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

Sour Howes - a wide panorama of brown grassy moorland, the low sun to one side and Windermere glinting in the distance
Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Sour Howes

Sour Howes at 483m (1,585ft) is a broad, grassy summit above Troutbeck with good views south to Windermere.

483 m
Height
~2.5–3 h
Typical time
+1
Bonus Birkett
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Sour Howes

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

483 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+1 bonus Birkett within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 483 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 16° to 14°C, gusts to 25 mph, 4.4 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
16° / 14°
💨 25 mph
🌧 4.4 mm (100%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌦️
17° / 13°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.4 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 6°
💨 27 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (78%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
16° / 2°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (78%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
16° / 4°
💨 15 mph
🌧 2.1 mm (54%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
17° / 6°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (24%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
17° / 7°
💨 17 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 483 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

Sour Howes

Sour Howes - a wide panorama of brown grassy moorland, the low sun to one side and Windermere glinting in the distance
© Lee McCoy

Sour Howes at 483m (1,585ft) is a broad, grassy summit above Troutbeck with good views south to Windermere. Wainwright noted it as a pleasant, easy outing from Troutbeck, its summit open moorland with fine views of the Kentmere fells. Combined naturally with Sallows as a gentle circuit above the Troutbeck valley. A good low-level option when the higher fells are in cloud.

Routes up Sour Howes

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

Capple Howe & Sallows
8.7 km · ~2.5 hr
Sour Howes, Sallows, Yorke, Illl Bell, Frostwick and Troutbeck Tongue in the sun!
27.6 km · ~7.8 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Synge
483 m
Height
1,585 ft
In feet
NY 4276 0322
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Church Bridge, Troutbeck (limited), about 1.7 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Sour Howes (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.

0.6 km SECapple Howe445 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Sour Howes

Capple Howe & SallowsPlanned
8.68 km · ~480 m ascent · loop · ~2.5–3.5 h
Summits: Sour HowesCapple HoweSallows

⬇️ 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.

Sour Howes, Sallows, Yorke, Illl Bell, Frostwick and Troutbeck Tongue in the sun!Revised
27.56 km · ~1395 m ascent · loop · ~7.5–10.5 h
Summits: Sour HowesSallowsYokeIll BellFroswickTroutbeck Tongue

⬇️ 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 Sour Howes

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 Sour Howes36 labelled tops shown (5 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 22 kmGreat Gable · 23 kmFairfield · 11 kmCrinkle Crags · 18 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 16 kmSwirl How · 16 kmThornthwaite Crag · 7 kmHarter Fell · 7 kmRed Screes · 6 kmGreat Rigg · 10 kmStony Cove Pike · 7 kmIll Bell · 5 kmDale Head · 24 kmLow White Stones · 16 kmKentmere Pike · 6 kmBirkett Fell · 18 kmGray Crag · 8 kmTarn Crag · 8 kmGrey Crag · 8 kmHeron Pike North Top · 9 kmBlack Combe · 34 km · clear daysGreat Yarlside · 11 kmSwinklebank Crag · 8 kmHard Knott · 20 kmWhite Howe · 10 kmIngleborough · 42 km · clear daysWhernside · 38 km · clear daysWard's Stone · 47 km · clear daysThe Calf · 25 kmStickle Pike · 24 kmWild Boar Fell · 33 km · clear daysTop o' Selside · 16 kmGummer's How · 15 kmGreat Whernside · 64 km · clear daysHampsfell · 24 kmHigh Knott · 4 kmGreat End · 21 kmBrim Fell · 16 kmLooking Steads · 20 kmCaudale Moor · 7 kmLittle Stand · 18 kmUllscarf · 16 kmFroswick · 5 kmYoke · 4 kmLittle Carrs · 16 kmMiddle Dodd · 7 kmWalna Scar · 18 kmShipman Knotts · 5 kmnameless · 8 kmThe Forest · 10 kmSallows · 1 kmLow Pike · 7 kmStang Hill · 17 kmCarron Crag · 14 kmWhiteside Pike · 10 kmnameless · 8 kmFair Snape Fell · 58 km · clear daysHolme Fell · 12 kmClaife Heights · 7 kmReston Scar · 6 kmGrandsire · 6 kmnameless · 6 kmLatterbarrow · 7 kmWhite Hill · 51 km · clear daysOrrest Head · 4 kmNewton Fell North · 19 kmSchool Knott · 6 kmSnowdon · 170 km · a handful of days a yearArenig Fawr · 177 km · a handful of days a yearPendle Hill · 72 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 159 km · a handful of days a yearBoulsworth Hill · 84 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Sour Howes, by direction
  • North: Ill Bell (5 km), Thornthwaite Crag (7 km), Stony Cove Pike (7 km), Caudale Moor (7 km)
  • North-east: Harter Fell (7 km)
  • West: Wetherlam (14 km), Black Sails (15 km), Sergeant Man (15 km), Harrison Stickle (15 km), Swirl How (16 km), Great Carrs (16 km), Great How (16 km), The Old Man of Coniston (16 km), Brim Fell (16 km), Little Stand (18 km), Crinkle Crags (18 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (18 km), Crinkle Crags (18 km), Crinkle Crags (18 km), Shelter Crags (18 km), Crinkle Crags (18 km), Bowfell (19 km), Looking Steads (20 km), Esk Pike (20 km), Allen Crags (20 km), Great End (21 km), Ill Crag (21 km), Broad Crag (21 km), Scafell Pike (22 km), Scafell (22 km), Green Gable (23 km), Great Gable (23 km), Pillar (27 km)
  • North-west: Red Screes (6 km), Great Rigg (10 km), Fairfield (11 km), Codale Head (15 km), High Raise (16 km), Low White Stones (16 km), Dale Head (24 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (170 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (158 km, Wales), Moel Siabod (165 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (177 km, Wales), Craig Cwm Silyn (178 km, Wales), Pendle Hill (72 km, England), Moel y Gamelin (159 km, Wales), Cadair Berwyn (174 km, Wales).

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 Sour Howes

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
54Wainwrights in view+2 marginal
170 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Morecambe Bay

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.

Far horizons
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 170 km clear
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 154 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterSW · 63 km in view
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 43 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 37 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSW · 31 km in view
All 54 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Sallows, Baystones (Wansfell), Troutbeck Tongue, Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick, Kentmere Pike, Red Screes, Thornthwaite Crag, Harter Fell (Mardale), Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Middle Dodd, Low Pike, High Pike (Scandale), Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell), Nab Scar, Gray Crag, Heron Pike (Rydal), Black Fell, Great Rigg, Fairfield, Holme Fell, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Blea Rigg, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Wetherlam, Calf Crag, Pavey Ark, Sergeant Man, Harrison Stickle, Thunacar Knott, Loft Crag, Swirl How, Pike of Blisco, Great Carrs, Pike of Stickle, High Raise (High White Stones), Ullscarf, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Brim Fell, Cold Pike, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Rossett Pike, Bowfell, Esk Pike, Hard Knott, Allen Crags, Great End, Scafell Pike, Scafell, Green Gable, Great Gable, Dale Head, Pillar

How Sour Howes’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 Sour Howes

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

Church Bridge, Troutbeck (limited) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)
For Wansfell, Troutbeck Tongue and the Ill Bell ridge via Garburn Pass.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (423m) — Free🚺 Public toilets (1904m) — Free☕ The Old Post Office
Kentmere Institute (donation, very limited) — 2.7 km from summit (straight line)
Tiny — arrive by 8am or use the verges lower down. Kentmere Horseshoe: Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick, Kentmere Pike.
Directions

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 Capple Howe & Sallows route:

🚌 Jesus Church at Corfoot Beck (17 m)🚌 Nursery School (141 m)🚌 Limefitt Park (305 m)🚌 Limefitt Park Camp Site (314 m)

On the Sour Howes, Sallows, Yorke, Illl Bell, Frostwick and Troutbeck Tongue in the sun! route:

🚌 Loughrigg Avenue (64 m)🚌 Hayes Garden Centre (182 m)🚌 Kelsick Road Stand 1 (279 m)⛺ Ambleside Backpackers (15 m)

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

Buses to Sour Howes 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.
Stagecoach 508 “Ullswater Bus”
Penrith – Pooley Bridge – Aira Force – Glenridding – Patterdale (summer services continue over Kirkstone Pass to Troutbeck and Windermere)
Catch it from: Penrith · Windermere (summer only)
The key route from Penrith for the Eastern and Far Eastern fells: Helvellyn from Glenridding, Place Fell, the Hartsop fells. The summer Kirkstone extension drops you at the pass for Red Screes and Caudale Moor.

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

My hikes over Sour Howes (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Navigating Sour Howes in cloud

Straightforward

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. 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 Sour Howes 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 Sour Howes

Maps & guidebooks for Sour Howes

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