Swirl How

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Summited August 2024

Home › Fells › Swirl How

802 mWainwright — Southern Fells+11 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

Swirl How at 802m (2,633ft) is the central hub of the Coniston Fells, from whose summit the ridges radiate like spokes to the Old Man, Wetherlam, Grey Friar and Great Carrs.

Summit conditions on Swirl How

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 4°C, gusts to 60 mph, 5.3 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

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

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 57 mph times our exposure factor of 1.27. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 60 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.

Also checked cold: feels like −1 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 20 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20; rain: 5.3 mm in the day, under our 6 mm line. 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 Swirl How

Choose the way up before the car park: these three routes start from three places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.

Compared	Coniston Old Man Round	Black Sails & Great How	The Coniston Horseshoe
Starts from	Coniston village	Wrynose Pass Car Park	Walna Scar Road car park
Distance and climb	16.1 km, 1,155 m of climb	10.94 km, 822 m of climb	20.8 km, 1,333 m of climb
Time, fast to steady	~5–7 h	~3½–4¾ h	~6¼–8½ h
Scrambling	Hands for a few steps: the Prison Band, on the descent from Swirl How (km 9.6–11.5). A steep, stony scramble of a ridge linking Swirl How to Swirl Hawse and Wetherlam.	Hands for a few steps: short steps onto Great Carrs, and the Prison Band (km 1.7–2.3 and km 3.5–6.1). A steep, stony scramble of a ridge linking Swirl How to Swirl Hawse and Wetherlam.	Hands for a few steps: the Prison Band, and the last steps to Dow Crag (km 6.2–8.1 and km 15.6–16.0). The short final climb to Dow Crag from Goat's Hawse has scrambly steps with moderate exposure — stay on the path and away from the edge.
Exposure	Moderate	Not assessed	Not assessed
Navigation	Hard	Hard	Hard
Steepest stretch	Climb of about 37% at 3.6 km (Severe)	Descent of about 32% at 4.5 km (Hard)	Climb of about 31% at 7.8 km (Hard)
After the summit	Over Wetherlam	Over Great How (Swirl Band) and Black Sails	Over Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Dow Crag, Buck Pike - Seathwaite Fell and Brown Pike
Walked or planned	Walked by Lee, August 2024	Planned: drawn, not yet walked	Walked in part; km 0.0–1.1, km 15.8–20.8 from the map
Car park at the start	Coniston Station car park (paid)	Hell Gill Pike (verge, south)	Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track)
Bus to the start	505, 520 m walk from Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre	516, 4.8 km walk from Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel	505, 1.8 km walk from Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre

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 →

Is Swirl How hard?

The summit is not, but the way most people arrive at it is. Prison Band, the rugged eastern ridge rising from Swirl Hawse, is the crux of the fell — steep and rocky, and awkward and tiring, especially in descent.

Our routes over it are proper days out: the Coniston Old Man round is 16.1 km with 1155 m of ascent and we rate it Severe overall for its steepness; the full horseshoe is 20.8 km and 1333 m. Several ridges meet at the top, so in cloud the danger is leaving on the wrong one, with steep ground falling into Greenburn on one side and toward Levers Water on the other.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 802 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast

Tue 27 Oct

10° / 4°

60 mph

5.3 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

8° / 5°

50 mph

8.7 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

8° / 6°

24 mph

0.1 mm (33%)

Fri 30 Oct

7° / 4°

23 mph

0.0 mm (23%)

Sat 31 Oct

9° / 0°

11 mph

0.0 mm (18%)

Sun 1 Nov

8° / -1°

9 mph

0.0 mm (10%)

Mon 2 Nov

6° / 0°

19 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 Swirl How

Parking

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

Coniston Station car park (paid) — at the start of Coniston Old Man Round

On the old station site, west of the village. Fees: pay and display; coins and cards; RingGo ID 37306 (LDNPA, checked August 2026).

Directions When people arrive, and what it costs →Something changed here?

If it is full: Coniston, Bluebird Car & Coach Park (paid) (0.6 km, 50 m up); Coniston, Ruskin Avenue (paid) (0.6 km, 52 m up); Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track) (1.4 km)

Hell Gill Pike (verge, south) — 0.1 km from the start of Black Sails & Great How (straight line)

1.3 km from Hell Gill Pike.

Directions Something changed here?

Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track) — at the start of The Coniston Horseshoe

High paid car park above Coniston — Old Man, Dow Crag, Brown Pike with a head start. Fees: pay and display; cards only; RingGo ID 37321 (LDNPA, checked August 2026).

Directions Something changed here?

Coniston Bridge (~1414 m straight line) Coniston Ruskin Avenue Car Park (~1569 m straight line)

4 more places to park near Swirl How

Hell Gill Pike (verge) — 2.0 km from summit (straight line)

0.9 km from Hell Gill Pike.

Directions Something changed here?

Three Shire Stone, Wrynose Pass (verge) — 2.2 km from summit (straight line)

High-level start for Pike o' Blisco, Cold Pike, Wet Side Edge and the Greenburn fells.

Directions Something changed here?

Wrynose Fell (layby) — 2.2 km from summit (straight line)

Walking base for Hell Gill Pike, Little Carrs, Great Carrs and Swirl How — the 'Black Sails & Great How' route starts 131 m away. Also serves 'Stonesty Pike, Great Knott & Wrynose Fell'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Wrynose Fell - Long Crag (verge, west) — 2.4 km from summit (straight line)

1.2 km from Wrynose Fell - Long Crag.

Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Of the pay-and-display machine tickets sold at Coniston Old Station from 17 August 2024 to 31 March 2026, 33% were bought before 10am (our count of FOI/2026.500 ticket data). Contains public sector information provided by the Lake District National Park Authority and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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 505 stops at Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre, a 520 m walk and 39 m of ascent from the start of Coniston Old Man Round — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Kendal (505): Tuesday to Sunday 20:24. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 505 “Coniston Rambler”

Windermere – Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Hawkshead – Coniston

Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside

Daily in season (reduced winter service). Best access for the Coniston fells (Old Man, Wetherlam group).

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 Swirl How

Hazard & Incident Information for Swirl How

Checked by Lee McCoy, 22 September 2026. Draws on published material from Coniston Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Moderate

A high hub of the Coniston fells, where several ridges meet around a steep, rocky top. Its best-known feature — the Prison Band, the rugged eastern ridge dropping to Swirl Hawse — is steep and scrambly and slower than it looks, especially for tired walkers late in the day. Add steep drops into Greenburn and toward Levers Water, and a confusing high plateau in cloud, and it earns real respect.

Prison Band (eastern ridge to Swirl Hawse): A steep, stony scramble of a ridge linking Swirl How to Swirl Hawse and Wetherlam. Awkward and tiring, especially descending, and parties are often caught out here at dusk. Allow plenty of daylight, take the rock carefully, and do not underestimate it as 'just a path'.
Steep flanks into Greenburn and toward Levers Water: The fell drops sharply on its northern (Greenburn) side and toward Levers Water to the south. A slip off the ridge line runs into steep, rocky ground. Keep to the crest and don't cut down the flanks.
The high plateau junction in cloud: Swirl How sits where the ridges to Great Carrs, Brim Fell and Prison Band all meet — easy to take the wrong arm in mist and end up on the wrong descent. Set a compass bearing before leaving the top.

Who should attempt this fell: Swirl How is a fine high fell, but the Prison Band is a proper rocky ridge, slower than it looks, especially for tired walkers late in the day — take it slowly, use your hands, and start early enough that you are not descending it in the dark. Navigate the summit junction deliberately in cloud to pick the right ridge, keep clear of the steep northern and southern edges, and treat it as full winter ground when there is snow or ice.

What to watch for: Walkers in difficulty or benighted on the steep, rocky Prison Band · Route-finding errors at the meeting of ridges in cloud · Slips on the steep flanks into Greenburn or toward Levers Water · Underestimating the time and effort the rocky ground takes

Local Mountain Rescue: Coniston 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)

A note on Church Beck (with Red Dell Beck & Levers Water)

Church Beck (with Red Dell Beck & Levers Water) runs below the old Coniston copper mines and carries mine-derived copper and zinc — enough to matter for river life. In Environment Agency samples taken near our routes Coniston Old Man Round and The Coniston Horseshoe between 2009 and 2024, no sample put lead or cadmium, the metals that matter for people, above the drinking limit. That is a record of past sampling, not a test of the water today. Treat any hill water before drinking (an ordinary hiking filter won’t remove dissolved metals); don’t single this beck out as a clean fill-up.

What’s actually in this beck — we mapped every mine-fed one →

Metal-mine water data © Environment Agency (Open Government Licence v3.0).

Navigating in cloud

Severe

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of walkable ground near the summit that lies close to steep ground or crag. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.

From walking it — not from the terrain model

What catches people out: The Prison Band arête and the Broad Slack drop sit right off the summit cairn; the level ridge invites a fast walk-off in the wrong place.

The line to take: The ridge wall of cairns along the Old Man ridge is the handrail. Three ridges leave the cairn — Prison Band (E, becomes hands-on), the ridge S toward Brim Fell and the Old Man, and NW to Great Carrs. Pick yours and check the bearing before moving, not after.

First-hand knowledge of this top, written by Lee. It adds to the computed grade above — it never changes it, and its absence on another fell means only that it has not been written yet.

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 Swirl How 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 Swirl How

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

0.6 km SGreat How (Swirl Band)775 m · Southern

1.0 km NNWLittle Carrs692 m · Southern

1.0 km ENEBlack Sails745 m · Southern

1.1 km NNWHell Gill Pike662 m · Southern

2.5 km ENEBirk Fell Man - Birk Fell528 m · Southern

2.8 km SEKitty Crag435 m · Southern

2.8 km ENEHawk Rigg441 m · Southern

2.9 km ENEBlake Rigg (Tilberthwaite)423 m · Southern

2.9 km ENEHaystacks (Tilberthwaite)423 m · Southern

3.0 km ENEHigh Fell (Hawk Rigg)428 m · Southern

3.0 km ESELong Crag - Yewdale Fells421 m · Southern

Routes over Swirl How

Black Sails & Great How

Summits: Hell Gill Pike Little Carrs Great CarrsSwirl HowGreat How (Swirl Band)Black Sails

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Warnings: Great Carrs sits among a confusing tangle of high paths — Swirl How, the Prison Band, Wet Side Edge and Wrynose. In mist it is easy to take the wrong ridge or drift toward the eastern edge. Navigate by compass. A steep, stony scramble of a ridge linking Swirl How to Swirl Hawse and Wetherlam. Awkward and tiring, especially descending, and parties are often caught out here at dusk. Allow plenty of daylight, take the rock carefully, and do not underestimate it as 'just a path'. Great Carrs: Right by the summit the ground drops suddenly in crags and steep scree into the Greenburn corrie — the aircraft memorial sits on this very brink. In wind or cloud keep well back from the edge; the flat top gives almost no warning before the drop.

From the hazard notes for Great Carrs, each with its sources.

Route guide: Black Sails & Great How →

The Coniston Horseshoe

Summits: WetherlamSwirl HowGreat Carrs Grey Friar Brim Fell The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)Dow Crag Buck Pike - Seathwaite Fell Brown Pike

Lee walked it Wetherlam-first, from Miners Bridge to Dow Crag; the start from the car park and the southern end over Buck Pike, Brown Pike and the Walna Scar Road finish are from the map — the full Coniston round over all the major tops, a long and serious mountain day. The trickiest navigation is the Grey Friar–Calf Cove–Levers Hawse traverse and the Lad Stones ground; carry OS Explorer OL6 and a compass for the clag.

Download GPX Walked in part, August 2024 · km 0.0–1.1, km 15.8–20.8 from the map

Warnings: Prison Band, the rocky climb from Swirl Hawse onto Swirl How, is steep and eroded with the ground falling away both sides — care needed in mist or wind. Dow Crag's summit sits above a serious east face over Goat's Water — keep slightly right (west) of the top as you climb south from Goat's Hawse and well back from the gullies and edge, especially in poor visibility. The Grey Friar → Calf Cove → Levers Hawse leg is largely pathless and the round's hardest navigation — careful map-and-compass work in clag. The short final climb to Dow Crag from Goat's Hawse has scrambly steps with moderate exposure — stay on the path and away from the edge. Great Carrs sits among a confusing tangle of high paths — Swirl How, the Prison Band, Wet Side Edge and Wrynose. In mist it is easy to take the wrong ridge or drift toward the eastern edge. Navigate by compass. Grey Friar stands off the main ridge and its paths are faint; the ground between it and Swirl How is awkward, and one onward line from Swirl How appears to head straight over a cliff face. In mist it is easy to lose the route or drift onto steep ground. Navigate by compass and don't trust a vague trod. Great Carrs: Right by the summit the ground drops suddenly in crags and steep scree into the Greenburn corrie — the aircraft memorial sits on this very brink. In wind or cloud keep well back from the edge; the flat top gives almost no warning before the drop.

From the hazard notes for Great Carrs, each with its sources.

Route guide: The Coniston Horseshoe →

Coniston Old Man Round

Summits: The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)Brim Fell Grey Friar Great CarrsSwirl HowWetherlam

Download GPX Walked by Lee, August 2024

Best season: Any season in good conditions; rough and rocky, with old mine workings to keep clear of.

Warnings: Disused mine shafts and quarry spoil on the flanks, especially toward the Coppermines valley — keep to the paths. The high ridge is exposed and the broad tops need care in cloud. Grey Friar stands off the main ridge and its paths are faint; the ground between it and Swirl How is awkward, and one onward line from Swirl How appears to head straight over a cliff face. In mist it is easy to lose the route or drift onto steep ground. Navigate by compass and don't trust a vague trod. A steep, stony scramble of a ridge linking Swirl How to Swirl Hawse and Wetherlam. Awkward and tiring, especially descending, and parties are often caught out here at dusk. Allow plenty of daylight, take the rock carefully, and do not underestimate it as 'just a path'. The Coniston-facing side of Brim Fell is all crag, with a spur ending in the broken cliffs of Raven Tor. The rounded grassy top gives little sign of the edge — in mist or wind it is easy to drift east onto steep, dangerous ground. Keep to the crest and well back from the eastern rim.

Route guide: Coniston Old Man Round →

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 Swirl How

Water & shelter on the way up

On the The Coniston Horseshoe route:

shelter (weather shelter, mapped, not checked; 7 m off the line)

On the Coniston Old Man Round route:

The Ruskin Centre (321 m from the start, straight line) John Ruskin School (W bound) (345 m from the start, straight line) The Crown Inn (353 m from the start, straight line) The Crown Hotel (367 m from the start, straight line)

About Swirl How

Wainwright regarded it as the key to the whole group — unlocking the finest high-level circuit in southern Lakeland. The summit commands outstanding views in all directions, particularly north to the Langdale Pikes and east to the Helvellyn range. The ascent via Prison Band from Levers Water is a classic Lakeland route, steep and direct, while the longer approach from Great Langdale over Wrynose Pass offers a gentler alternative.

Field notes

Swirl How is pretty unremarkable. When I did a version of the Coniston round all I remember was namesake fell and Grey Friar. For many others I'm sure I would have be of the same opinion: it's part of a journey, not the destination. The views are undoubtedly grand but not as remarkable as Grey Friar which is a fantastic resting point

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on 2 of our routes

My Strava hikes over Swirl How

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Awesome trek up Wetherlam, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friars, Brim Fell, Dow Crag & Old Man of Coniston. (opens in new tab) — 19.2 km · 1417 m ascent · 5h 34m moving · 31 August 2024

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Swirl How a Wainwright?

Swirl How is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list, the HuMP list and the Hewitt list.

Selected lists

802 m

Height

2,633 ft

In feet

NY 2728 0055

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 Swirl How

The 360° skyline from Swirl How

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: White Side (17 km), Watson's Dodd (20 km), Little Dodd (21 km), Great Dodd (21 km), Crag Hill (21 km), Grisedale Pike (23 km), Knowe Crags (27 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (27 km), Skiddaw Little Man (27 km), Gategill Fell Top (27 km), Blencathra (28 km), Skiddaw South Top (28 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (28 km), Skiddaw (29 km), Skiddaw North Top (29 km)
North-east: Fairfield (14 km), Dove Crag (14 km), Hart Crag (14 km), Dollywaggon Pike (14 km), High Crag (15 km), Nethermost Pike (15 km), Helvellyn (16 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (16 km), High Street (20 km), Rampsgill Head (21 km), High Raise (22 km)
South: Brim Fell (2 km)
North-west: Crinkle Crags South Top (5 km), Crinkle Crags (5 km), Crinkle Crags (5 km), Crinkle Crags (5 km), Crinkle Crags (5 km), Bowfell (6 km), Esk Pike (8 km), Ill Crag (8 km), Scafell Pike (9 km), Scafell (9 km), Broad Crag (9 km), Great End (9 km), Great Gable (12 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (160 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (148 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (183 km, Wales), Snaefell (88 km, Isle of Man), Moel Siabod (157 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (170 km, Wales), Tinto (138 km, Scotland), South Barrule (104 km, Isle of Man).

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 Swirl How

Swirl How catches the sun before the valley does. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does this summit wait for first light — the eastern horizon falls away rather than standing over you, and at midsummer the light reaches it 2 minutes before almanac sunrise.

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	04:36 BST ±5.0 min	04:38	-2 min
Equinox	06:13 GMT ±5.0 min	06:16	-3 min
Midwinter	08:27 GMT ±5.0 min	08:32	-5 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean 0.0°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Swirl How

The evening here runs close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its earliest evening of the modelled year (on 1 July) last light is only 10 minutes before almanac sunset, so the published sunset time is a fair guide on Swirl How.

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	21:43 BST ±5.0 min	21:52	-9 min
Equinox	18:32 GMT ±5.0 min	18:26	+6 min
Midwinter	15:58 GMT ±5.0 min	15:50	+8 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 Swirl How

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

101Wainwrights in view+8 marginal

161 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction

2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Morecambe Bay

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales and the Isle of Man.

Far horizons

Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 161 km clear
Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 145 km clear
Snaefell Isle of ManW · 89 km clear
Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesESE · 54 km clear
Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 53 km clear
Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 50 km clear
Irish Sea open waterWSW · 44 km in view
Morecambe Bay bay/estuaryS · 27 km in view

All 101 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Wetherlam, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Dow Crag, Cold Pike, Pike of Blisco, Hard Knott, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Bowfell, Loft Crag, Pike of Stickle, Harrison Stickle, Pavey Ark, Rossett Pike, Thunacar Knott, Green Crag, Slight Side, Esk Pike, Blea Rigg, Silver How, Sergeant Man, Loughrigg Fell, Scafell Pike, Scafell, High Raise (High White Stones), Great End, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Glaramara, Helm Crag, Gibson Knott, Nab Scar, Illgill Head, Heron Pike (Rydal), Stone Arthur, Great Gable, Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Ullscarf, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Low Pike, Whin Rigg (Wasdale), Great Rigg, Seat Sandal, High Pike (Scandale), Baystones (Wansfell), Middle Fell, Fairfield, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Dove Crag, Hart Crag, Dollywaggon Pike, Red Screes, Nethermost Pike, Seatallan, Middle Dodd, Dale Head, Sour Howes, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Helvellyn, Sallows, Hindscarth, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), White Side, Yoke, Ill Bell, Hartsop Dodd, Froswick, Raise, Thornthwaite Crag, Gray Crag, High Street, Mardale Ill Bell, Watson's Dodd, The Knott (High Street), Kentmere Pike, Rest Dodd, Shipman Knotts, Great Dodd, Sail, Scar Crags, Kidsty Pike, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Lank Rigg, High Raise (High Street), Tarn Crag (Sleddale), Clough Head, Grisedale Pike, Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell), Wether Hill, Lonscale Fell, Dodd (Skiddaw), Skiddaw Little Man, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Carl Side, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Skiddaw, Bannerdale Crags, Knott, Binsey

How the view from Swirl How 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 Swirl How. 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

From Wrynose Pass: 2 places in Grasmere

Frequently asked questions about Swirl How

Is Swirl How hard? Answered above.

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

Swirl How

Summit conditions on Swirl How

Wind on the top

Routes up Swirl How

Is Swirl How hard?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Swirl How

Parking

Buses

Hazards on Swirl How

Hazard & Incident Information for Swirl How

A note on Church Beck (with Red Dell Beck & Levers Water)

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Swirl How

Routes over Swirl How

On the hill: terrain and water on Swirl How

Water & shelter on the way up

About Swirl How

Field notes

My Strava hikes over Swirl How

Classifications & hill data

Is Swirl How a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Swirl How

The 360° skyline from Swirl How

Sunrise and sunset on Swirl How

Last light — when the sun leaves Swirl How

What you can see from Swirl How

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Swirl How

Other fells near Swirl How