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

Souther Fell - a grassy path looking across to the broad green bulk of Blencathra under a clear deep-blue sky
Wainwright — Northern FellsAlso a Birkett

Souther Fell

Souther Fell at 522m (1,713ft) is an isolated, flat-topped ridge above Mungrisdale, famous in local tradition for the legendary ghostly army said to have been seen marching along its crest in the 18th century.

522 m
Height
~2.5–3 h
Typical time
+3
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Souther Fell

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

522 mWainwright — Northern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+3 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 522 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 38 mph, 8.4 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
16° / 14°
💨 38 mph
🌧 8.4 mm (61%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 12°
💨 30 mph
🌧 8.3 mm (71%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 8°
💨 30 mph
🌧 0.7 mm (76%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
16° / 4°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (76%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 6°
💨 13 mph
🌧 3.0 mm (55%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌤️
16° / 4°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (28%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 7°
💨 15 mph
🌧 0.4 mm (22%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 522 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

Souther Fell

Souther Fell - a grassy path looking across to the broad green bulk of Blencathra under a clear deep-blue sky
© Lee McCoy

Souther Fell at 522m (1,713ft) is an isolated, flat-topped ridge above Mungrisdale, famous in local tradition for the legendary ghostly army said to have been seen marching along its crest in the 18th century. Wainwright was amused by this legend and noted the fell's distinctive appearance from the Vale of Eden. The ascent from Mungrisdale is pleasant and the views across the vale to the Pennines are fine. A fell with great character from its history as much as from its summit views.

Routes up Souther Fell

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

Blencathra to Mungrisdale Common and over the back
17.6 km · ~5.1 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Northern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
522 m
Height
1,713 ft
In feet
NY 3547 2914
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Mosedale / Bowscale (verge), about 0.1 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Souther 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.

1.2 km NWThe Tongue553 m · Northern
2.4 km NWTarn Crags Top (Bowscale Fell East Top)665 m · Northern
2.6 km WSWScales Fell682 m · Northern

Routes over Souther Fell

Blencathra to Mungrisdale Common and over the backRevised
17.59 km · ~961 m ascent · loop · ~5–7 h
Summits: Souther FellScales FellDoddick FellBlencathra - Hallsfell TopAtkinson Pike (Foule Crag)Mungrisdale CommonBannerdale CragsBowscale FellTarn Crags Top (Bowscale Fell East Top)

⬇️ 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 Souther Fell

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 Souther Fell28 labelled tops shown (4 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 26 kmHelvellyn · 14 kmBowfell · 25 kmAtkinson Pike · 3 kmHigh Street · 20 kmKirk Fell · 25 kmLittle Dodd · 9 kmRed Screes · 21 kmStony Cove Pike · 20 kmHart Side · 9 kmLow Raise · 18 kmDoddick Fell · 3 kmClough Head · 7 kmBowscale Fell · 3 kmBannerdale Crags · 2 kmLoadpot Hill · 15 kmTarn Crags Top · 2 kmCross Fell · 34 km · clear daysGreat Mell Fell · 6 kmSighty Crag · 57 km · clear daysRoan Fell · 65 km · clear daysHeughscar Hill · 15 kmKnipescar Common · 20 kmPikethaw Hill · 69 km · clear daysLittle Eycott Hill · 3 kmMickle Fell · 45 km · clear daysBlackwood Hill · 69 km · clear daysCold Fell · 36 km · clear daysGreat Gable · 24 kmEsk Pike · 25 kmGreat Dodd · 9 kmCrinkle Crags South Top · 27 kmHigh Raise · 18 kmGreen Side · 10 kmThornthwaite Crag · 21 kmBirkett Fell · 9 kmWether Hill · 16 kmBlencathra · 3 kmSwineside Knott · 10 kmArthur's Pike · 14 kmEycott Hill · 3 kmLarriston Fells · 66 km · clear daysThe Cheviot · 107 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 70 km · a rare clear dayCauldcleuch Head · 72 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 76 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Souther Fell, by direction
  • South-east: High Raise (18 km), The Knott (18 km), Rampsgill Head (18 km), Low Raise (18 km), Kidsty Pike (19 km), High Street (20 km)
  • South: Great Dodd (9 km), Little Dodd (9 km), Hart Side (9 km), Green Side (10 km), Raise (12 km), Catstye Cam (13 km), Helvellyn (14 km), Caudale Moor (20 km), Stony Cove Pike (20 km), Thornthwaite Crag (21 km), Red Screes (21 km), Ill Bell (23 km)
  • South-west: Doddick Fell (3 km), Combe Head (21 km), Glaramara (22 km), Looking Steads (22 km), Great Gable (24 km), Kirk Fell East Top (24 km), Great End (24 km), Kirk Fell (25 km), Esk Pike (25 km), Bowfell (25 km), Broad Crag (26 km), Ill Crag (26 km), Lingmell (26 km), Scafell Pike (26 km), Shelter Crags (26 km), Crinkle Crags (26 km), Crinkle Crags (26 km), Crinkle Crags (26 km), Crinkle Crags (26 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (27 km), Scafell (27 km)
  • West: Atkinson Pike (3 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: The Cheviot (107 km, England), Wisp Hill (70 km, Scotland), Cauldcleuch Head (72 km, Scotland), Peel Fell (76 km, England), Greatmoor Hill (73 km, Scotland).

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 Souther Fell

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
43Wainwrights in view+16 marginal
36 kmFurthest sightlineGreat Dun Fell
—Sea in viewnone from here
Far horizons
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesE · 36 km distant
  • Cross Fell North PenninesE · 33 km clear
All 43 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Bannerdale Crags, Bowscale Fell, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Great Mell Fell, Clough Head, Little Mell Fell, Great Dodd, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Hart Side, Raven Crag, Raise, Place Fell, Catstye Cam, Arthur's Pike, Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts), Helvellyn, Beda Fell (Beda Head), High Tove, Loadpot Hill, Wether Hill, The Nab, Rest Dodd, Hartsop Dodd, High Raise (High Street), The Knott (High Street), Rampsgill Head, Kidsty Pike, Sergeant's Crag, High Street, Middle Dodd, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Thornthwaite Crag, Red Screes, Glaramara, Froswick, Ill Bell, Yoke, Rossett Pike, Great End, Esk Pike, Bowfell, Scafell Pike, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)

How Souther Fell’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 Souther Fell

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

Mosedale / Bowscale (verge) — 0.1 km from summit (straight line)
Verge parking for Carrock Fell and the back o' Skiddaw fells via the Caldew valley.
Directions
Mungrisdale village hall (donation) — 1.2 km from summit (straight line)
For Bowscale Fell, Bannerdale Crags, Souther Fell and The Tongue.
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.

Buses to Souther 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 or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Souther Fell (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Hazard & Incident Information for Souther Fell

Hazard: Moderate

A low, whaleback fell almost encircled by the little River Glenderamackin near Mungrisdale — famous for the legend of a 'ghost army' seen marching its crest in 1745. It's modest in height but surprisingly steep in places: the approach drops by a narrow path to a footbridge and then climbs steepening ground that must be followed carefully to skirt a little crag. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Steep flanks & the little crag: For a low fell, Souther Fell is extremely steep in places; the path steepens progressively and must be followed carefully to negotiate a small crag. Don't shortcut the steep flanks, and take care with footing, especially when wet.
  • The Glenderamackin crossing: A narrow trail drops to a footbridge over the infant River Glenderamackin. The path is narrow and the riverbank steep — take care at the crossing, particularly in spate or when slippery.
  • Navigation on the broad ridge: The long, fairly featureless ridge can be misread in cloud. Keep a compass bearing and stay on the crest, away from the steeper flanks.
Who should attempt this fell: Souther Fell is a short, atmospheric walk, but don't be lulled by its height — it's steep in places and the path must be followed carefully past a small crag. Take care at the river crossing, navigate the broad ridge by compass in cloud, and watch the steep grass in the wet or in winter. (The ghost army, happily, is the one hazard you needn't plan for.)

Most common causes: Slips on the steep flanks and around the little crag · Care needed at the narrow Glenderamackin footbridge crossing · Navigation errors on the broad ridge in cloud · Slippery grass and rock when wet or frosty

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team · 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

Navigating Souther Fell 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 Souther Fell 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 Souther Fell

Maps & guidebooks for Souther Fell

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