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Tarn Crag - the tall stone survey pillar on the summit beside a peaty pool, with the Longsleddale fells and the Pennines beyond under grey cloud

Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

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664 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

Tarn Crag at 664m (2,178ft) is a broad, grassy summit above the head of Longsleddale, south-west of Shap, giving wide views across the Shap Fells to the Pennines. Not to be confused with Tarn Crag above Easedale.

Summit conditions on Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 11° to 5°C, gusts to 57 mph, 14.4 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

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

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 44 mph times our exposure factor of 1.18. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 57 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 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.

Cloud on the top

Past the line

15 out of 100, the clear-top reading

Averaged over the daylight hours, from the forecast’s humidity and low cloud.

The line Our line: a clear-top reading under 20 out of 100, where our scorer says “summit likely clagged in”. There is no outside threshold to cite; it is our estimate. What cloud does to finding the way: navigating in cloud.

Not an observation: cloud lifts and drops within the hour.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

14.4 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like 1 °C, no ice or snow forecast. 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

Routes up Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

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

Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts) Walked in part
17.86 km · ~1114 m ascent · ~5¼–7¼ h · loop · 8 summits
Hard effort Severe: steepness
Park: Hollow Moor (layby) (free)

Distance and climb are measured from the route’s GPX track, and the time from them by Naismith’s rule; the route page says what each grade rests on. How we check →

How hard is Tarn Crag (Sleddale)?

The shortest way up we hold is Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts) — 17.86 km, 1114 m of ascent, ~5¼–7¼ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.

All axes: steepness: Severe · length: Hard · navigation: Hard · terrain: Not assessed · exposure: Not assessed.

These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 664 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
11° / 5°
57 mph
14.4 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
9° / 5°
41 mph
11.7 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
8° / 7°
28 mph
0.2 mm (15%)
Fri 30 Oct
8° / 5°
29 mph
0.0 mm (15%)
Sat 31 Oct
10° / 0°
10 mph
0.0 mm (18%)
Sun 1 Nov
6° / 0°
8 mph
0.0 mm (12%)
Mon 2 Nov
7° / -2°
14 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

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

Parking

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

Hollow Moor (layby) — at the start of Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)
Walking base for Shipman Knotts, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell (Mardale) and Little Harter Fell — the 'Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)' route starts 6 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited) — 2.2 km from summit (straight line)
Head of Longsleddale — Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, Grey Crag, Tarn Crag.
Directions Something changed here?
Swinklebank Crag (layby) — 3.1 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow) (1.0 km), Cocklaw Fell (1.4 km), Ancrow Brow North Top (1.7 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
3 more places to park near Tarn Crag (Sleddale)
Branstree (layby) — 3.4 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Rough Crag (Riggindale), High Street, Mardale Ill Bell and Harter Fell (Mardale) — the 'Mardale circuit' route starts 166 m away. Also serves 'Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty Pike'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — 3.4 km from summit (straight line)
Free but small and fills very early — High Street, Harter Fell, Kidsty Pike, Branstree. Five routes on this site start here, among them the 'Mardale Horseshoe' and the 'Mardale circuit'. Fees: Free parking; donation cairn with suggested £2 contribution (cash only - no mobile signal) plus a Mountain Rescue donation cairn (wildhaweswater.co.uk) (United Utilities, checked August 2026). Staying overnight in a vehicle or tent is banned here without the landowner's written consent (Westmorland and Furness Council, Public Spaces Protection Order 2026 No. 008, in force 18 March 2026). Open 24/7 (United Utilities, checked August 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Branstree (layby) (0.2 km) a few spaces only; Branstree, north (layby) (0.8 km) a few spaces only
Shipman Knotts (verge) — 3.4 km from summit (straight line)
1.2 km from Shipman Knotts.
Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

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 nearest bus stop we hold is the 508 at Troutbeck, opposite Limefitt Park, 6.5 km of walking from the start — no bus route we hold serves it.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

Notes from the Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts) route

  • Boggy ground: the Sleddale moors (Tarn Crag, Grey Crag and the Mosedale–Longsleddale pass) are peat-hagged and frequently very wet — expect bog and use the wall/fence lines as handrails.
  • Faint paths + serious navigation: trods are indistinct across Cocklaw Fell and the Sleddale plateau. Best saved for good visibility — avoid the Tarn Crag/Grey Crag moors in thick hill fog.
  • A long day: roughly 10–12 miles and over 3,000 ft of ascent — be self-reliant.

Quoted from the route page: its warnings.

We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.

Navigating in cloud

Serious in cloud

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of near-level ground around the summit. 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.

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 Tarn Crag (Sleddale) 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 (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 Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

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

1.3 km EHarrop Pike637 m · Far Eastern
1.4 km SGreat Howe (Longsleddale)494 m · Far Eastern
1.7 km SWGoat Scar626 m · Far Eastern
2.1 km NWAdam Seat666 m · Far Eastern
2.5 km NWLittle Harter Fell681 m · Far Eastern
2.5 km NBranstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))673 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)
17.86 km · ~1114 m ascent · loop · ~5¼–7¼ h
Hard effort Severe: steepness
Summits: Shipman KnottsKentmere PikeHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter FellBranstreeTarn Crag (Sleddale)Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)Great Howe (Longsleddale)

Download GPX Walked in part, May 2026 · km 0.0–1.3, km 16.6–17.9 from the map

Warnings: Boggy ground: the Sleddale moors (Tarn Crag, Grey Crag and the Mosedale–Longsleddale pass) are peat-hagged and frequently very wet — expect bog and use the wall/fence lines as handrails. Faint paths + serious navigation: trods are indistinct across Cocklaw Fell and the Sleddale plateau. Best saved for good visibility — avoid the Tarn Crag/Grey Crag moors in thick hill fog. A long day: roughly 10–12 miles and over 3,000 ft of ascent — be self-reliant.

Route guide →

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.

About Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

Tarn Crag - the tall stone survey pillar on the summit beside a peaty pool, with the Longsleddale fells and the Pennines beyond under grey cloud
© Lee McCoy

Wainwright noted its isolated character and the sense of genuine remoteness from the fell's summit — a rare quality in Lakeland. Our round over it starts at Hollow Moor and crosses Longsleddale at Sadgill. Often overlooked in favour of the more dramatic fells to the west, but a genuinely rewarding fell for those who enjoy moorland walking.

My Strava hikes over Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Tarn Crag (Sleddale) a Wainwright?

Tarn Crag (Sleddale) is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list, the Marilyn list and the Hewitt list.

Selected lists

Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
Marilyn
Hewitt
664 m
Height
2,178 ft
In feet
NY 4879 0786
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 Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

The 360° skyline from Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

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 Tarn Crag (Sleddale)34 labelled tops shown (7 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWHigh Raise · 7 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 24 kmSwirl How · 23 kmRampsgill Head · 7 kmHarter Fell · 3 kmKentmere Pike · 2 kmBranstree · 2 kmYoke · 5 kmBranstree NE Top · 2 kmCross Fell · 33 km · clear daysBlack Combe · 42 km · clear daysLittle Harter Fell · 2 kmIngleborough · 42 km · clear daysGrey Crag · 1 kmHarrop Pike · 1 kmWhernside · 36 km · clear daysWard's Stone · 50 km · clear daysShipman Knotts · 2 kmHowes · 3 kmWasdale Pike · 5 kmSwinklebank Crag · 3 kmWild Boar Fell · 28 kmSeat Robert · 5 kmSleddale Pike · 5 kmTop o' Selside · 24 kmHigh House Bank · 6 kmGreat Howe · 1 kmBrunt Knott · 7 kmHollow Moor · 4 kmCocklaw Fell · 4 kmMickle Fell · 36 km · clear daysHugill Fell · 9 kmCold Fell · 49 km · clear daysBrant Fell · 14 kmAdam Seat · 2 kmRough Crag · 5 kmGreat Saddle Crag · 4 kmHigh Wether Howe · 4 kmSallows · 6 kmFewling Stones · 5 kmBannisdale Fell · 4 kmRobin Hood · 5 kmWansfell Pike · 10 kmnameless · 4 kmnameless · 8 kmKnipescar Common · 12 kmUlgraves · 9 kmRogan's Seat · 43 km · clear daysClaife Heights · 15 kmAye Gill Pike · 30 km · clear daysSchool Knott · 12 kmSnowdon · 177 km · a handful of days a yearAran Fawddwy · 196 km · a handful of days a yearPendle Hill · 74 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 164 km · a handful of days a yearBoulsworth Hill · 85 km · a rare clear daySighty Crag · 74 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 106 km · a rare clear day
The skyline as a list, by direction
  • North: Branstree NE Top (2 km), Howes (3 km)
  • North-east: High Wether Howe (4 km), Cross Fell (33 km)
  • East: Harrop Pike (1 km), Great Yarlside (4 km), Great Saddle Crag (4 km), Wasdale Pike (5 km)
  • South-east: Grey Crag (1 km), nameless (2 km), Swinklebank Crag (3 km), The Calf (21 km), Whernside (36 km), Ingleborough (42 km)
  • South: Ward's Stone (50 km)
  • South-west: Goat Scar (2 km), Shipman Knotts (2 km), Brim Fell (24 km), The Old Man of Coniston (24 km), Brown Pike (25 km), White Maiden (26 km), Stoupdale Head (39 km), Black Combe (42 km), Black Combe South Top (42 km)
  • West: Kentmere Pike (2 km), Yoke (5 km), Wetherlam (21 km), Swirl How (23 km), Little Carrs (23 km), Great Carrs (23 km), Great How (23 km), Grey Friar (24 km)
  • North-west: Adam Seat (2 km), Branstree (2 km), Little Harter Fell (2 km), Harter Fell (3 km), Rough Crag (5 km), Kidsty Pike (6 km), Rampsgill Head (7 km), High Raise (7 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (177 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (164 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (196 km, Wales), Moel Siabod (172 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (183 km, Wales), Craig Cwm Silyn (185 km, Wales), Pendle Hill (74 km, England), Moel y Gamelin (164 km, Wales).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

Tarn Crag (Sleddale) sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 July) first light is only 1 minute after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

0°30°40°50°60°04:36
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 lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:36 BST ±5.0 min04:36—
Equinox06:11 GMT ±5.0 min06:14-3 min
Midwinter08:29 GMT ±5.0 min08:31-2 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean 0.19°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

The evening here runs close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its earliest evening of the modelled year (on 1 August) last light is only 17 minutes before almanac sunset, so the published sunset time is a fair guide on Tarn Crag (Sleddale).

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:43 BST ±5.0 min21:51-8 min
Equinox18:13 GMT ±5.0 min18:25-12 min
Midwinter15:55 GMT ±5.0 min15:48+7 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 Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
15Wainwrights in view+5 marginal
177 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 · 177 km distant
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 161 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterSW · 71 km in view
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 43 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSW · 39 km in view
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 36 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 33 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesNE · 33 km clear
All 15 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, Branstree, Harter Fell (Mardale), Kidsty Pike, Sallows, Rampsgill Head, High Raise (High Street), Holme Fell, Wetherlam, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Grey Friar

How the view from Tarn Crag (Sleddale) 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 Tarn Crag (Sleddale). 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

Also nearby, but not independent

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap.

Other fells near Tarn Crag (Sleddale)