Yoke
Yoke at 706m (2,316ft) is the southernmost summit of the Ill Bell ridge, a grassy shoulder above Troutbeck with fine views south to Windermere.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 707 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 13°C, gusts to 38 mph, 17.5 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 707 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
About the walk
Yoke
Routes up Yoke
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Kentmere Institute (donation, very limited), about 3.5 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Yoke (within 3 km)
No bonus Birketts within 3 km — every Birkett near here is already a Wainwright summit, so just enjoy the walk.
Routes over Yoke
✎️ Walked and described first-hand by Lee — a big mountain day (≈13 miles / ~3,700 ft, 6–8 hours). Start early, carry OS Explorer OL7 and a compass (the eastern ridge walls and fences are vital handrails in mist), and know the escape options.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
The View from Yoke
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.
What you can see from Yoke, by direction
- North: High Street (4 km), Kidsty Pike (6 km), High Raise (7 km)
- North-east: Harter Fell (3 km)
- South-west: Brim Fell (19 km), The Old Man of Coniston (19 km)
- West: Swirl How (18 km), Great Carrs (18 km), Crinkle Crags (19 km), Crinkle Crags (19 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (19 km), Crinkle Crags (19 km), Shelter Crags (19 km), Crinkle Crags (19 km), Bowfell (19 km), Glaramara (20 km), Esk Pike (20 km), Great End (21 km), Ill Crag (22 km), Broad Crag (22 km), Scafell Pike (22 km), Green Gable (23 km), Great Gable (23 km), Scafell (23 km), Pillar (27 km), Pillar Rock (27 km), Red Pike (28 km), Black Crag (28 km), High Stile (28 km), High Stile (28 km)
- North-west: Dove Crag (7 km), Hart Crag (8 km), Fairfield (9 km), St Sunday Crag (10 km), Dollywaggon Pike (11 km), High Crag (12 km), Nethermost Pike (12 km), Helvellyn (13 km), Catstye Cam (13 km), Raise (14 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (173 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (161 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (193 km, Wales), Moel Siabod (169 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (180 km, Wales), South Barrule (122 km, Isle of Man), Yr Eifl (194 km, Wales), Craig Cwm Silyn (181 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.
What you can see from Yoke
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.
- Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Wales
- Carnedd Llewelyn Wales
- Irish Sea open water
- Ingleborough Yorkshire Dales
- Whernside Yorkshire Dales
- Morecambe Bay bay/estuary
All 64 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
Ill Bell, Sallows, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell (Mardale), Mardale Ill Bell, Shipman Knotts, Sour Howes, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Baystones (Wansfell), High Street, Red Screes, Middle Dodd, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), High Raise (High Street), Dove Crag, Hart Crag, Nab Scar, Loughrigg Fell, Fairfield, St Sunday Crag, Place Fell, Black Fell, Dollywaggon Pike, Silver How, Nethermost Pike, Helvellyn, Catstye Cam, Blea Rigg, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Holme Fell, Raise, Sergeant Man, Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle, Thunacar Knott, High Raise (High White Stones), Wetherlam, Loft Crag, Pike of Stickle, Pike of Blisco, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Cold Pike, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Grey Friar, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Bowfell, Glaramara, Dow Crag, Esk Pike, Allen Crags, Great End, Scafell Pike, Green Gable, Brandreth, Great Gable, Scafell, Souther Fell, High Crag (Buttermere), Pillar, Red Pike (Wasdale), High Stile, Carrock Fell
How Yoke’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 Yoke
Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).
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 Sour Howes, Sallows, Yorke, Illl Bell, Frostwick and Troutbeck Tongue in the sun! route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
Buses to Yoke from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
My hikes over Yoke (Strava)
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- Sour Howes, Sallows, Yorke, Illl Bell, Frostwick and Troutbeck Tongue in the sun! (opens in new tab) — 27.6 km · 1307 m ascent · 6h 45m moving · 6 Apr 2025
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Hazard & Incident Information for Yoke
The first big top on the Kentmere Horseshoe, a broad grassy dome that hides a dramatic secret: the 1,000-foot precipice of Rainsborrow Crag plunging to the Kentmere valley on its eastern side. Both flanks are scarred with disused slate quarries, and a small tarn sits right on the lip of the crags. The gentle summit gives little warning of these edges, so navigation and edge-awareness matter. Kendal Mountain Search and Rescue Team covers this ground.
- Rainsborrow Crag & Star Crag (eastern precipice): The Kentmere face drops some 1,000 ft in the precipice of Rainsborrow Crag, with Star Crag and Rainsborrow Tarn perched on the edge. The grassy dome gives almost no warning before the drop — keep well back from the eastern rim, especially in cloud or wind, and don't wander toward the tarn near the edge.
- Disused slate quarries on both flanks: Old slate quarries and mine workings scar the east and west slopes, with derelict huts and a steep gully by Star Crag. Open workings and spoil are dangerous to explore — keep to the paths and away from the quarry edges.
- Broad featureless summit in cloud: The grassy dome has few landmarks, and the eastern crags lie just off the top. In mist it is easy to drift the wrong way — take a compass bearing and stay clear of the Kentmere edge.
Most common causes: Walkers straying toward Rainsborrow / Star Crag and the eastern precipice in poor visibility · Falls or mishaps exploring the disused quarry workings · Navigation errors off the broad featureless summit in cloud · Edge danger near Rainsborrow Tarn on the lip of the crags
Local Mountain Rescue: Kendal Mountain Search and Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Reviewed 14 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.
Navigating Yoke in cloud
Care neededWalkable 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 Yoke 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 Yoke
- Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)
- Arthur's Pike
- Baystones (Wansfell)
- Beda Fell (Beda Head)
- Bonscale Pike
- Branstree
- Brock Crags (Wainwright)
- Froswick
- Gray Crag
- Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)
- Hallin Fell
- Harter Fell (Mardale)
- Hartsop Dodd
- High Raise (High Street)
- High Street
- Ill Bell
- Kentmere Pike
- Kidsty Pike
- Loadpot Hill
- Mardale Ill Bell
- Place Fell
- Rampsgill Head
- Rest Dodd
- Sallows
- Selside Pike
- Shipman Knotts
- Sour Howes
- Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts)
- Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)
- Tarn Crag (Sleddale)
- The Knott (High Street)
- The Nab
- Thornthwaite Crag
- Troutbeck Tongue
- Wether Hill
Maps & guidebooks for Yoke
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