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Ullscarf - a broad, flat moorland of rough brown grass with an old fence post, distant hazy fells beyond under high cloud

Ullscarf

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723 mWainwright — Central Fells+9 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

Ullscarf at 723m (2,372ft) is a broad, heathery plateau in the Central Fells above the headwaters of Wyth Burn, with views in all directions. Its isolated position between Thirlmere, Borrowdale and Langdale means it sees relatively few visitors despite its height.

Summit conditions on Ullscarf

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 11° to 4°C, gusts to 58 mph, 17.0 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

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

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 49 mph times our exposure factor of 1.22. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 58 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.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

17.0 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 0 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 25 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. 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 Ullscarf

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

14.83 km · ~756 m ascent · ~4–5¾ h · loop · 4 summits
Hard effort Severe: steepness
Park: Stonethwaite lane (layby) (free) · Bus: 78, 430 m walk from Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end

A rugged ~15 km round from Stonethwaite over three Wainwrights: straight up the bold rocky nose of Eagle Crag, over Sergeant's Crag to the broad whaleback of Ullscarf, and back down Greenup Gill into the head of Borrowdale.

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 →

Is Ullscarf a hard walk?

Not to climb, and thoroughly hard work all the same. Ullscarf is the boggy hub of the Central Fells on the watershed between Thirlmere and Borrowdale, and it has a reputation for the wettest ground in the district. The plateau is peat hags, and progress across them is slow however fit you are.

Our route over it with Eagle Crag and Sergeant's Crag is 14.8 km with 756 m of ascent and we grade its navigation hard. A flat, featureless, hag-dotted top is the worst possible ground to be uncertain on. Take it after dry weather if you can choose.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 723 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
11° / 4°
58 mph
17.0 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
8° / 5°
41 mph
16.7 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
8° / 6°
28 mph
0.1 mm (33%)
Fri 30 Oct
8° / 5°
29 mph
0.0 mm (23%)
Sat 31 Oct
9° / 0°
13 mph
0.0 mm (18%)
Sun 1 Nov
8° / 0°
9 mph
0.0 mm (10%)
Mon 2 Nov
6° / 0°
16 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)

Parking & buses for Ullscarf

Parking

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

Stonethwaite lane (layby) — at the start of Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag
Walking base for Lining Crag, Ullscarf, Sergeant's Crag and Eagle Crag — the 'Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag' route starts 17 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Steel End, Thirlmere (paid) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
South end of Thirlmere for the Wythburn valley and Armboth fells. Fees: pay and display (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked August 2026). Pay and display (visitlakedistrict.com); named as a UU Thirlmere car park on unitedutilities.com, which states no fee details (United Utilities, checked August 2026).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Stonethwaite village (roadside, free) — 3.3 km from summit (straight line)
In Stonethwaite. The 'Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag' route starts 304 m away. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
2 more places to park near Ullscarf
Roadside parking for Steel Fell (free) — 3.6 km from summit (straight line)
0.9 km from Steel Fell. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Stonethwaite lane, south-west (layby) — 3.6 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Lining Crag, Ullscarf, Sergeant's Crag and Eagle Crag — the 'Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag' route starts 59 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)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 77 and 78 stop at Rosthwaite, opposite Longthwaite road end, a 430 m walk from the start of Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (78): Tuesday to Sunday 20:03. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 78 “Borrowdale Rambler”
Keswick – Lodore – Grange – Rosthwaite – Seatoller
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 or X4/X5)
Year-round, frequent in season. Serves all the Borrowdale starts — Glaramara, the Scafells and Great Gable via Seathwaite (alight Seatoller, about 2 km up the lane).

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 Ullscarf

Hazard & Incident Information for Ullscarf

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

Hazard: Moderate

The great boggy hub of the Central Fells, on the watershed between Thirlmere and Borrowdale — reputedly the wettest ground in the Lake District. Its flat peat-hag plateau is almost featureless and often pathless, so the hazard here is pure navigation: in cloud it is one of the easiest places in the Lakes to lose your way, and the nearby Greenup Edge is a notorious spot for Coast to Coast walkers to go astray. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Featureless boggy plateau (navigation): A flat peat-hag plateau with few landmarks and an indistinct, sometimes absent path. In mist it is very easy to drift off line over miles of similar ground. Take and trust a compass bearing and don't rely on finding a trodden path.
  • Deep bog & peat hags: This is the wettest ground in the District — deep bog and peat hags that are tiring and disorientating, and can swallow a leg. Pick careful lines, keep to firmer ground where you can, and allow far more time than the distance suggests.
  • Greenup Edge & the wet cols: The connecting ground around Greenup Edge is boggy and confusing in cloud and has caught out many walkers (including on the Coast to Coast). Watch carefully for path splits and navigate the junctions deliberately rather than following the lie of the land.
Who should attempt this fell: Ullscarf is gentle in gradient but a serious navigation and bog challenge — the blank, sodden plateau defeats people in cloud who'd handle far rougher ground. Be confident with map, compass and bearings, allow plenty of time for the wet going, take particular care around Greenup Edge, and turn back if cloud closes in over the featureless top. In winter the navigation is harder still.

What to watch for: Navigation errors on the featureless, pathless peat-hag plateau in cloud · Floundering or tiring badly in deep bog · Getting lost around Greenup Edge and the wet cols · Exposure and long, slow going far from shelter

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick 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)

Navigating in cloud

Severe

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 Ullscarf 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 Ullscarf

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

0.8 km NNWColdbarrow Fell - High Saddle675 m · Central
1.2 km NNWLow Saddle656 m · Central
1.2 km NNEStanding Crag611 m · Central
1.3 km SWLining Crag542 m · Central
2.1 km EWythburn Fell508 m · Central
2.2 km NNEBell Crags (Long Moss) (Blea Tarn Fell)559 m · Central
2.3 km SSWLow White Stones731 m · Central
2.7 km NWatendlath Fell (Long Moss)515 m · Central
2.8 km NNEBrown Rigg462 m · Central

Routes over Ullscarf

14.83 km · ~756 m ascent · loop · ~4–5¾ h
Hard effort Severe: steepness

Walked and described first-hand by Lee. A serious round: the navigation over Ullscarf and Greenup Edge is boggy and featureless (a compass is essential in cloud), and the direct Eagle Crag line is steep and intricate — good-weather, sure-footed terrain. Carry OS Explorer OL4.

Download GPX Walked by Lee, April 2026

Warnings: The direct Eagle Crag route (climbed here, not descended) is a steep, intricate line of rock terraces and a wet gully that guidebooks recommend for ascent only, and only in good weather — avoid it altogether in the wet, and do not come back down it. On Eagle Crag's terraces, don't go too far west, towards Heron Crag's cliff, where the terrace narrows above steep drops; sight each terrace before committing. The Bleak How step-stile has a rotted lower step — a big step up from below; take care and lift or assist dogs. Lining Crag's north face is near-vertical into Greenup Gill with little warning from the grassy top — keep back from the lip. Greenup Edge and the Ullscarf plateau are boggy and featureless — serious navigation in mist; rely on the old fence posts, cairns and bearings.

Route guide: Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag →

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 Ullscarf

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag route:

Stonethwaite Village (opens in new tab) (237 m from the start, straight line) Chapel Howe Road End (opens in new tab) (375 m from the start, straight line) Stonethwaite Road End (opens in new tab) (390 m from the start, straight line) Longthwaite Road End (opens in new tab) (394 m from the start, straight line) Chapel House Farm Campsite (opens in new tab) (322 m from the start, straight line)

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

About Ullscarf

Ullscarf - a broad, flat moorland of rough brown grass with an old fence post, distant hazy fells beyond under high cloud
© Lee McCoy

The views north to Skiddaw and east to the Helvellyn range are particularly fine. Approached most naturally from Thirlmere or from the Greenup Edge path from Borrowdale.

Field notes

Perhaps the most central fell of all the Lake District it deserves to be a monstrous fell, full of character and challenge. But alas, it is just all-but featureless and the difficulty doesn't come from trying to keep three points of contact against a rock face, but comes in the damp kind - the boggy ridge. But if your knees are failing and you just want to be out in the fresh air then, paradoxically, this is a great fell to not rush and enjoy what was created for us, though our round from Stonethwaite comes down steeply off Lining Crag.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on our Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag route in April 2026

My Strava hikes over Ullscarf

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Ullscarf a Wainwright?

Ullscarf 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

723 m
Height
2,372 ft
In feet
NY 2914 1217
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 Ullscarf

The 360° skyline from Ullscarf

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 Ullscarf36 labelled tops shown (9 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 9 kmHelvellyn · 6 kmSkiddaw · 17 kmHelvellyn Lower Man · 6 kmBowfell · 7 kmGreat Gable · 8 kmPillar · 12 kmNethermost Pike · 6 kmEsk Pike · 7 kmHigh Crag · 5 kmRaise · 7 kmFairfield · 7 kmBlencathra · 16 kmCrinkle Crags · 8 kmDollywaggon Pike · 6 kmGreat Dodd · 10 kmGrasmoor · 14 kmStybarrow Dodd · 8 kmRed Pike · 13 kmLingmell · 9 kmHigh Stile · 13 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 14 kmRampsgill Head · 15 kmDove Crag · 8 kmGrisedale Pike · 14 kmGlaramara · 5 kmRed Screes · 11 kmSail · 12 kmWetherlam · 11 kmHigh Raise · 3 kmDale Head · 8 kmClough Head · 11 kmLonscale Fell · 15 kmKnott · 21 kmUllock Pike · 17 kmLord's Seat · 17 kmGreat End · 8 kmScoat Fell · 13 kmPike de Bield · 8 kmKnowe Crags · 15 kmKirk Fell · 10 kmGreat Carrs · 11 kmGreat Rigg · 7 kmBlack Sails · 11 kmHigh Crag · 11 kmRobinson · 10 kmHobcarton Crag · 14 kmCombe Head · 4 kmJenkin Hill · 15 kmGrey Knotts · 7 kmBannerdale Crags · 17 kmDodd · 13 kmThe Tongue · 19 kmCofa Pike · 7 kmGavel Fell · 19 kmCrag Fell · 20 kmSeat Sandal · 5 kmCriffel · 60 km · clear daysHigh Pike · 9 kmRossett Pike · 6 kmIngleborough · 59 km · clear daysHeron Pike North Top · 7 kmHeron Pike · 8 kmWhernside · 54 km · clear daysWard's Stone · 61 km · clear daysTarn Crag · 3 kmBlea Rigg · 4 kmWhinlatter Top · 16 kmCastle How · 5 kmLingmoor Fell · 8 kmBarf · 16 kmBlake Rigg · 11 kmBaugh Fell · 49 km · clear daysLoughrigg Fell · 9 kmCaermote Hill · 27 kmGrandsire · 20 kmWhite Hill · 66 km · clear daysCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 111 km · a rare clear dayGreen Lowther · 107 km · a rare clear dayBoulsworth Hill · 100 km · a rare clear dayCairn Table · 126 km · a handful of days a yearSighty Crag · 75 km · a rare clear dayGreat Whernside · 81 km · a rare clear dayFair Snape Fell · 72 km · a rare clear dayLarriston Fells · 85 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 113 km · a rare clear day
The skyline as a list, by direction
  • North: Gategill Fell Top (15 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (16 km), Skiddaw Little Man (16 km), Blencathra (16 km), Skiddaw South Top (17 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (17 km), Skiddaw (17 km), Skiddaw North Top (17 km)
  • North-east: Helvellyn Lower Man (6 km), Helvellyn (6 km), White Side (6 km), Raise (7 km), Stybarrow Dodd (8 km), Great Dodd (10 km)
  • East: High Crag (5 km), Dollywaggon Pike (6 km), Nethermost Pike (6 km), Fairfield (7 km)
  • South-west: Esk Pike (7 km), Bowfell (7 km), Great End (8 km), Pike de Bield (8 km), Crinkle Crags (8 km), Crinkle Crags (8 km), Crinkle Crags (8 km), Broad Crag (9 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (9 km), Scafell Pike (9 km), Lingmell (9 km)
  • West: Great Gable (8 km), Pillar (12 km), High Stile (12 km), Black Crag (13 km), Red Pike (13 km), High Stile (13 km), Scoat Fell (13 km), Steeple (13 km)
  • North-west: Crag Hill (13 km), Eel Crag (13 km), Grasmoor (14 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (111 km, Scotland), Green Lowther (107 km, Scotland), Queensberry (93 km, Scotland), Boulsworth Hill (100 km, England), Cairn Table (126 km, Scotland), Sighty Crag (75 km, England), Great Whernside (81 km, England), Wether Hill (101 km, Scotland).

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 Ullscarf

Ullscarf sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 August) first light is only 19 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

0°30°40°50°60°70°04:50
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
Midsummer04:50 BST ±5.0 min04:37+13 min
Equinox06:16 GMT ±5.0 min06:15+1 min
Midwinter08:29 GMT ±5.0 min08:33-4 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.07°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Ullscarf

The evening here runs close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its earliest evening of the modelled year (on 1 February) last light is only 11 minutes before almanac sunset, so the published sunset time is a fair guide on Ullscarf.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:53 BST ±5.0 min21:52+1 min
Equinox18:23 GMT ±5.0 min18:26-3 min
Midwinter15:42 GMT ±5.0 min15:49-7 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 Ullscarf

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
78Wainwrights in view+31 marginal
61 kmFurthest sightlineCriffel
2Sea in viewSolway Firth, Morecambe Bay

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland.

Far horizons
  • Criffel ScotlandNW · 61 km distant
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 59 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 54 km clear
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNNW · 50 km in view
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuaryS · 40 km in view
All 78 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

How the view from Ullscarf 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 Ullscarf. 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

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 (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Ullscarf

Is Ullscarf a hard walk? Answered above.

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

Other fells near Ullscarf