Barf: Height (469m), Walks and Bassenthwaite Views

Barf is a small fell with a notably steep face, rising above the western side of Bassenthwaite Lake. Its 469m summit belongs to the North Western Fells, but the outlook across the water towards Skiddaw gives it a character all its own. The pale rock known as the Bishop of Barf is its best-known landmark; walkers who reach the top find a view that comfortably outgrows the fell’s modest height.

A steep face above Bassenthwaite

Barf stands on the western side of the Bassenthwaite valley, north of Thornthwaite and close to the wooded country around Whinlatter. Its eastern face is its defining feature: a steep, rough slope of rock and scree that rises sharply above the A66 corridor. Seen from below, it looks considerably more rugged than its height of 469m, or 1,539ft, might suggest.

The summit outlook is dominated by Bassenthwaite Lake and the Skiddaw massif across the valley. The contrast is part of the appeal: a long stretch of water below, broad fell slopes opposite and woodland around the western side of the valley. Barf does not need great altitude to offer a strong sense of the surrounding landscape. Its position at the edge of the higher ground does much of the work.

Barf among the North Western Fells

Alfred Wainwright included Barf in Book Six of his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, The North Western Fells. It ranks 185th in height among the 214 Wainwrights, with its summit recorded at grid reference NY214267. Those figures place it among the smaller fells in the collection, though they say little about the steepness of its eastern side.

Lord’s Seat is its immediate higher neighbour to the west, linked to Barf by upland ground. Broom Fell, Whinlatter and Sale Fell are other Wainwrights in the surrounding northern part of the group. Together they offer a different expression of the North Western Fells from the sharper ridges farther south: open tops, forest margins and views towards the edge of Lakeland.

Barf is often paired with Lord’s Seat on a walk. The combination brings together Barf’s lake-facing position and the higher, broader outlook of its neighbour. Walk descriptions deserve careful attention here: Barf’s direct eastern approaches involve steep, loose and rocky ground, and its modest summit height should not be mistaken for an assurance of easy terrain.

The Bishop of Barf

The Bishop of Barf is a conspicuous rock pillar on the eastern slope, distinguished by its white-painted surface. It is visible from below and is one of the fell’s most recognisable features. The Bishop is not the summit, but a landmark partway up the rough face. Alongside the view over Bassenthwaite, it gives Barf an identity quite separate from the neighbouring tops.

Where Barf stands

Summit at grid reference NY214267 · open full map

The real Barf

Walking Barf

We make artwork, not route guides — these are the guides we'd point a friend to:

• Guide links to be curated.

Weather on Barf

Conditions estimated at summit height (469 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Barf on your wall

A painting of Barf can recall more than a summit reached: the white Bishop against rough scree, Bassenthwaite below and Skiddaw across the water. On paper or canvas, that familiar arrangement of fell and lake brings a particular corner of the Lakes into everyday view.

Own “Striking Shadows on Barf Fell” — our painting of Barf → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The North Western Fells

• Lord's Seat 552 m
• Broom Fell 510 m
• Whinlatter 517 m
• Sale Fell 359 m

Part of our guide to all 214 Wainwrights — see the full index.