights · 15 kmGreat End · 12 kmCrag Hill · 18 kmLooking Steads · 10 kmHopegill Head · 19 kmStonesty Pike · 12 kmCarl Side · 19 kmRobinson · 15 kmUllscarf · 5 kmPike of Blisco · 10 kmColdbarrow Fell · 6 kmBakestall · 21 kmWhiteless Pike · 18 kmGavel Pike · 3 kmCodale Head · 6 kmPike of Stickle · 8 kmPlough Fell · 27 kmDovenest Top · 9 kmHeron Pike · 3 kmWhinlatter Top · 20 kmBirk Fell · 9 kmBarf · 20 kmHawk Rigg · 11 kmBlack Fell · 10 kmGummer's How · 24 kmHolme Fell · 11 kmCarron Crag · 17 kmBurney · 27 kmnameless · 17 kmCarnedd Llewelyn · 161 km · a handful of days a yearMerrick · 118 km · a rare clear dayAran Fawddwy · 195 km · a handful of days a yearCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 114 km · a rare clear dayPendle Hill · 84 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 166 km · a handful of days a yearWauk Hill · 94 km · a rare clear dayWinter Hill · 102 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 112 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Seat Sandal, by direction
  • East: Fairfield (2 km)
  • South-east: Red Screes (6 km)
  • South-west: Bowfell (11 km), Shelter Crags (11 km), Crinkle Crags (11 km), Crinkle Crags (11 km), Crinkle Crags (12 km), Crinkle Crags (12 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (12 km), Great Carrs (13 km), Swirl How (13 km), Brim Fell (15 km), The Old Man of Coniston (16 km)
  • West: Glaramara (10 km), Esk Pike (12 km), Great End (12 km), Ill Crag (13 km), Green Gable (13 km), Broad Crag (13 km), Great Gable (13 km), Scafell Pike (14 km), Scafell (15 km), Kirk Fell (15 km), Pillar (17 km), Pillar Rock (17 km), High Stile (18 km), Black Crag (18 km), Red Pike (18 km), High Stile (18 km), Scoat Fell (18 km)
  • North-west: Crag Hill (18 km), Eel Crag (18 km), Skiddaw Little Man (18 km), Grisedale Pike (18 km), Skiddaw South Top (19 km), Grasmoor (19 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (19 km), Skiddaw (19 km), Skiddaw North Top (20 km), Broad End (20 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Carnedd Llewelyn (161 km, Wales), Merrick (118 km, Scotland), Aran Fawddwy (195 km, Wales), Moel Siabod (169 km, Wales), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (114 km, Scotland), Corserine (113 km, Scotland), Arenig Fawr (182 km, Wales), Pendle Hill (84 km, England).

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 Seat Sandal

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
85Wainwrights in view+10 marginal
158 kmFurthest sightlineCarnedd Llewelyn · possible under favourable refraction
2Sea in viewSolway Firth, Morecambe Bay

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

Far horizons
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 158 km clear
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 119 km clear
  • Criffel ScotlandNW · 64 km distant
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNW · 53 km in view
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 49 km distant
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 42 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuaryS · 37 km in view
All 85 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Fairfield, Dollywaggon Pike, Great Rigg, Stone Arthur, Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Helm Crag, St Sunday Crag, Heron Pike (Rydal), Calf Crag, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Silver How, Blea Rigg, Sergeant Man, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Loughrigg Fell, High Raise (High White Stones), Pavey Ark, Glenridding Dodd, Thunacar Knott, High Tove, Harrison Stickle, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Pike of Stickle, Raven Crag, High Seat, Glaramara, Bleaberry Fell, Black Fell, Pike of Blisco, Bowfell, Allen Crags, Cold Pike, Holme Fell, Esk Pike, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Wetherlam, Base Brown, High Spy, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Great End, Dale Head, Great Carrs, Brandreth, Loadpot Hill, Cat Bells (Catbells), Swirl How, Great Gable, Scafell Pike, Hindscarth, Grey Friar, Scafell, Latrigg, Little Mell Fell, Brim Fell, Robinson, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Causey Pike, Barrow, Dow Crag, Ard Crags, Scar Crags, High Crag (Buttermere), Sail, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Pillar, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Wandope, Skiddaw Little Man, High Stile, Whiteless Pike, Grisedale Pike, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Dodd (Skiddaw), Red Pike (Buttermere), Carl Side, Grasmoor, Hopegill Head, Skiddaw, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Barf, Lord's Seat, Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter), Broom Fell, Sale Fell

How Seat Sandal’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 Seat Sandal

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

Steel End, Thirlmere (paid) — 2.2 km from summit (straight line)
South end of Thirlmere for the Wythburn valley and Armboth fells.
Directions
🚺 Dob Gill Car Park (933m) — Free
Wythburn Church, Thirlmere (paid) — 2.8 km from summit (straight line)
Direct forest path up Helvellyn's south ridge (Comb Crags).
Directions
🚺 Dob Gill Car Park (931m) — Free

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 Cofra Pike Via Seat Sandal and Dollywaggon route:

🛖 map (4 m)

On the Helvellyn & Nethermost Pike via Seat Sandal route:

🛖 map (4 m)🚌 Swirls car park (68 m)

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

Buses to Seat Sandal from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 555
Kendal – Staveley – Windermere – Ambleside – Rydal – Grasmere – Thirlmere (Wythburn & Swirls) – Keswick
Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside
Year-round, roughly hourly. The backbone bus of the A591 — ideal for Helvellyn (Wythburn/Swirls), Fairfield, the Central fells and anything around Grasmere/Rydal. From Penrith, take the X4/X5 to Keswick and change.

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

My hikes over Seat Sandal (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Navigating Seat Sandal in cloud

Straightforward

A rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. 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 Seat Sandal 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 Seat Sandal

Maps & guidebooks for Seat Sandal

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work →