West of Wet Sleddale - Birketts
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 Seat Robert2 High Wether Howe3 Nabs Moor4 Selside Pike5 Hare Shaw6 Powleys Hill7 Harper Hills8 Scalebarrow Knott9 Glede Howe
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 23.82 km with around 856 m of ascent, taking in 9 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 sustained ~27% descent around the 22.1 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
On the line: 17 gates · 2 step-over stiles · 2 stiles (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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat Robert | 3.5 km | 223 m | 1:04–1:25 |
| High Wether Howe | 5.2 km | 268 m | 1:29–1:58 |
| Nabs Moor | 6.8 km | 356 m | 1:57–2:36 |
| Selside Pike | 8.3 km | 555 m | 2:35–3:26 |
| Hare Shaw | 10.5 km | 560 m | 3:02–4:02 |
| Powleys Hill | 12.0 km | 563 m | 3:21–4:27 |
| Harper Hills | 13.7 km | 580 m | 3:43–4:56 |
| Scalebarrow Knott | 15.4 km | 580 m | 4:03–5:23 |
| Glede Howe | 19.8 km | 821 m | 5:20–7:05 |
| Finish | 23.8 km | 856 m | 6:11–8:14 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.
The walk, stage by stage
Start → Seat Robert (3.5 km, 223 m)
Climb of about 223 m over 3.5 km (around 6% average).
Seat Robert → High Wether Howe (1.7 km, 45 m)
Undulating section of about 1.7 km.
High Wether Howe → Nabs Moor (1.7 km, 88 m)
Climb of about 88 m over 1.7 km (around 5% average).
Nabs Moor → Selside Pike (1.5 km, 199 m)
Climb of about 199 m over 1.5 km (around 13% average).
Selside Pike → Hare Shaw (2.2 km, 5 m)
Descent of about 165 m over 2.2 km.
Hare Shaw → Powleys Hill (1.6 km, 3 m)
Undulating section of about 1.6 km.
Powleys Hill → Harper Hills (1.7 km, 17 m)
Descent of about 48 m over 1.7 km.
Harper Hills → Scalebarrow Knott (1.7 km, 0 m)
Descent of about 83 m over 1.7 km.
Scalebarrow Knott → Glede Howe (4.4 km, 240 m)
Climb of about 240 m over 4.4 km (around 5% average).
Glede Howe → Finish (4.0 km, 35 m)
Descent of about 177 m over 4.0 km.
Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.
Summits bagged (9)
- Seat Robert 515 m · Pennines · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- High Wether Howe 531 m · Pennines · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Nabs Moor 493 m · Pennines · Outlying Fell
- Selside Pike 655 m · Far Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Hare Shaw 503 m · Around Penrith · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Powleys Hill 465 m · Far Eastern · Birkett, Synge
- Harper Hills 420 m · Around Penrith · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Scalebarrow Knott 338 m · Around Penrith · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Synge
- Glede Howe 476 m · Far Eastern · Birkett
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
💧 No mapped drinking water or shelter on this route — that doesn’t mean there is none, and never drink untreated from a beck. (Facilities data © OpenStreetMap contributors.)
🚌 Buses
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
⚠️ Safety & conditions
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 12.0 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
📚 Maps & guidebooks for West of Wet Sleddale - Birketts
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