Birketts West of Thirlmere
Key facts
Difficulty profile
Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 1 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.
Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →
☀️ Daylight & turnaround
Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.
Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
1 Wythburn Fell2 Standing Crag3 Coldbarrow Fell - High Saddle4 Low Saddle5 Bell Crags (Long Moss) (Blea Tarn Fell)6 Watendlath Fell (Long Moss)7 Shivery Knott8 Middle Crag9 High Tove10 Fisher Crag
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 23.11 km with around 1047 m of ascent, taking in 10 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.
- Dog: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A long, steep ~31% drop around the 16.0 km mark — hard on the knees.
On the line: 7 gates · 1 step-over stile · 1 stile (type unmapped)
These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-26. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wythburn Fell | 2.1 km | 219 m | 0:47–1:02 |
| Standing Crag | 5.9 km | 553 m | 2:06–2:47 |
| Coldbarrow Fell - High Saddle | 7.3 km | 650 m | 2:33–3:24 |
| Low Saddle | 7.8 km | 650 m | 2:38–3:31 |
| Bell Crags (Long Moss) (Blea Tarn Fell) | 10.8 km | 770 m | 3:27–4:35 |
| Watendlath Fell (Long Moss) | 12.4 km | 794 m | 3:48–5:03 |
| Shivery Knott | 13.0 km | 795 m | 3:56–5:13 |
| Middle Crag | 13.5 km | 801 m | 4:02–5:21 |
| High Tove | 14.2 km | 835 m | 4:14–5:38 |
| Fisher Crag | 17.8 km | 1008 m | 5:14–6:58 |
| Finish | 23.1 km | 1047 m | 6:22–8:28 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.
The walk, stage by stage
Start → Wythburn Fell (2.1 km, 219 m)
Climb of about 219 m over 2.1 km (around 10% average).
Wythburn Fell → Standing Crag (3.8 km, 334 m)
Climb of about 334 m over 3.8 km (around 9% average).
Standing Crag → Coldbarrow Fell - High Saddle (1.5 km, 98 m)
Climb of about 98 m over 1.5 km (around 7% average).
Coldbarrow Fell - High Saddle → Low Saddle (0.4 km, 0 m)
Undulating section of about 0.4 km.
Low Saddle → Bell Crags (Long Moss) (Blea Tarn Fell) (3.1 km, 119 m)
Climb of about 119 m over 3.1 km (around 4% average).
Bell Crags (Long Moss) (Blea Tarn Fell) → Watendlath Fell (Long Moss) (1.5 km, 25 m)
Descent of about 42 m over 1.5 km.
Watendlath Fell (Long Moss) → Shivery Knott (0.7 km, 1 m)
Undulating section of about 0.7 km.
Shivery Knott → Middle Crag (0.5 km, 5 m)
Undulating section of about 0.5 km.
Middle Crag → High Tove (0.7 km, 35 m)
Undulating section of about 0.7 km.
High Tove → Fisher Crag (3.6 km, 173 m)
Climb of about 173 m over 3.6 km (around 5% average).
Fisher Crag → Finish (5.4 km, 39 m)
Descent of about 196 m over 5.4 km.
Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.
Summits bagged (10)
- Wythburn Fell 508 m · Central · Birkett, Synge
- Standing Crag 611 m · Central · Birkett, Synge
- Coldbarrow Fell - High Saddle 675 m · Central · Birkett
- Low Saddle 656 m · Central · Birkett, Synge, Nuttall
- Bell Crags (Long Moss) (Blea Tarn Fell) 559 m · Central · Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
- Watendlath Fell (Long Moss) 515 m · Central · Birkett, Synge
- Shivery Knott 491 m · Central · Birkett
- Middle Crag 484 m · Central · Birkett, Synge
- High Tove 515 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
- Fisher Crag 421 m · Central · Birkett, Synge
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
💧 Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
🚌 Buses
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
⚠️ Safety & conditions
- Access: The summit of Fisher Crag lies outside mapped CRoW open-access land. That records no statutory right of access — it is not a statement that access is forbidden, and permissive access is not recorded in that layer. This line is computed rather than walked, so treat the access as unchecked and look for the courteous way through — how we work this out.
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.
Make it easier or harder
Short version: turn back at about 11.8 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
📚 Maps & guidebooks for Birketts West of Thirlmere
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work →