hikes.guideLake District

554 m · Outlying Fell — South Lakeland · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Outlying Fell — South LakelandAlso a Birkett

Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))

Swinklebank Crag at 554m (1,818ft) is an Outlying Fell forming part of the Bannisdale Horseshoe above the remote Bannisdale valley east of Shap, giving views across the limestone upland and the Bannisdale valley.

554 m
Height
+3
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))

554 mOutlying Fell — South Lakeland✓ summit is also a Birkett+3 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 554 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 15° to 14°C, gusts to 36 mph, 13.2 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
15° / 14°
💨 36 mph
🌧 13.2 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 12°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.2 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 2°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
16° / 4°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
16° / 5°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
17° / 6°
💨 17 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (24%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 554 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

Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))

Swinklebank Crag at 554m (1,818ft) is an Outlying Fell forming part of the Bannisdale Horseshoe above the remote Bannisdale valley east of Shap, giving views across the limestone upland and the Bannisdale valley. Wainwright included the Bannisdale Horseshoe in his Outlying Fells guide as part of the South Lakeland group. A remote walk in very quiet, rarely visited country.

Classifications & hill data
Outlying Fell
South Lakeland
Birkett
Synge
554 m
Height
1,818 ft
In feet
NY 5006 0490
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited), about 1.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe)) (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.

1.9 km NWGreat Howe (Longsleddale)494 m · Far Eastern
2.3 km WSWCocklaw Fell365 m · Far Eastern
2.9 km NHarrop Pike637 m · Far Eastern

Best parking to hike Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))

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

Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited) — 1.9 km from summit (straight line)
Head of Longsleddale — Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, Grey Crag, Tarn Crag.
Directions
Kentmere Institute (donation, very limited) — 4.7 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.

Buses to Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe)) 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.

Other fells near Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))

Maps & guidebooks for Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work →