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629 m · Wainwright — Western Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — Western FellsAlso a Birkett

Yewbarrow

Yewbarrow at 628m (2,058ft) is a magnificent, narrow ridge above Wasdale Head, its twin rocky summits and dramatic profile making it one of the most distinctive fells in the Western Fells.

629 m
Height
~4–5 h
Typical time
+1
Bonus Birkett
See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →
629 mWainwright — Western Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+1 bonus Birkett within 3 km Care needed in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 629 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Sat 12 Sep): 14° to 7°C, gusts to 42 mph, 54.6 mm of rain forecast.

Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
14° / 7°
💨 42 mph
🌧 54.6 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
14° / 10°
💨 20 mph
🌧 0.3 mm (6%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 41 mph
🌧 12.1 mm (100%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌧️
13° / 9°
💨 39 mph
🌧 11.8 mm (98%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌧️
10° / 8°
💨 33 mph
🌧 11.9 mm (70%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌧️
10° / 7°
💨 38 mph
🌧 31.1 mm (100%)
Fri 18 Sep
🌧️
10° / 8°
💨 39 mph
🌧 28.3 mm (92%)

Forecast snapshot from 12 Sep 2026, 20:59 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 629 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Yewbarrow at a glance

Yewbarrow

Yewbarrow, a Lake District fell
Photo: Ben Gamble, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Yewbarrow at 628m (2,058ft) is a magnificent, narrow ridge above Wasdale Head, its twin rocky summits and dramatic profile making it one of the most distinctive fells in the Western Fells. Wainwright was clearly excited by Yewbarrow, noting the dramatic Great Doup crag at its northern end and the superb views of Wastwater from the ridge. The ascent from Wasdale via the steep north ridge is one of the great short climbs in Lakeland. The views of Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Red Pike from the summit are outstanding.

Routes up Yewbarrow

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

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright
Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
HuMP
629 m
Height
2,064 ft
In feet
NY 1733 0847
Grid ref

The short answers

Is Yewbarrow a Wainwright?

Yewbarrow is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list and the HuMP list.

Where do you park for Yewbarrow?

The nearest car park we hold is Car park for Yewbarrow (free), about 1.3 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is Lake Head, Wasdale (NT, paid), 1.3 km out. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

Parking & buses for Yewbarrow

Best parking to hike Yewbarrow

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

Car park for Yewbarrow (free) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)
1.3 km from Yewbarrow. Added from the 5 Aug 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Lake Head, Wasdale (NT, paid) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Scafell Pike — the 'Great Gable & Kirk Fell' route starts 10 m away. Also serves 'Scafell Pike from Wasdale, by Lingmell Col'. National Trust's access statement records a pay-and-display machine here (National Trust, January 2024) but does not say which payment methods it takes; the same document notes mobile reception is poor across Wasdale, so carry coins as well as a card. Compacted surface (OSM-tagged). Toilets on site.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Wasdale Head (NT car park) — 1.4 km from summit (straight line)
National Trust, pay & display (free for members). The classic base for Scafell Pike, Great Gable, Kirk Fell, Yewbarrow. Fills very early. Fees: £7 up to 2 hours; £8.50 up to 4 hours; £10 all day. Charges apply at all times (NT, checked Aug 2026). Free for NT members (checked Aug 2026).
🕑 Typically full before 10:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 2026-08-09.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
If it is full: Overbeck Bridge, Wastwater (NT, paid) (2.0 km); Greendale, Nether Wasdale (roadside, free) (4.3 km)
Car park for Middle Fell (paid) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)
Approx 20 spaces. 1.7 km from Middle Fell. Added from the 5 Aug 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Overbeck Bridge, Wastwater (NT, paid) — 1.8 km from summit (straight line)
Small NT pay-and-display car park at the foot of Yewbarrow on the lakeshore road. Fees: £7 up to 2 hours; £8 up to 4 hours; £9.50 all day. Charges apply at all times (NT, checked Aug 2026). Free for NT members (checked Aug 2026). No overnight parking (National Trust, checked Aug 2026).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Yewbarrow by bus

We don’t know yet. Wasdale Explorer (seasonal) serves this area, but we don’t hold its stop positions, so we can’t measure the walk from it — and we won’t tell you to drive on the strength of a gap in our own data. Check the operator’s timetable.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Hazards on Yewbarrow

Hazard & Incident Information for Yewbarrow

Hazard: Moderate

A steep-sided whaleback above Wasdale, defended at both ends by rock. Its modest height belies a real little mountain: the traverse involves a scramble down (or up) Stirrup Crag at the north end and steep rocky ground at the south, with the badly eroded Dore Head screes alongside. Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team is called here regularly — to scramblers who become cragfast on Stirrup Crag and to walkers taking tumbling falls on the steep, loose ground.

  • Stirrup Crag (north top scramble): The north end drops in a steep set of ledges and chimneys — a genuine scramble that catches people out, especially as a descent. Walkers regularly become cragfast here unable to climb down, and falls have caused head and leg injuries. Tackle it only if you are comfortable scrambling on steep rock; if in doubt, avoid the traverse and return the way you came.
  • Dore Head screes: The steep scree slope off Dore Head (toward Mosedale) is severely eroded, loose and unpleasant — once a scree run, now a notorious leg-breaker. The steep ground beside it has left walkers cragfast. Avoid it as a descent; safer ground exists, and the screes are best left alone.
  • Steep eastern and southern flanks (Great Door / Bell Rib): Yewbarrow is steep and craggy on its Over Beck side and at the southern end around Bell Rib and the Great Door notch. Keep to the path along the crest and don't be drawn onto steep rock looking for a way down.
Who should attempt this fell: Yewbarrow is a small fell that walks like a big one. The crest is fine, but the ends are rocky: Stirrup Crag is a proper scramble and the Dore Head screes are best avoided entirely. Know which end you intend to descend before you start, and only take Stirrup Crag if you are happy down-scrambling steep rock. If conditions are wet or you are unsure, retrace your route rather than committing to the steep ground.

Most common causes: Scramblers becoming cragfast or falling on Stirrup Crag · Tumbling falls and injuries on the steep, loose ground at both ends · Slips and broken ankles on the eroded Dore Head screes · Walkers committing to the traverse without realising it involves scrambling

Local Mountain Rescue: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Reviewed 13 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 (opens in new tab)

Navigating Yewbarrow in cloud

Care needed

Walkable ground sits close to a lethal drop — in cloud it’s easy to walk straight onto steep ground. Take care in poor visibility — carry map and compass, and know how to use them.

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 Yewbarrow compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Car park for Yewbarrow (free), about 1.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Yewbarrow (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.

0.8 km NNEYewbarrow North Top (Stirrup Crag)617 m · Western

Routes over Yewbarrow

16.55 km · ~1303 m ascent · loop · ~5.5–7.5 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

26.76 km · ~1743 m ascent · loop · ~8–11 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

On the hill: terrain and water on Yewbarrow

Water & shelter on the way up

💧 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.

The view from Yewbarrow

The 360° skyline from Yewbarrow

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 Yewbarrow28 labelled tops shown (6 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 4 kmScafell · 4 kmBroad Crag · 5 kmSkiddaw · 22 kmGreat End · 5 kmGreat Gable · 4 kmPillar · 4 kmNethermost Pike · 18 kmFairfield · 19 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 14 kmHaycock · 4 kmCaw Fell · 5 kmSeatallan · 3 kmBrown Pike · 15 kmHarter Fell · 10 kmFleetwith Pike · 7 kmIllgill Head · 4 kmBlack Crag · 3 kmRed Pike · 2 kmKirk Fell · 3 kmCaw · 15 kmGreen Crag · 10 kmHesk Fell · 14 kmMiddle Fell · 3 kmWhin Rigg · 5 kmBirker Fell · 11 kmMuncaster Fell · 12 kmIrton Pike · 9 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 22 kmLingmell · 4 kmGlaramara · 8 kmDow Crag · 14 kmSlight Side · 5 kmRobinson · 9 kmWhite Maiden · 15 kmGreat Worm Crag · 12 kmFox Haw · 16 kmSnowdon · 164 km · a handful of days a yearSnaefell · 80 km · a rare clear dayYr Eifl · 183 km · a handful of days a yearMoel y Gamelin · 162 km · a handful of days a yearDivis · 178 km · a handful of days a yearMull Hill · 106 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Yewbarrow, by direction
  • North: Pillar (4 km), Robinson (9 km)
  • North-east: Great Gable (4 km), Fleetwith Pike (7 km), Hindscarth (9 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (21 km), Skiddaw Little Man (22 km), Skiddaw South Top (22 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (22 km), Skiddaw (22 km)
  • East: Lingmell (4 km), Scafell Pike (4 km), Broad Crag (5 km), Ill Crag (5 km), Great End (5 km), Red Beck Top (7 km), Looking Steads (7 km), Glaramara (8 km), Combe Head (8 km), Low White Stones (11 km), High Crag (18 km), Nethermost Pike (18 km), Fairfield (19 km), Hart Crag (20 km)
  • South-east: Scafell (4 km), Slight Side (5 km), Harter Fell (10 km), Brim Fell (14 km), Dow Crag (14 km), Buck Pike (14 km), The Old Man of Coniston (14 km), Brown Pike (15 km), Walna Scar (15 km), White Pike (15 km), White Maiden (15 km)
  • South: Illgill Head (4 km), Black Combe (23 km)
  • West: Seatallan (3 km)
  • North-west: Haycock (4 km), Caw Fell (5 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (164 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (152 km, Wales), Snaefell (80 km, Isle of Man), Moel Siabod (161 km, Wales), Mynydd Mawr (166 km, Wales), South Barrule (97 km, Isle of Man), Yr Eifl (183 km, Wales), Gyrn Ddu (179 km, Wales).

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 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Yewbarrow

Yewbarrow waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 November, when the sun is up for 39 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 07:54 against an almanac sunrise of 07:15. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the east-south-east from here (122.2°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 4.43°.

30°40°50°60°70°05:02
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
Midsummer05:02 BST ±5.0 min04:38+24 min
Equinox06:37 GMT ±5.0 min06:16+21 min
Midwinter08:45 GMT ±5.0 min08:33+12 min

The northern horizon stands at about 2.42° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Yewbarrow

Yewbarrow loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 June, when last light is 25 minutes before almanac sunset — 21:13 against 21:38. The sun goes down to the north-west from here (307.0°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.51°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:31 BST ±5.0 min21:53-22 min
Equinox18:19 GMT ±5.0 min18:27-8 min
Midwinter15:57 GMT ±5.0 min15:50+7 min

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 Yewbarrow. 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. 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 Yewbarrow

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
27Wainwrights in view+5 marginal
164 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction
1Sea in viewIrish Sea

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales and the Isle of Man.

Far horizons
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 164 km clear
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 149 km clear
  • Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 80 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterWSW · 36 km in view
All 27 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

How Yewbarrow’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.

Places to stay near this fell

We have not verified an independent place near this fell — these are the chains and charities that serve it.

YHA Wasdale Hall (opens in new tab) hostel

about 3.3 km from the start, in a straight line

Ranked above the nearer campsite on usefulness, per rule 2. For a party coming off Scafell Pike wet at 6pm this is the only bed within 3 miles of this start that its own page proves has a drying room, parking, a cot, a highchair, a served breakfast from 07:30 and evening meals until 20:00 - the campsite 1.7 km closer has none of drying, breakfast or any food service. Reception is open 17:00-22:00 so a late arrival is expected rather than a problem. Dogs are the one hard no for an ordinary booking.

Worth knowing: “Pets - including dogs - are not permitted in our hostels when staying in a dorm or a private room.”

The lounge fire surround was salvaged from York Minster. The hall was built in 1829 for Stansfield Rawson, a Yorkshire banker, was a lakeside summer home before the National Trust took it on, and only became a hostel in 1969 - it was called YHA Wastwater until 2015.

  • Drying room “Shared drying room”
  • Family rooms “What our private rooms offer Bed linen Central heating Cot available Heating Hot water Lock on doors”
  • Evening meal “Meals are also available from 17:00”
  • Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something tasty to eat at YHA Wasdale Hall”
  • Parking “Parking: There is parking at the hostel.”
  • Children “Under 12s are not permitted in dorm rooms. Children under 3 can stay with us for free.”

YHA Black Sail (opens in new tab) hostel

about 3.9 km from the start, in a straight line

Included because it is genuinely on this walk's ground - Black Sail sits over the pass at the head of Ennerdale and the page names the peaks the Mosedale horseshoe crosses: "superb access to nearby peaks including Great Gable, Pillar, Red Pike and Steeple". For a walker it answers the 6pm questions properly: an evening menu, breakfast from 07:30, a licensed bar, a self-catering kitchen, ground-floor rooms and a cot. But the 3.93 km on this row is straight-line over the ridge and must never be read as an approach: by their own statement the nearest road is 2.5 miles away and cars stop at Bowness Knott, six miles down the valley. No dogs unless you take the whole building, no phone signal, no WiFi, and no way for us to contact them - emails[] is empty and no contact form was found.

Worth knowing: “Pets are not permitted at YHA Black Sail, except when hiring the whole hostel through YHA Exclusive Hire.”

It is a former shepherds' bothy at the head of Ennerdale, and its two toilets and single shower are outside the building - YHA's own page tells guests to bring a torch for the walk out at night. There is no mains-fed arrival at all: the nearest road is 2.5 miles away.

  • Family rooms “One room that sleeps up to 8 people. It includes 4 sets of bunk beds. A cot is available.”
  • Evening meal “Evening menu at YHA Black Sail Take your pick from today's selection of hearty classics and delicious desserts.”
  • Packed lunch “This hostel offers group catering for pre-booked groups of 16 people or more.”
  • Parking “YHA Black Sail is only accessible by foot or bike. The nearest road is 2.5 miles away in the Buttermere valley, accessing the hostel via 'Scarth Gap pass'.”
  • Children “Guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over to stay at YHA.”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Yewbarrow

Is Yewbarrow hard?

Harder than its height suggests, and the only fell in this group where the answer is partly about your hands. At 629 m it is a modest number, but it is a steep-sided whaleback defended at both ends by rock, and the traverse involves a scramble on Stirrup Crag at the Wasdale end. That is the crux, and it is a real one.

We take it as part of the extended Mosedale Horseshoe, 16.6 km with 1303 m of ascent, and we grade that day's steepness severe. If you would rather not scramble, plan which end you take it from before you set off rather than on the day.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Other fells near Yewbarrow