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502 m · Outlying Fell — Pennines · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Outlying Fell — PenninesAlso a Birkett

Ulthwaite Rigg

Ulthwaite Rigg at 502m (1,647ft) is an Outlying Fell on the limestone plateau east of Shap, giving views across the Shap Fells and towards the Pennines.

502 m
Height
+3
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

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502 mOutlying Fell — Pennines✓ summit is also a Birkett+3 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 502 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 16° to 14°C, gusts to 36 mph, 13.1 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
16° / 14°
💨 36 mph
🌧 13.1 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 13°
💨 33 mph
🌧 2.4 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 6°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
16° / 3°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
16° / 4°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
16° / 5°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
17° / 7°
💨 12 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 502 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

Ulthwaite Rigg

Ulthwaite Rigg at 502m (1,647ft) is an Outlying Fell on the limestone plateau east of Shap, giving views across the Shap Fells and towards the Pennines. Wainwright included it in his Outlying Fells guide as part of the Pennines group. A quiet, remote moorland fell on the limestone upland.

Classifications & hill data
Outlying Fell
Pennines
Birkett
Synge
502 m
Height
1,647 ft
In feet
NY 5146 0933
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Wet Sleddale dam (free), about 3.0 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Ulthwaite Rigg (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.

2.1 km SWHarrop Pike637 m · Far Eastern
2.8 km NNEGlede Howe476 m · Far Eastern
2.9 km WNWBranstree NE Top (Branstree East Top) (High Howes (Mardale))673 m · Far Eastern

Best parking to hike Ulthwaite Rigg

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

Wet Sleddale dam (free) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
For the quiet Shap-side fells: Seat Robert, Sleddale fells.
Directions
Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — 4.8 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 Ulthwaite Rigg 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.

Other fells near Ulthwaite Rigg

Maps & guidebooks for Ulthwaite Rigg

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