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664 m · Wainwright — Far Eastern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Tarn Crag - a faint path crossing boggy moorland to a low cairn, broad rough grassland under a big cloudy sky
Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

Tarn Crag at 664m (2,178ft) in Sleddale is a broad, grassy summit on the remote moorland east of Shap, giving wide views across the Shap Fells to the Pennines.

664 m
Height
~3–4 h
Typical time
+6
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

664 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

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

Modelled guidance for the 664 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 15° to 13°C, gusts to 38 mph, 15.1 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
15° / 13°
💨 38 mph
🌧 15.1 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
15° / 12°
💨 31 mph
🌧 2.0 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
13° / 5°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 2°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 3°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
16° / 4°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 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 664 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

Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

Tarn Crag - a faint path crossing boggy moorland to a low cairn, broad rough grassland under a big cloudy sky
© Lee McCoy

Tarn Crag at 664m (2,178ft) in Sleddale is a broad, grassy summit on the remote moorland east of Shap, giving wide views across the Shap Fells to the Pennines. Wainwright noted its isolated character and the sense of genuine remoteness from the fell's summit — a rare quality in Lakeland. Approached from Shap or the Sleddale valley. Often overlooked in favour of the more dramatic fells to the west, but a genuinely rewarding fell for those who enjoy moorland walking.

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)
17.7 km · ~5.3 hr
A long ~18 km round from Sadgill in quiet Longsleddale over five Wainwrights — Grey Crag, Tarn Crag, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell and Shipman Knotts — across some of the loneliest, broadest grass tops in the Far Eastern fells. Real navigation in cloud.
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
Marilyn
664 m
Height
2,178 ft
In feet
NY 4879 0786
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited), about 2.4 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Tarn Crag (Sleddale) (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.

1.3 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)Revised
17.69 km · ~1043 m ascent · loop · ~5–7 h
Summits: Shipman KnottsKentmere PikeHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter FellTarn Crag (Sleddale)Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)Great Howe (Longsleddale)

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ 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, quiet day: roughly 10–12 miles and over 3,000 ft of ascent, with far fewer people than the Kentmere side — be self-reliant.

Full route guide ↗

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

The View 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
What you can see from Tarn Crag (Sleddale), 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 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 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 Tarn Crag (Sleddale)’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 Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

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

Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited) — 2.4 km from summit (straight line)
Head of Longsleddale — Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, Grey Crag, Tarn Crag.
Directions
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.
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 Tarn Crag (Sleddale) 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 Tarn Crag (Sleddale) (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Navigating Tarn Crag (Sleddale) in cloud

Serious in cloud

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. 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: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

Maps & guidebooks for Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

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