Sergeant's Crag

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Summited April 2026

Home › Fells › Sergeant's Crag

571 mWainwright — Central Fells+10 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

Sergeant's Crag at 571m (1,873ft) is a craggy, rocky summit above Langstrath in Borrowdale, its small crags giving a surprisingly dramatic profile for a modest summit. Wainwright noted its fine position above the wild Langstrath valley and the excellent views it gives down Borrowdale.

Summit conditions on Sergeant's Crag

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 12° to 5°C, gusts to 62 mph, 14.3 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

57 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 52 mph times our exposure factor of 1.11. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 62 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 (opens in new tab) 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

14.3 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 2 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 20 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 (opens in new tab)

Routes up Sergeant's Crag

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.

Compared	The Difficult Route up Eagle Crag	Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag
Starts from	Stonethwaite	Stonethwaite
Distance and climb	10.71 km, 611 m of climb	14.83 km, 756 m of climb
Time, fast to steady	~3–4¼ h	~4–5¾ h
Scrambling	Hands for a few steps: the gully and rock terraces up Eagle Crag (km 2.9–3.4).	Hands for a few steps: the gully and rock terraces up Eagle Crag (km 0.0–3.2).
Exposure	Not assessed	Not assessed
Navigation	Hard	Hard
Steepest stretch	Climb of about 46% at 2.7 km (Severe)	Climb of about 45% at 2.6 km (Severe)
After the summit	Over Lining Crag	Over Ullscarf and Lining Crag
Walked or planned	Planned: drawn, not yet walked	Walked by Lee, April 2026
Car park at the start	Stonethwaite village (roadside, free)	Stonethwaite lane (layby) (free)
Bus to the start	78, 710 m walk from Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season.	78, 430 m walk from Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season.

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 Sergeant's Crag?

The shortest way up we hold is The Difficult Route up Eagle Crag — 10.71 km, 611 m of ascent, ~3–4¼ 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 571 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast

Tue 27 Oct

12° / 5°

62 mph

14.3 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

9° / 6°

43 mph

18.9 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

9° / 7°

28 mph

0.1 mm (33%)

Fri 30 Oct

8° / 6°

29 mph

0.0 mm (23%)

Sat 31 Oct

10° / 1°

13 mph

0.0 mm (18%)

Sun 1 Nov

9° / 1°

9 mph

0.0 mm (10%)

Mon 2 Nov

7° / 2°

17 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 (opens in new tab)

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Sergeant's Crag

Parking

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

Stonethwaite village (roadside, free) — at the start of The Difficult Route up Eagle Crag

In Stonethwaite. The 'Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag' route starts 304 m away. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.

Directions Something changed here?

Rosthwaite Village (~1208 m straight line) — Free · Accessible Peathouse Tea & Coffee Shop The Langstrath Inn

Stonethwaite lane (layby) — at the start of Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag

Walking base for Lining Crag, Ullscarf, Sergeant's Crag and Eagle Crag — the 'Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag' route starts 17 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Stonethwaite lane, south-west (layby) — 2.9 km from summit (straight line)

Walking base for Lining Crag, Ullscarf, Sergeant's Crag and Eagle Crag — the 'Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag' route starts 59 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

2 more places to park near Sergeant's Crag

Seatoller, south-east field car park (paid) — 3.2 km from summit (straight line)

A paid field by the River Derwent, 0.5 km south-east of Seatoller; operator not identified. The 'Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown' route starts 78 m away. Paid parking (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Rosthwaite, south-east field car park (paid) — 3.7 km from summit (straight line)

A paid field between the B5289 and Stonethwaite Beck, 0.2 km south-east of the National Trust car park; operator not identified. The 'The Borrowdale Fells (Rosthwaite Fell round)' route starts 174 m away. Also serves 'Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag'. Paid parking (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (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 78 stop at Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end, a 430 m walk from the start of Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (78): Tuesday to Sunday 20:03. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 78 “Borrowdale Rambler”

Keswick – Lodore – Grange – Rosthwaite – Seatoller

Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 or X4/X5)

Year-round, frequent in season. Serves all the Borrowdale starts — Glaramara, the Scafells and Great Gable via Seathwaite (alight Seatoller, about 2 km up the lane).

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Sergeant's Crag

Hazard & Incident Information for Sergeant's Crag

Checked by Lee McCoy, 14 June 2026. Draws on published material from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Moderate

Eagle Crag's near neighbour above Langstrath in Borrowdale, with very steep crags falling to the valley and a direct line that involves a short, hands-on scramble through a gully with exposed rocky steps. Route-finding matters — it's no place to be in bad weather — and the plateau above toward Ullscarf is boggy and featureless. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

Steep Langstrath crags & the scramble: The Langstrath face is steep everywhere, and the direct ascent goes through a short gully needing hands-and-feet scrambling, with exposed rocky steps where people sometimes haul on grass. Careful route-finding is essential; attempt it only in dry, calm, clear conditions and with scrambling confidence.
Route-finding / staying off the crags: The crags are easy to get drawn into off-route, and steep ground can leave you cragfast. Don't descend the steep Langstrath face, and keep to the line if you take the scramble up.
Boggy featureless plateau toward Ullscarf: Above the crag the ground becomes boggy and largely featureless toward Ullscarf, a navigation challenge in cloud. Take a compass bearing and pick careful lines through the bog.

Who should attempt this fell: Sergeant's Crag is a small fell with a steep, craggy face — if you take the scramble line, treat it as a proper hands-on scramble for the experienced in dry, clear conditions, and stay on the line. Don't descend the Langstrath crags. Above, navigate the boggy plateau toward Ullscarf by compass, and save the crag for good weather.

What to watch for: Scramblers off-route or cragfast on the steep Langstrath face · Slips on the exposed rocky steps, especially when wet · Dangerous attempts to descend the crags · Navigation errors on the boggy plateau toward Ullscarf in cloud

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)

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 (opens in new tab)

Navigating in cloud

Care needed

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. Take care in poor visibility — carry map and compass, and know how to use them.

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 Sergeant's Crag 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 (opens in new tab) (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 Sergeant's Crag

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 ELining Crag542 m · Central

1.6 km SSELow White Stones731 m · Central

1.7 km WDovenest Top (Dovenest Crag) (Stonethwaite Fell)633 m · Southern

1.9 km WNWRosthwaite Fell (Rosthwaite Cam)612 m · Southern

2.2 km NEColdbarrow Fell - High Saddle675 m · Central

2.4 km NELow Saddle656 m · Central

2.5 km WCombe Head735 m · Southern

2.7 km SECodale Head732 m · Central

2.9 km WThornythwaite Fell574 m · Southern

3.0 km NEStanding Crag611 m · Central

Routes over Sergeant's Crag

The Difficult Route up Eagle Crag

Summits: Eagle CragSergeant's CragLining Crag

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Route guide: The Difficult Route up Eagle Crag →

Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag

Summits: Eagle CragSergeant's CragUllscarf Lining Crag

Walked and described first-hand by Lee. A serious round: the navigation over Ullscarf and Greenup Edge is boggy and featureless (a compass is essential in cloud), and the direct Eagle Crag line is steep and intricate — good-weather, sure-footed terrain. Carry OS Explorer OL4.

Download GPX Walked by Lee, April 2026

Warnings: The direct Eagle Crag route (climbed here, not descended) is a steep, intricate line of rock terraces and a wet gully that guidebooks recommend for ascent only, and only in good weather — avoid it altogether in the wet, and do not come back down it. On Eagle Crag's terraces, don't go too far west, towards Heron Crag's cliff, where the terrace narrows above steep drops; sight each terrace before committing. The Bleak How step-stile has a rotted lower step — a big step up from below; take care and lift or assist dogs. Lining Crag's north face is near-vertical into Greenup Gill with little warning from the grassy top — keep back from the lip. Greenup Edge and the Ullscarf plateau are boggy and featureless — serious navigation in mist; rely on the old fence posts, cairns and bearings.

Route guide: Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag →

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 Sergeant's Crag

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag route:

Stonethwaite Village (237 m from the start, straight line) Chapel Howe Road End (375 m from the start, straight line) Stonethwaite Road End (390 m from the start, straight line) Longthwaite Road End (394 m from the start, straight line) Chapel House Farm Campsite (322 m from the start, straight line)

About Sergeant's Crag

The ascent from Stonethwaite via Langstrath is a fine approach through one of Lakeland's grandest valleys. Combined naturally with Eagle Crag for a good Langstrath circuit. The views of the Scafell group from the ridge are excellent.

My Strava hikes over Sergeant's Crag

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Ulscarf, Sargents Crag, Eagle Crag - The Director's Cut (opens in new tab) — 21.5 km · 967 m ascent · 5h 31m moving · 25 April 2026

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Sergeant's Crag a Wainwright?

Sergeant's Crag is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Selected lists

571 m

Height

1,873 ft

In feet

NY 2739 1138

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 Sergeant's Crag

The 360° skyline from Sergeant's Crag

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

The skyline as a list, by direction

North: Knowe Crags (16 km), Jenkin Hill (16 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (16 km), Skiddaw Little Man (16 km), Gategill Fell Top (17 km), Carl Side (17 km), Blencathra (17 km), Doddick Fell (17 km), Skiddaw South Top (17 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (18 km), Skiddaw (18 km), Skiddaw North Top (18 km)
South: High Raise (2 km), Crinkle Crags (7 km), Crinkle Crags (7 km), Crinkle Crags (7 km), Crinkle Crags (7 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (7 km), Grey Friar (11 km), Dow Crag (14 km), Buck Pike (14 km)
South-west: Looking Steads (3 km), Esk Pike (5 km), Great End (6 km), Bowfell (6 km), Broad Crag (7 km), Scafell Pike (7 km)
West: Green Gable (6 km), High Crag (10 km), Pillar (10 km), High Stile (11 km), High Stile (11 km), Red Pike (12 km)
North-west: Dale Head (6 km), Sail (12 km), Wandope (12 km), Crag Hill (12 km), Hobcarton Crag (13 km), Grasmoor (13 km), Grisedale Pike (14 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Green Lowther (107 km, Scotland), Queensberry (93 km, Scotland), Ballencleuch Law (100 km, Scotland), Hods Hill (102 km, Scotland), White Hill (76 km, Scotland).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Sergeant's Crag

Sergeant's Crag waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls at midwinter, when the sun is up for 49 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 09:22 against an almanac sunrise of 08:33. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the south-east from here (141.9°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 4.52°.

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 light	Almanac sunrise	Difference
Midsummer	05:16 BST ±5.0 min	04:37	+39 min
Equinox	06:35 GMT ±5.0 min	06:16	+19 min
Midwinter	09:22 GMT ±5.0 min	08:33	+49 min

The northern horizon stands at about 0.51° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Sergeant's Crag

Sergeant's Crag loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 January, when last light is 33 minutes before almanac sunset — 15:26 against 15:59. The sun goes down to the south-west from here (222.8°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 3.05°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
	Last light	Almanac sunset	Difference
Midsummer	21:40 BST ±5.0 min	21:53	-13 min
Equinox	18:16 GMT ±5.0 min	18:26	-10 min
Midwinter	15:18 GMT ±5.0 min	15:49	-31 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 Sergeant's Crag

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.

59Wainwrights in view+7 marginal

—Sea in viewnone from here

All 59 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Eagle Crag, Ullscarf, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, High Raise (High White Stones), Glaramara, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Pike of Stickle, Rossett Pike, Allen Crags, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Castle Crag, Esk Pike, High Tove, Great End, Bowfell, Grey Knotts, Green Gable, Brandreth, High Spy, Dale Head, High Seat, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Scafell Pike, Fleetwith Pike, Hindscarth, Cold Pike, Maiden Moor, Raven Crag, Bleaberry Fell, Cat Bells (Catbells), Pillar, Causey Pike, Grey Friar, High Stile, Scar Crags, Sail, Wandope, Red Pike (Buttermere), Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Clough Head, Grasmoor, Grisedale Pike, Dow Crag, Mellbreak (Mellbreak South Top), Hen Comb, Lonscale Fell, Dodd (Skiddaw), Skiddaw Little Man, Barf, Lord's Seat, Carl Side, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Skiddaw, Blake Fell, Bannerdale Crags, Knott, Binsey

How the view from Sergeant's Crag 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 Sergeant's Crag. 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

Seatoller House B&B (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 1.6 km

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Sergeant's Crag

Is Sergeant’s Crag a scramble?

It can be, and you get to choose. The direct line from Langstrath goes through a short gully with exposed rocky steps and needs hands and feet — a proper little scramble, and no place to be in bad weather. Our round reaches the top from the north, over the saddle from Eagle Crag, without the gully.

The Langstrath face is steep everywhere, and the mistake to avoid is being drawn into it off-route, either on the way up or by trying to descend it. Our round with Ullscarf and Eagle Crag is 14.8 km with 756 m of ascent, graded hard for navigation — above the crag the ground turns boggy and featureless toward Ullscarf, which is its own problem in cloud.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Sergeant's Crag

Summit conditions on Sergeant's Crag

Wind on the top

Rain, and the becks

Routes up Sergeant's Crag

How hard is Sergeant's Crag?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Sergeant's Crag

Parking

Buses

Hazards on Sergeant's Crag

Hazard & Incident Information for Sergeant's Crag

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Sergeant's Crag

Routes over Sergeant's Crag

On the hill: terrain and water on Sergeant's Crag

Water & shelter on the way up

About Sergeant's Crag

My Strava hikes over Sergeant's Crag

Classifications & hill data

Is Sergeant's Crag a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Sergeant's Crag

The 360° skyline from Sergeant's Crag

Sunrise and sunset on Sergeant's Crag

Last light — when the sun leaves Sergeant's Crag

What you can see from Sergeant's Crag

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Sergeant's Crag

Other fells near Sergeant's Crag