hikes.guideLake District

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

Wether Hill - a low stone cairn on broad grassy moorland, rolling fells stretching to the horizon under clear blue sky
Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Wether Hill

Wether Hill at 671m (2,201ft) is an intermediate summit on the High Street plateau between Loadpot Hill and High Raise, its broad, grassy top passing almost unnoticed on the main ridge path.

672 m
Height
~3–4 h
Typical time
+5
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Wether Hill

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

672 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+5 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 672 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 33 mph, 4.9 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
15° / 13°
💨 33 mph
🌧 4.9 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
15° / 12°
💨 26 mph
🌧 2.6 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
☁️
15° / 6°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.1 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
☁️
15° / 2°
💨 25 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 2°
💨 11 mph
🌧 6.3 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌤️
16° / 3°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 6°
💨 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 672 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

Wether Hill

Wether Hill - a low stone cairn on broad grassy moorland, rolling fells stretching to the horizon under clear blue sky
© Lee McCoy

Wether Hill at 671m (2,201ft) is an intermediate summit on the High Street plateau between Loadpot Hill and High Raise, its broad, grassy top passing almost unnoticed on the main ridge path. Wainwright noted its pleasant, open character and the good views east across the Pennines from the ridge. The summit is passed naturally on any High Street traverse from Pooley Bridge to Mardale or Windermere. A satisfying intermediate point on one of Lakeland's great long-distance ridge walks.

Routes up Wether Hill

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

Fusedale Circuit
14.7 km · ~4.4 hr
A quiet ~15 km circuit of the Far Eastern fells from Howtown on Ullswater — Hallin Fell, Steel Knotts, Wether Hill, Loadpot Hill, Arthur's Pike and Bonscale Pike — broad grassy tops with grandstand views over the lake. A fine Steamer-and-walk outing.
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
672 m
Height
2,205 ft
In feet
NY 4559 1677
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Martindale, St Peter's church (free, limited), about 3.0 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Wether Hill (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.

1.1 km WGowk Hill471 m · Far Eastern
1.4 km WNWBrownthwaite Crag444 m · Far Eastern
1.7 km SSWRed Crag711 m · Far Eastern
1.9 km ELow Kop572 m · Far Eastern
2.8 km NSwarth Fell (Ullswater)545 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Wether Hill

Fusedale CircuitRevised
14.68 km · ~856 m ascent · loop · ~4–6 h
Summits: Hallin FellBonscale PikeArthur's PikeLoadpot HillWether HillBrownthwaite CragSteel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: Steep crag edges above Ullswater: Bonscale Tower and the western drops off Arthur's Pike and Bonscale Pike are serious — keep well back, especially in cloud or wind.; Boggy, featureless plateau: the Loadpot Hill saddle is peat-hagged and wet, and the broad grassy tops give little to aim for in mist — a compass day if the cloud is down.; Summer bracken + a washed-out descent: the Brock Crag short-cut and the steep drop off Bonscale to Mellguards can be thick, navigation-sapping bracken, with one eroded section underfoot — walking poles help.; Easy-to-miss summits: Wether Hill and Loadpot Hill both have their true top just off the obvious path — step the few metres across to be sure you've actually bagged them.

Full route guide ↗

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

The View from Wether Hill

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 Wether Hill36 labelled tops shown (6 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell · 27 kmHelvellyn · 12 kmSkiddaw · 23 kmHigh Crag · 12 kmRaise · 11 kmBlencathra · 17 kmGreat Dodd · 12 kmStybarrow Dodd · 12 kmHart Crag · 10 kmHigh Raise · 3 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 26 kmDove Crag · 10 kmRed Screes · 10 kmStony Cove Pike · 8 kmLow Raise · 3 kmClough Head · 14 kmBranstree · 7 kmKnott · 23 kmBranstree NE Top · 7 kmLoadpot Hill · 1 kmTarn Crags Top · 18 kmSelside Pike · 7 kmCross Fell · 29 kmRed Crag · 2 kmWhernside · 45 km · clear daysThe Calf · 29 kmLow Kop · 2 kmWild Boar Fell · 35 km · clear daysSeat Robert · 9 kmLittle Mell Fell · 8 kmSighty Crag · 66 km · clear daysNaddle Low Forest · 5 kmLittle Meldrum · 7 kmKnipescar Common · 8 kmMickle Fell · 36 km · clear daysCold Fell · 42 km · clear daysNethermost Pike · 12 kmCatstye Cam · 11 kmFairfield · 11 kmWhite Side · 12 kmDollywaggon Pike · 12 kmKnowe Crags · 18 kmSwirl How · 24 kmCaudale Moor · 8 kmCarl Side · 23 kmRanderside · 12 kmBowscale Fell · 18 kmCarrock Fell · 20 kmHeron Pike · 8 kmWasdale Pike · 12 kmBirk Fell · 6 kmPowleys Hill · 6 kmPen-y-ghent · 58 km · clear daysGreat Shunner Fell · 44 km · clear daysScalebarrow Knott · 7 kmNine Standards Rigg · 38 km · clear daysDufton Pike · 26 kmGrange Fell · 68 km · clear daysBroad Law · 111 km · a rare clear dayTinto · 128 km · a handful of days a yearGreen Lowther · 110 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 83 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 117 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 85 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Wether Hill, by direction
  • South: High Raise (3 km), Rampsgill Head (4 km)
  • South-west: Stony Cove Pike (8 km), Caudale Moor (8 km), Red Screes (10 km), Dove Crag (10 km), Hart Crag (10 km), Cofa Pike (11 km), Fairfield (11 km), Wetherlam (23 km), Esk Pike (24 km), Swirl How (24 km), Great How (25 km), Brim Fell (26 km), The Old Man of Coniston (26 km)
  • West: Gavel Pike (9 km), St Sunday Crag (9 km), Catstye Cam (11 km), Raise (11 km), Helvellyn (12 km), Nethermost Pike (12 km), Stybarrow Dodd (12 km), Dollywaggon Pike (12 km), High Crag (12 km), White Side (12 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (12 km), Great Dodd (12 km), Watson's Dodd (12 km), Scafell (27 km)
  • North-west: Blencathra (17 km), Gategill Fell Top (17 km), Atkinson Pike (18 km), Knowe Crags (18 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (22 km), Skiddaw Little Man (22 km), Skiddaw South Top (23 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (23 km), Skiddaw (23 km), Skiddaw North Top (23 km), Broad End (24 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Broad Law (111 km, Scotland), Tinto (128 km, Scotland), Green Lowther (110 km, Scotland), White Coomb (103 km, Scotland), Queensberry (95 km, Scotland), Ettrick Pen (94 km, Scotland), Wisp Hill (83 km, Scotland), Dun Rig (117 km, Scotland).

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 Wether Hill

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
45Wainwrights in view+16 marginal
52 kmFurthest sightlineIngleborough
—Sea in viewnone from here
Far horizons
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSSE · 52 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 45 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 30 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 29 km clear
All 45 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

The Nab, Beda Fell (Beda Head), Hallin Fell, Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Brock Crags (Wainwright), Place Fell, Hartsop Dodd, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Birks, Little Mell Fell, Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How), High Hartsop Dodd, Sheffield Pike, St Sunday Crag, Birkhouse Moor, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Hart Side, Dove Crag, Hart Crag, Great Mell Fell, Catstye Cam, Fairfield, Raise, High Pike (Scandale), Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Stybarrow Dodd, Dollywaggon Pike, White Side, Great Dodd, Watson's Dodd, Clough Head, Souther Fell, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Bannerdale Crags, Bowscale Fell, Lonscale Fell, Carrock Fell, Skiddaw Little Man, Knott, High Pike (Caldbeck), Skiddaw, Carl Side, Esk Pike, Scafell

How Wether Hill’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 Wether Hill

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

Martindale, St Peter's church (free, limited) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
Quiet side of Ullswater — Hallin Fell, Steel Knotts, Beda Fell, Pikeawassa.
Directions
Hartsop village (free, donation) — 5.9 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 Fusedale Circuit route:

💧 possible water source (99 m)🛖 map (89 m)🚺 map (95 m)🚺 map (99 m)🚌 Hause Farm (166 m)

💧 Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is usually a tap or public supply, but never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock or a carcass upstream and leave you seriously ill. Run it through a filter or purifier (a LifeStraw, Sawyer Squeeze or HydraPak) or bring it to a rolling boil first.

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

Buses to Wether Hill 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 Wether Hill (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Navigating Wether Hill in cloud

Severe

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 Wether Hill 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 Wether Hill

Maps & guidebooks for Wether Hill

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work →