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

Threshtwaite Mouth - mist clinging to a craggy summit above stone walls and snow patches on the rocky slope
Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Thornthwaite Crag

Thornthwaite Crag at 784m (2,572ft) is one of the most distinctive summits in the Far Eastern Fells, capped by a massive stone beacon — a tall, cylindrical pillar visible from miles around.

784 m
Height
~3.5–4.5 h
Typical time
+2
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Thornthwaite Crag

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

784 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+2 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

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

Modelled guidance for the 784 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 12°C, gusts to 38 mph, 13.5 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
14° / 12°
💨 38 mph
🌧 13.5 mm (100%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.6 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
12° / 4°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (78%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 1°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (78%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 2°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (54%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
15° / 3°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (24%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 5°
💨 12 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (23%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 784 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

Thornthwaite Crag

Threshtwaite Mouth - mist clinging to a craggy summit above stone walls and snow patches on the rocky slope
© Lee McCoy

Thornthwaite Crag at 784m (2,572ft) is one of the most distinctive summits in the Far Eastern Fells, capped by a massive stone beacon — a tall, cylindrical pillar visible from miles around. Wainwright described it as one of the most satisfying summits on the High Street range: the views from the beacon encompass the full sweep of the Ill Bell ridge, the Troutbeck valley far below, and across to Windermere. The ascent via Threshthwaite Glen is a classic approach, or it can be reached easily from the High Street plateau. The beacon makes it unmistakeable on the skyline.

🗒️ My notes
The only photo I have of this summit had my, and a friend's son in it against the impresive beacon so I can't use it so I've just added a photo of the col, the Threshtwaite Mouth below it it that many will take a break in to get out of the wind before the venture up. The vertical rocks beneath the summit beacon are impressive and the geology curious. There are places to sit amongst the sharp rocks should you prefer to rest up rather than keep going.

Routes up Thornthwaite Crag

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

Hartsop Dodd, Stony Cove Pike, Thornthwaite Crag and Gray Crag
10 km · ~3.4 hr
Kentmere Horseshoe
20.1 km · ~5.7 hr
The classic round of the Kentmere valley — a 20 km, ~1,030 m horseshoe over eight Wainwrights: up over Yoke and the shapely Ill Bell ridge to Thornthwaite Crag, then back over Mardale Ill Bell, Harter Fell, Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts. A long, high, broad-ridged day in the Far Eastern fells.
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
784 m
Height
2,572 ft
In feet
NY 4314 1005
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Kirkstone Pass (laybys / inn), about 3.6 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Thornthwaite Crag (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 WCaudale Moor - John Bell's Banner755 m · Far Eastern
2.6 km ENERough Crag (Riggindale)628 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Thornthwaite Crag

Hartsop Dodd, Stony Cove Pike, Thornthwaite Crag and Gray CragRevised
10.0 km · ~832 m ascent · loop · ~3–4.5 h
Summits: Hartsop DoddStony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)Thornthwaite CragGray Crag

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

Kentmere HorseshoeRevised
20.14 km · ~1029 m ascent · loop · ~5.5–7.5 h
Summits: YokeIll BellFroswickThornthwaite CragMardale Ill BellHarter Fell (Mardale)Kentmere PikeShipman Knotts

✎️ Walked and described first-hand by Lee — a big mountain day (≈13 miles / ~3,700 ft, 6–8 hours). Start early, carry OS Explorer OL7 and a compass (the eastern ridge walls and fences are vital handrails in mist), and know the escape options.

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: The left-hand ladder stile between Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts has a big, almost-vertical drop on the far side — take care, and lift or handle dogs, which often refuse it.; Wray Crag on the final descent has a grooved sloping slab: an easy step in the dry, slippery when wet.; The initial drop off Ill Bell toward Froswick is steep and rough — you may need hands; it eases quickly.; Keep clear of Ill Bell's craggy eastern edge above Kentmere Reservoir — stay on the broad ridge by the cairns.; Parking at Kentmere (village hall / St Cuthbert's church) is very limited — only a handful of spaces — so arrive early.

Full route guide ↗

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

The View from Thornthwaite Crag

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 Thornthwaite Crag36 labelled tops shown (12 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 22 kmHelvellyn · 10 kmSkiddaw · 26 kmGreat Gable · 22 kmHigh Crag · 10 kmRaise · 12 kmFairfield · 8 kmBlencathra · 21 kmCrinkle Crags · 19 kmHigh Raise · 4 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 20 kmSwirl How · 18 kmHarter Fell · 3 kmIll Bell · 2 kmHart Side · 12 kmBowscale Fell · 23 kmDemming Crag · 23 kmMardale Ill Bell · 2 kmThe Knott · 3 kmKentmere Pike · 4 kmGray Crag · 2 kmRest Dodd · 4 kmSelside Pike · 6 kmIngleborough · 47 km · clear daysWhernside · 42 km · clear daysAngletarn Pikes South Top · 5 kmLittle Mell Fell · 14 kmBaystones · 6 kmSour Howes · 7 kmBrunt Knott · 11 kmnameless · 7 kmTroutbeck Tongue · 4 kmBlack Fell · 12 kmMickle Fell · 40 km · clear daysYarlside · 28 kmBurney · 30 kmGreat End · 20 kmBowfell · 19 kmPillar · 26 kmNethermost Pike · 10 kmCatstye Cam · 10 kmDollywaggon Pike · 9 kmStybarrow Dodd · 12 kmRampsgill Head · 3 kmRed Screes · 4 kmHigh Raise · 15 kmRobinson · 24 kmLittle Carrs · 18 kmBranstree · 5 kmWard's Stone · 54 km · clear daysThe Calf · 27 kmSwineside Knott · 11 kmWild Boar Fell · 34 km · clear daysCapple Howe · 7 kmGlenridding Dodd · 9 kmGreat Meldrum · 12 kmSteel Knotts · 8 kmHollow Moor · 7 kmBlake Rigg · 16 kmGummer's How · 22 kmRogan's Seat · 49 km · clear daysClaife Heights · 14 kmBeacon Fell · 25 kmAye Gill Pike · 36 km · clear daysWhite Hill · 57 km · clear daysNewton Fell North · 26 kmCunswick Scar · 17 kmSnowdon · 176 km · a handful of days a yearBroad Law · 117 km · a rare clear dayArenig Fawr · 183 km · a handful of days a yearPendle Hill · 78 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 166 km · a handful of days a yearBoulsworth Hill · 90 km · a rare clear daySighty Crag · 73 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 89 km · a rare clear dayRoan Fell · 83 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 123 km · a handful of days a yearBlackwood Hill · 87 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 109 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Thornthwaite Crag, by direction
  • North-east: High Raise (4 km)
  • South-west: The Old Man of Coniston (20 km)
  • West: Hart Crag (6 km), Fairfield (8 km), Dollywaggon Pike (9 km), High Crag (10 km), Crinkle Crags (19 km), Crinkle Crags (19 km), Crinkle Crags (19 km), Shelter Crags (19 km), Bowfell (19 km), Crinkle Crags (19 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (19 km), Great End (20 km), Ill Crag (21 km), Broad Crag (21 km), Scafell Pike (22 km), Great Gable (22 km), Scafell (23 km), Pillar (26 km), Black Crag (27 km), Scoat Fell (27 km), Steeple (27 km)
  • North-west: Nethermost Pike (10 km), Catstye Cam (10 km), Helvellyn (10 km), Raise (12 km), White Side (12 km), Stybarrow Dodd (12 km), Great Dodd (14 km), Blencathra (21 km), Gategill Fell Top (21 km), Knowe Crags (21 km), Atkinson Pike (21 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (24 km), Skiddaw Little Man (24 km), Skiddaw South Top (25 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (25 km), Skiddaw (26 km), Skiddaw North Top (26 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (176 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (164 km, Wales), Broad Law (117 km, Scotland), Moel Siabod (172 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (183 km, Wales), Yr Eifl (197 km, Wales), Craig Cwm Silyn (184 km, Wales), Pendle Hill (78 km, England).

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 Thornthwaite Crag

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
78Wainwrights in view+14 marginal
176 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 · 176 km clear
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 160 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterSW · 68 km in view
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 48 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 41 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSW · 38 km in view
All 78 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Froswick, Gray Crag, Ill Bell, The Knott (High Street), Hartsop Dodd, Harter Fell (Mardale), Rampsgill Head, Rest Dodd, Red Screes, Troutbeck Tongue, High Raise (High Street), Brock Crags (Wainwright), Kentmere Pike, Branstree, Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How), Shipman Knotts, Dove Crag, Baystones (Wansfell), High Pike (Scandale), Selside Pike, Arnison Crag, Hart Crag, Birks, Sour Howes, St Sunday Crag, Place Fell, Fairfield, Heron Pike (Rydal), Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts), Dollywaggon Pike, Birkhouse Moor, Glenridding Dodd, Nethermost Pike, Catstye Cam, Helvellyn, Sheffield Pike, Raise, White Side, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Hart Side, Black Fell, Stybarrow Dodd, Blea Rigg, Little Mell Fell, Sergeant Man, Pavey Ark, Holme Fell, Harrison Stickle, Thunacar Knott, Loft Crag, Great Mell Fell, Wetherlam, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Glaramara, Bowfell, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Allen Crags, Esk Pike, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Great End, Souther Fell, Green Gable, Scafell Pike, Great Gable, Hindscarth, Slight Side, Bowscale Fell, Scafell, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Robinson, Carrock Fell, Pillar, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), High Pike (Caldbeck)

How Thornthwaite Crag’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 Thornthwaite Crag

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

Kirkstone Pass (laybys / inn) — 3.6 km from summit (straight line)
High start for Red Screes (30 min!), Caudale Moor and Middle Dodd.
Directions
Hartsop village (free, donation) — 3.7 km from summit (straight line)
For Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, High Street via Hayeswater, Brock Crags.
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.

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Hartsop Dodd, Stony Cove Pike, Thornthwaite Crag and Gray Crag route:

🚌 Road End (497 m)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

Buses to Thornthwaite Crag from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 508 “Ullswater Bus”
Penrith – Pooley Bridge – Aira Force – Glenridding – Patterdale (summer services continue over Kirkstone Pass to Troutbeck and Windermere)
Catch it from: Penrith · Windermere (summer only)
The key route from Penrith for the Eastern and Far Eastern fells: Helvellyn from Glenridding, Place Fell, the Hartsop fells. The summer Kirkstone extension drops you at the pass for Red Screes and Caudale Moor.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Thornthwaite Crag (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Hazard & Incident Information for Thornthwaite Crag

Hazard: Moderate

A high Far Eastern fell crowned by the landmark Thornthwaite Beacon, a tall stone column that is a useful navigation aid up here. The walking on top is easy, but the steep, rough, loose descent to Threshthwaite Mouth is the catch — meandering over crags and damp ledges with two awkward rocky steps — and the fell takes its name from the crags on its western flank. Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • The descent to Threshthwaite Mouth: The path down to the saddle drops steeply over rough crags and damp ledges, with two rocky steps — the second, just above the saddle, is slightly tricky and may need facing in to the rock to down-climb. Loose in places; pick the correct line from the beacon (a grassy route avoids the worst of the scree). Take it slowly, especially when wet.
  • The western crags: The fell is named for the crags on its western side. Keep back from the edge near the summit, particularly in cloud or wind where the broad top gives little warning.
  • Exposure on the high open ground: This is high, exposed ground with little shelter; the beacon aids navigation but in cloud you still need a bearing to choose the right path off. Plan for wind and changeable conditions.
Who should attempt this fell: Thornthwaite Crag is easy on top, but respect the descent to Threshthwaite Mouth: it's steep, loose and crag-strewn with an awkward down-climb near the saddle, so take the better-graded line from the beacon and move carefully, especially in the wet. Keep back from the western crags, navigate by compass in cloud despite the helpful beacon, and treat the steep ground as full winter terrain when iced.

Most common causes: Slips and difficulty on the steep, loose Threshthwaite Mouth descent and its rocky steps · Taking the wrong (looser) line down from the beacon · Walkers straying toward the western crags in poor visibility · Exposure on the high open ground in wind or winter

Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. 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

Navigating Thornthwaite Crag in cloud

Serious in cloud

Walkable ground sits close to a lethal drop — in cloud it’s easy to walk straight onto steep ground. 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 Thornthwaite Crag 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 Thornthwaite Crag

Maps & guidebooks for Thornthwaite Crag

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