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411 m · Birkett — Western (not a Wainwright summit) · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Birkett — Western (not a Wainwright summit)Birkett top

Sourfoot Fell

Sourfoot Fell at 441m (1,447ft) is a small fell above the Vale of Eden near Penrith, its open top giving views across the vale to the Pennines and west to the Northern Fells.

411 m
Height
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →
411 mBirkett — Western (not a Wainwright summit)+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 411 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 16° to 15°C, gusts to 32 mph, 1.8 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
16° / 15°
💨 32 mph
🌧 1.8 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 12°
💨 28 mph
🌧 11.8 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 28 mph
🌧 2.9 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 3°
💨 22 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 6°
💨 15 mph
🌧 1.2 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌤️
17° / 6°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 0.4 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 411 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

Key information

Sourfoot Fell

Sourfoot Fell at 441m (1,447ft) is a small fell above the Vale of Eden near Penrith, its open top giving views across the vale to the Pennines and west to the Northern Fells. A Wainwright outlying fell in his Outlying Fells guide, noted for its pastoral setting and wide views. The ascent from the vale is easy and pleasant. A good short walk giving wide views of the Eden Valley landscape.

Routes up Sourfoot Fell

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

Classifications & hill data
Birkett
Synge
411 m
Height
1,348 ft
In feet
NY 1348 2336
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Maggie's Bridge, Loweswater (NT, free), about 2.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Sourfoot Fell (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.

0.4 km NNWSmithy Fell392 m · Western
1.0 km SSWDarling Fell392 m · Western
1.1 km SLoweswater Fell (Low Fell South Top)417 m · Western
1.4 km NHatteringill Head - Whin Fell385 m · Western

Routes over Sourfoot Fell

10.84 km · ~417 m ascent · loop · ~2.5–4 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

Best parking to hike Sourfoot Fell

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

Maggie's Bridge, Loweswater (NT, free) — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)
Small free car park for Mellbreak, Hen Comb and the Loweswater fells.
Directions (opens in new tab)
Lanthwaite Green (NT) — 3.1 km from summit (straight line)
At the foot of Grasmoor and Whiteside, Crummock Water.
Directions (opens in new tab)

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.

Buses to Sourfoot Fell from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).

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

Maps & guidebooks for Sourfoot Fell

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