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.
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 (Tue 28 Jul): 15° to 13°C, gusts to 40 mph, 10.3 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 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.
About the walk
Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)
Routes up Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge), about 2.1 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.
Routes over Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
The View 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.
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.
What you can see from Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.All 35 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
Base Brown, Green Gable, Glaramara, Great End, Great Gable, Allen Crags, Brandreth, Grey Knotts, Esk Pike, Lingmell, Scafell Pike, Dale Head, High Spy, Castle Crag, Hindscarth, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Middle Fell, High Tove, High Seat, Bleaberry Fell, Walla Crag, Watson's Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd, Great Dodd, Latrigg, Clough Head, Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Skiddaw, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Mungrisdale Common, Great Calva, Knott, High Pike (Caldbeck)
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.
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).
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 Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
Buses to Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
Hazard & Incident Information for Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)
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.
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.
Navigating Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) in cloud
Serious in cloudA 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.
Other fells near Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)
- Allen Crags
- Black Fell
- Bowfell
- Brim Fell
- Cold Pike
- Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
- Dow Crag
- Esk Pike
- Glaramara
- Great Carrs
- Great End
- Green Crag
- Grey Friar
- Hard Knott
- Harter Fell (Eskdale)
- Holme Fell
- Illgill Head
- Lingmell
- Lingmoor Fell (Brown How)
- Pike of Blisco
- Rossett Pike
- Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot
- Scafell
- Scafell Pike
- Slight Side
- Swirl How
- The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)
- Wetherlam
- Whin Rigg (Wasdale)
Maps & guidebooks for Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)
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