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

Wainwright — Southern FellsAlso a Birkett

Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

The AA cairn of Seathwaite Fell at 550m (1,804ft) is the highest point on the western edge of the Seathwaite Fell plateau above Borrowdale, marked by the Automobile Association triangulation pillar.

601 m
Height
~2.5–3 h
Typical time
+8
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →
601 mWainwright — Southern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+8 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

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

Modelled guidance for the 601 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Fri 11 Sep): 12° to 9°C, gusts to 28 mph, 3.2 mm of rain forecast.

Fri 11 Sep
🌦️
12° / 9°
💨 28 mph
🌧 3.2 mm (100%)
Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
14° / 9°
💨 51 mph
🌧 47.7 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
12° / 8°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.7 mm (74%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌧️
14° / 8°
💨 33 mph
🌧 18.7 mm (96%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌧️
13° / 8°
💨 32 mph
🌧 13.2 mm (100%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
10° / 8°
💨 34 mph
🌧 6.0 mm (96%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
10° / 8°
💨 38 mph
🌧 11.6 mm (98%)

Forecast snapshot from 11 Sep 2026, 08:30 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 601 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) at a glance

Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), a Lake District fell
Photo: Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The AA cairn of Seathwaite Fell at 550m (1,804ft) is the highest point on the western edge of the Seathwaite Fell plateau above Borrowdale, marked by the Automobile Association triangulation pillar. This is the Wainwright summit — distinct from the broader plateau to the east. The views north down Borrowdale and across to Base Brown are fine. Reached from Seathwaite farm via the Styhead path and a short diversion onto the fell.

Routes up Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

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

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright
Southern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
601 m
Height
1,972 ft
In feet
NY 2291 1017
Grid ref

The short answers

Is Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) a Wainwright?

Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Where do you park for Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)?

The nearest car park we hold is Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge), about 2.3 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is Thornythwaite Fell (layby), 2.4 km out. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

Parking & buses for Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

Best parking to hike Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

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

Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge) — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)
Free verge parking on the Seathwaite lane — the honeypot start for the Scafells, Great Gable and Glaramara. Arrive very early.
🕑 Typically full before 09:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 2026-08-09.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
If it is full: Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) (1.8 km); Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.0 km); Rosthwaite (NT, paid) (3.8 km)
🚺 Public toilets (opens in new tab) (~188 m straight line) — Free
Thornythwaite Fell (layby) — 2.4 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Allen Crags, High House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) and Looking Steads (Glaramara) — the 'Allan Crags & Glaramara' route starts 135 m away. Also serves 'Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Thornythwaite Fell, north-west (layby) — 2.5 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Allen Crags, High House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) and Looking Steads (Glaramara) — the 'Allan Crags & Glaramara' route starts 255 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Honister (NT, paid) — 3.4 km from summit (straight line)
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 Aug 2026). The machine takes cards, and National Trust members park free on production of their membership card (Lee McCoy, local observation, recorded 12 Aug 2026).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — 3.4 km from summit (straight line)
Pay & display 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 Aug 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 Aug 2026). Pay and display (LDNPA, checked Aug 2026).
🕑 Typically full before 10:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 2026-08-09.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
If it is full: Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.3 km)
🚺 Public toilets (opens in new tab) (~136 m straight line) — Free🚺 Public toilets (opens in new tab) (~1825 m straight line) — FreeSky Hi Cafe (opens in new tab)

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) by bus

The 77 stops at Seatoller, at National Trust car park, 820 m from the start of Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown. The last bus is 20:00 towards Keswick (78), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

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 (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Hazards on Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

Hazard & Incident Information for Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

Hazard: Moderate

A knobbly, tarn-dotted fell rising above Seathwaite in Borrowdale — the wettest inhabited place in England. Its summit ridge is a confusing jumble of rocky knolls, small tarns and bog, almost surrounded by water (Sprinkling and Styhead Tarns, Grains Gill). The walking is gentle, but finding a safe way off the fell is the real challenge: the path all but disappears among the knolls. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this Borrowdale ground.

  • Descent & navigation among the knolls: Getting safely down is the hardest part — the path is faint to non-existent, and the rocky knolls and outcrops hide the line (only a couple of shallow gullies give a way through). In cloud it is very easy to get disorientated or to drift onto steeper ground. Navigate carefully by compass and pick your descent line with care.
  • Deep bog & many tarns: This is exceptionally wet ground, with deep bog around the numerous tarns — give the tarn margins a wide berth and expect slow, tiring going. The bog is disorientating in mist.
  • Rocky knolls & flanking steep ground: The knolly top has steep, rocky drops on its flanks toward Grains Gill and Styhead. Keep to the higher ground and don't wander toward the edges in poor visibility.
Who should attempt this fell: Seathwaite Fell is gentle on top but a genuine navigation puzzle — its real difficulty is finding a safe way down through the maze of knolls, so be confident with map and compass and choose your descent line carefully, especially in cloud. Expect deep bog and a lot of water, allow extra time, and remember you're under the wettest skies in England — dress and plan accordingly.

Most common causes: Navigation errors and trouble finding a safe descent among the rocky knolls · Floundering in deep bog around the many tarns · Drifting onto steep flanking ground in cloud · Being caught out by relentless wet weather (the wettest spot in England)

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Reviewed 14 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.

Report incorrect information (opens in new tab)

Navigating Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) in cloud

Serious in cloud

A rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. 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 Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge), about 2.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) (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.

0.5 km SSWSeathwaite Fell (Great Slack)631 m · Southern
1.7 km ELooking Steads (Glaramara)774 m · Southern
2.2 km ENECombe Head735 m · Southern
2.3 km NEThornythwaite Fell574 m · Southern
2.8 km SSWBroad Crag935 m · Southern
2.9 km SIll Crag931 m · Southern

Routes over Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

14.79 km · ~938 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

On the hill: terrain and water on Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

Water & shelter on the way up

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

The view from Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

The 360° skyline from Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

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 Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)23 labelled tops shown (3 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 3 kmSkiddaw · 19 kmGreat End · 2 kmEsk Pike · 3 kmBlencathra · 20 kmGreat Dodd · 15 kmDale Head · 5 kmJenkin Hill · 18 kmClough Head · 16 kmBrandreth · 2 kmGrey Knotts · 3 kmHigh Pike · 26 kmGreat Gable · 2 kmMiddle Fell · 8 kmLingmell · 3 kmGreen Gable · 2 kmAllen Crags · 2 kmGlaramara · 2 kmCombe Head · 2 kmRed Beck Top · 1 kmHigh House Tarn Top · 1 kmBinsey · 25 kmBase Brown · 1 kmBroad Crag · 3 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 18 kmStybarrow Dodd · 14 kmLong Side · 18 kmHindscarth · 6 kmMungrisdale Common · 21 kmHigh Seat · 10 kmBleaberry Fell · 11 kmThornythwaite Fell · 2 kmEttrick Pen · 98 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 121 km · a handful of days a yearMull Hill · 112 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), by direction
  • North: Dale Head (5 km), High Spy (6 km), Hindscarth (6 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (18 km), Jenkin Hill (18 km), Lonscale Fell (18 km), Skiddaw Little Man (18 km), Carl Side (18 km), Lonscale Pike (18 km), Long Side (18 km), Skiddaw South Top (19 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (19 km), Skiddaw (19 km), Great Calva (22 km), Knott (24 km), Coomb Height (24 km), High Pike (26 km)
  • North-east: High Seat (10 km), Bleaberry Fell (11 km), Watson's Dodd (14 km), Stybarrow Dodd (14 km), Little Dodd (15 km), Calfhow Pike (15 km), Great Dodd (15 km), Clough Head (16 km), Knowe Crags (19 km), Gategill Fell Top (19 km), Blencathra (20 km), Doddick Fell (20 km), Scales Fell (20 km), Mungrisdale Common (21 km)
  • South: Great End (2 km), Broad Crag (3 km), Esk Pike (3 km)
  • South-west: Lingmell (3 km), Scafell Pike (3 km)
  • West: Great Gable (2 km), Middle Fell (8 km)
  • North-west: Brandreth (2 km), Grey Knotts (3 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Ettrick Pen (98 km, Scotland), Dun Rig (121 km, Scotland), Turner Cleuch Law (110 km, Scotland), Ward Law (106 km, Scotland), Grange Fell (72 km, Scotland), Mull Hill (112 km, Isle of Man).

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.

Sunrise and sunset on Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 April, when the sun is up for 43 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 07:29 against an almanac sunrise of 06:46. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the east from here (89.8°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 5.9°.

30°40°50°60°04:45
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
Midsummer04:45 BST ±5.0 min04:37+8 min
Equinox06:50 GMT ±5.0 min06:16+34 min
Midwinter09:06 GMT ±5.0 min08:33+33 min

The northern horizon stands at about 0.91° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 September, when last light is 61 minutes before almanac sunset — 19:04 against 20:05. The sun goes down to the west from here (273.0°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 8.3°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:03 BST ±5.0 min21:53-50 min
Equinox17:50 GMT ±5.0 min18:27-37 min
Midwinter15:17 GMT ±5.0 min15:50-33 min

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 Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit). 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. 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 Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
35Wainwrights in view+3 marginal
Sea in viewnone from here
All 35 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

How Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)’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.

Places to stay near this fell

Seatoller House B&B (opens in new tab) guest house

about 0.6 km from the start, in a straight line

The most complete answer-set in the whole radius and only 0.58 km out: two rooms described as family rooms, dogs allowed with a stated house rule, ample private parking, a cooked set dinner at 7pm and a firm breakfast window - a family with a dog can plan the whole evening from this one page.

Worth knowing: “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”

400 years old and a guest house for over a century - the biggest building in the hamlet of Seatoller, and it shuts for the winter.

  • Dogs “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”
  • Family rooms “Rabbit Large Family room, Private bathroom directly opposite, great views of garden & Fells”
  • Evening meal “The dining room has two large traditional oak tables creating a friendly atmosphere where guests are served a set meal at 7 pm (excluding Wednesdays). DINNER MUST BE PRE-BOOKED 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE”
  • Parking “There are 10 bedrooms all with private bathrooms, a large award winning garden surrounding the house and ample private car parking.”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)

Is Seathwaite Fell hard to navigate?

More than almost anything of its height. The summit ridge is a confusing jumble of rocky knolls and small tarns with no obvious high point, and it rises above Seathwaite — the wettest inhabited place in England, which tells you what the ground underfoot is usually doing.

There is no real climbing difficulty. Our route over it with Green Gable and Base Brown is 14.8 km with 938 m of ascent, and we grade its navigation hard. Save this one for a day you can see the knolls, or you will spend a long time deciding which of them you are standing on.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Other fells near Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)