Haystacks Wainwright: Fell Guide and Key Facts

Haystacks may reach only 597 metres, but its broken skyline, rocky knolls and scattered tarns give it a character far larger than its height suggests. Rising between Buttermere and Ennerdale, it offers constantly changing ground rather than a single, simple summit dome. Walkers value the intimate detail of the top and its close company of higher Western Fells, as well as its enduring association with Alfred Wainwright.

A summit made of rock and water

Haystacks stands above the south-eastern end of Buttermere, on the rough watershed separating Buttermere from Ennerdale. From the valley it presents a compact, craggy profile rather than a broad mass. On top, the ground breaks into rocky knolls, short crags, hollows and small sheets of water. This is not a fell where all attention narrows to one summit cairn; much of its character comes from moving through an intricate upland landscape.

The highest point reaches 597 metres, or 1,959 feet. Blackbeck Tarn and Innominate Tarn are the best-known waters on the summit area, set among exposed rock and rough grass. The outlook takes in the head of Buttermere and the surrounding Western Fells, while the southern side looks into Ennerdale. Great Gable and Pillar are prominent among the larger fells shaping the wider scene.

Haystacks in the Western Fells

Wainwright included Haystacks in The Western Fells, the seventh volume of his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. By height it ranks 131st among the 214 Wainwrights, placing it well below many of its neighbours. Its reputation rests less on altitude than on the variety and distinctiveness of its summit ground.

Nearby fells help define its position. Fleetwith Pike rises across the Warnscale valley, while High Crag stands beyond Scarth Gap. Brandreth and Kirk Fell occupy the higher country towards the head of Ennerdale. Together, these fells place Haystacks at a natural meeting point between the Buttermere and Ennerdale landscapes. Its relatively modest height also brings the surrounding crags and ridges into close view rather than setting them at a distance.

Alfred Wainwright and Innominate Tarn

Haystacks is inseparable from Alfred Wainwright’s personal connection with the fell. He identified it as his favourite, despite its lack of great height and the presence of loftier summits nearby. After his death in 1991, his ashes were scattered beside Innominate Tarn in accordance with his wishes.

That association is one reason Haystacks holds such a particular place in Lakeland walking history. Yet the fell does not depend on biography alone. Its rock, water, changing viewpoints and close relationship with Buttermere and Ennerdale give it a strong identity in its own right.

Where Haystacks stands

Summit at grid reference NY193131 · open full map

The real Haystacks

Walking Haystacks

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

• Haystacks, Lake District Circular Walk (castlerigg.co.uk)
• Haystacks walk from Buttermere - Alfred Wainwright's ... (hikingphotographer.uk)
• Lake District Walk: Haystacks (walklakes.co.uk)

Weather on Haystacks

Conditions estimated at summit height (597 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Haystacks on your wall

Haystacks is a fell of dark crags, quiet tarns and changing Lakeland light, all qualities that hold their own on a wall. Our artists have painted this landscape from familiar Buttermere viewpoints and in closer summit studies, offering a lasting connection to a much-loved corner of the Western Fells.

Own “Blue Shadows on Haystacks Ridge” — our painting of Haystacks → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Western Fells

• Fleetwith Pike 649 m
• High Crag 745 m
• Kirk Fell 802 m
• Brandreth 715 m

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