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525 m · Birkett — North Western (not a Wainwright summit) · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Birkett — North Western (not a Wainwright summit)Birkett top

Whinlatter Top

Whinlatter Top at 525m (1,722ft) is a Birkett top on the Whinlatter ridge above the Whinlatter Pass in the North Western Fells, giving views across the Lorton Vale and towards the Buttermere and Coledale fells.

525 m
Height
+10
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Whinlatter Top

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

525 mBirkett — North Western (not a Wainwright summit)+10 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 525 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, 3.1 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
15° / 14°
💨 34 mph
🌧 3.1 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 12°
💨 29 mph
🌧 12.0 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌧️
13° / 5°
💨 30 mph
🌧 2.3 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 2°
💨 23 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 4°
💨 15 mph
🌧 1.5 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌤️
16° / 3°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 6°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.4 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 525 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

Whinlatter Top

Whinlatter Top at 525m (1,722ft) is a Birkett top on the Whinlatter ridge above the Whinlatter Pass in the North Western Fells, giving views across the Lorton Vale and towards the Buttermere and Coledale fells. Part of the Whinlatter Forest area. A popular walk from the Whinlatter Visitor Centre.

Routes up Whinlatter Top

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

Whinlatter Loop
13.6 km · ~3.8 hr
Classifications & hill data
Birkett
Synge
525 m
Height
1,722 ft
In feet
NY 1969 2490
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid), about 0.8 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Whinlatter Top (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.

1.0 km ENETarbarrel Moss493 m · North Western
1.4 km SHobcarton End634 m · North Western
1.7 km NEUllister Hill525 m · North Western
1.8 km ENESeat How (Thornthwaite)495 m · North Western
2.3 km WSWSwinside509 m · North Western
2.4 km NWGraystones455 m · North Western
2.5 km SSWLadyside Pike704 m · North Western
2.8 km SEKinn374 m · North Western
2.9 km SHobcarton Crag (Hobcarton Head)738 m · North Western
2.9 km WNWKirk Fell (Lorton)437 m · Western

Routes over Whinlatter Top

Whinlatter LoopRevised
13.56 km · ~671 m ascent · loop · ~3.5–5 h
Summits: GraystonesGraystones (Graystones North Top)Broom FellLord's SeatBarfWhinlatter TopWhinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

Best parking to hike Whinlatter Top

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

Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid) — 0.8 km from summit (straight line)
Forest centre — Lord's Seat, Barf, Whinlatter fells, Grisedale Pike's back route.
Directions
🚺 Whinlatter Forest Park Centre (120m) — Free☕ The Cottage in the Wood☕ Cafe Ambio
Braithwaite village (roadside/small areas) — 3.5 km from summit (straight line)
Start of the Coledale Horseshoe: Grisedale Pike, Causey Pike round.
Directions
🚺 Braithwaite, Keswick (229m) — Free☕ Middle Ruddings☕ Ivy House☕ Jasper's🍺 Royal Oak🍺 Coledale Inn

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 Whinlatter Top from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.
Stagecoach X4 / X5
Penrith – Rheged – Threlkeld – Keswick – Braithwaite – Cockermouth – Workington
Catch it from: Penrith
Year-round, frequent. From Penrith this is your way into Keswick and the Northern fells — Threlkeld/Scales stops serve Blencathra directly, Braithwaite serves the Coledale fells.

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

My hikes over Whinlatter Top (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Other fells near Whinlatter Top

Maps & guidebooks for Whinlatter Top

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