Whinlatter Forest: Tarbarrel Moss, Ullister Hill & Seat How
Key facts
✎️ A rare sheltered option in the Lakes: mostly under trees, on solid tracks, with big views appearing at the tops. It starts from the Whinlatter visitor centre (café, parking and facilities). The three summits are Outlying/Birkett tops rather than Wainwrights.
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.
☀️ 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 Tarbarrel Moss2 Ullister Hill3 Seat How (Thornthwaite)
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 7.32 km with around 243 m of ascent, taking in 3 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: Not a pushchair route.
- Knees: No sustained steep descent — kind on the knees.
On the line: 1 gate · 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 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarbarrel Moss | 1.7 km | 160 m | 0:36–0:48 |
| Ullister Hill | 3.4 km | 205 m | 1:01–1:21 |
| Seat How (Thornthwaite) | 4.1 km | 210 m | 1:11–1:34 |
| Finish | 7.3 km | 243 m | 1:52–2:29 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.
The walk, stage by stage
Whinlatter visitor centre → Tarbarrel Moss (1.7 km, 160 m)
The one real pull of the day: climb steadily on forestry track through the plantation to the first top, Tarbarrel Moss.
Decision point: Several track junctions on the way up — follow the waymarks and keep an eye on the map.
Tarbarrel Moss → Ullister Hill (1.7 km, 45 m)
Undulate through the forest to Ullister Hill, the high point, where a gap in the trees opens the view north to Skiddaw and Grisedale Pike.
Ullister Hill → Seat How (0.8 km, 5 m)
A short step across to rocky little Seat How — the best viewpoint of the three, worth the tiny detour.
Seat How → Whinlatter visitor centre (3.2 km, 33 m)
Long, easy descent on forest roads back down to the visitor centre.
Decision point: Forestry roads branch repeatedly on the way down — stay with the waymarks for the centre.
Summits bagged (3)
- Tarbarrel Moss 493 m · North Western · Birkett, Synge
- Ullister Hill 525 m · North Western · Birkett, Synge
- Seat How (Thornthwaite) 495 m · North Western · Birkett, Synge
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
💧 Water, shelter & getting away
💧 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 — 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
- Whinlatter is a working forest laced with forestry roads that branch and re-cross — follow the waymarks and carry a map; junctions look alike, especially in mist.
- Shared with mountain-bike trails in places (including the Altura trail) — stay alert and give way to riders where paths cross.
- Occasional path diversions or machinery during active forestry operations.
- Tracks get muddy and slippery after rain.
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
Easier: The waymarked all-abilities trails from the visitor centre give a shorter, signed alternative.
Harder: Link out to Lord's Seat and Barf, or over to Grisedale Pike, for a bigger north-western day.
📚 Maps & guidebooks for Whinlatter Forest: Tarbarrel Moss, Ullister Hill & Seat How
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