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

Outlying Fell — South LakelandAlso a Birkett

The Forest (Borrowdale Head) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))

The Forest at 528m (1,732ft) is an Outlying Fell forming part of the Bannisdale Horseshoe above the remote Bannisdale valley, giving views across the limestone upland east of the main Lake District.

528 m
Height
+0
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →
528 mOutlying Fell — South Lakeland✓ summit is also a Birkett+0 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 528 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 34 mph, 9.2 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
15° / 14°
💨 34 mph
🌧 9.2 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌦️
16° / 13°
💨 32 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
15° / 7°
💨 29 mph
🌧 0.3 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
16° / 3°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 4°
💨 14 mph
🌧 3.9 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
17° / 4°
💨 19 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
☁️
17° / 7°
💨 13 mph
🌧 0.0 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 528 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

About the walk

Key information

The Forest (Borrowdale Head) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))

The Forest at 528m (1,732ft) is an Outlying Fell forming part of the Bannisdale Horseshoe above the remote Bannisdale valley, giving views across the limestone upland east of the main Lake District. Wainwright included the Bannisdale Horseshoe in his Outlying Fells guide. A remote walk in very quiet country rarely visited by fell walkers.

Classifications & hill data
Outlying Fell
South Lakeland
Birkett
Synge
528 m
Height
1,732 ft
In feet
NY 5276 0356
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: A6 Shap summit (layby), about 3.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near The Forest (Borrowdale Head) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe)) (within 3 km)

No bonus Birketts within 3 km — every Birkett near here is already a Wainwright summit, so just enjoy the walk.

Best parking to hike The Forest (Borrowdale Head) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))

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

A6 Shap summit (layby) — 3.3 km from summit (straight line)
High laybys on the old A6 — Wasdale Pike, Crookdale and Borrowdale (Westmorland) fells.
Directions (opens in new tab)
Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited) — 4.9 km from summit (straight line)
Head of Longsleddale — Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, Grey Crag, Tarn Crag.
Directions (opens in new tab)

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 The Forest (Borrowdale Head) (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 (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Maps & guidebooks for The Forest (Borrowdale Head) (nameless (Bannisdale Horseshoe))

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