Buckbarrow: 423m Height, Walks and Wasdale Views

Buckbarrow gives western Wasdale a rugged foreground: a steep, craggy face below the much broader uplands of Seatallan. At 423m, it is one of the lower Wainwrights, but its character is anything but slight. Walkers come for the rocky ground, the outlook towards Wast Water and the contrast between its broken southern face and the quieter, more open fell country behind.

A craggy edge to western Wasdale

Buckbarrow stands above the western end of Wasdale, forming a rocky outlier of Seatallan. Its steep southern face gives it a presence that its modest height might not suggest. Seen from the valley, the crags are the defining feature; on the higher ground behind them, the relationship with Seatallan becomes clearer. This is not an isolated peak rising equally on every side, but a distinctive edge to a much larger mass of fell country.

The contrast is part of its appeal. Broken rock and abrupt slopes face the dale, while the ground inland opens towards Seatallan’s broad grassy slopes. Buckbarrow rewards attention to the smaller features of the landscape rather than simply offering another high summit. Its rocky foreground gives depth to views across Wasdale, with the surrounding higher fells providing the scale.

Views towards Wast Water

Wast Water is central to Buckbarrow’s setting. From the upper fell, the outlook takes in the lake and the steep slopes of the Wasdale Screes opposite, beneath Whin Rigg and Illgill Head. That meeting of water, scree and fell is one of the valley’s most recognisable features, and Buckbarrow offers a viewpoint from its western side rather than from the lakeshore.

It is worth thinking of the views as belonging to the fell as a whole, not just to a single summit marker. The craggy edges and changing foreground are an important part of the experience. Despite its relatively low height, Buckbarrow is rough fell terrain: steep crags are close at hand, and a short outing here still deserves proper footwear, navigation and attention to the weather.

Buckbarrow among the Western Fells

Buckbarrow appears in The Western Fells, Book Seven of Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. At 423m, or 1,388ft, it ranks 196th in height among the 214 Wainwrights. Its inclusion recognises a fell with a clear identity, even though higher ground continues behind it towards Seatallan.

Seatallan and Middle Fell are its immediate companions in this part of Wasdale; Haycock and Caw Fell belong to the wider neighbouring group. Buckbarrow can be considered as a shorter fell outing or alongside neighbouring summits when planning a longer walk. Its particular distinction remains the same in either case: a compact, rocky counterpoint to the broader uplands of the Western Fells.

Where Buckbarrow stands

Summit at grid reference NY135061 · open full map

The real Buckbarrow

Walking Buckbarrow

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

• Guide links to be curated.

Weather on Buckbarrow

Conditions estimated at summit height (423 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Buckbarrow on your wall

A painting of Buckbarrow brings a familiar corner of Wasdale into the room: the craggy face, the open ground above and the changing light across the dale. It is a way to keep the character of a well-loved fell close, long after the boots are off.

Own “Buckbarrow Crags and Vivid Scree” — our painting of Buckbarrow → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Western Fells

• Seatallan 693 m
• Middle Fell 582 m
• Haycock 797 m
• Caw Fell 697 m

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