The most popular Wainwrights are the big names and the short classics. Scafell Pike, Helvellyn, Skiddaw and Blencathra draw people who may only ever climb one Lake District fell. Catbells, Latrigg, Walla Crag, Loughrigg Fell and Helm Crag are the half days everyone does on holiday. Every one of them is worth doing, and you can still find a quiet hour on most if you pick your time and your route.
The list below is the Popular Fells collection from the Upfell app, where you can tick them off as you go.
The most popular Wainwrights
| Rank | Fell | Height | Area | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scafell PikeSouthern Fells | 978 m | Southern Fells | Difficult |
| 2 | ScafellSouthern Fells | 964 m | Southern Fells | Difficult |
| 3 | HelvellynEastern Fells | 950 m | Eastern Fells | Difficult |
| 4 | SkiddawNorthern Fells | 931 m | Northern Fells | Moderate |
| 5 | Great EndSouthern Fells | 910 m | Southern Fells | Moderate |
| 6 | BowfellSouthern Fells | 903 m | Southern Fells | Difficult |
| 7 | Great GableWestern Fells | 899 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 10 | CatstycamEastern Fells | 890 m | Eastern Fells | Moderate |
| 12 | RaiseEastern Fells | 883 m | Eastern Fells | Moderate |
| 13 | FairfieldEastern Fells | 873 m | Eastern Fells | Moderate |
| 14 | BlencathraNorthern Fells | 868 m | Northern Fells | Difficult |
| =17 | Crinkle Crags (Long Top)Southern Fells | 859 m | Southern Fells | Difficult |
| =22 | Saint Sunday CragEastern Fells | 841 m | Eastern Fells | Moderate |
| 25 | High StreetFar Eastern Fells | 828 m | Far Eastern Fells | Moderate |
| 29 | LingmellSouthern Fells | 807 m | Southern Fells | Moderate |
| =31 | Coniston Old ManSouthern Fells | 802 m | Southern Fells | Moderate |
| 40 | Grisedale PikeNorth Western Fells | 791 m | North Western Fells | Difficult |
| 49 | Red ScreesEastern Fells | 776 m | Eastern Fells | Moderate |
| 64 | Carl SideNorthern Fells | 746 m | Northern Fells | Moderate |
| =69 | Harrison StickleCentral Fells | 736 m | Central Fells | Difficult |
| 89 | Pavey ArkCentral Fells | 700 m | Central Fells | Moderate |
| 108 | Place FellFar Eastern Fells | 657 m | Far Eastern Fells | Moderate |
| =119 | Causey PikeNorth Western Fells | 637 m | North Western Fells | Moderate |
| 129 | High SeatCentral Fells | 608 m | Central Fells | Moderate |
| 131 | HaystacksWestern Fells | 597 m | Western Fells | Moderate |
| 163 | Souther FellNorthern Fells | 522 m | Northern Fells | Easy |
| 178 | Wansfell (Baystones)Far Eastern Fells | 487 m | Far Eastern Fells | Easy |
| 181 | Gowbarrow FellEastern Fells | 481 m | Eastern Fells | Easy |
| 189 | CatbellsNorth Western Fells | 451 m | North Western Fells | Easy |
| 195 | Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa)Far Eastern Fells | 432 m | Far Eastern Fells | Easy |
| 201 | Helm CragCentral Fells | 405 m | Central Fells | Moderate |
| 202 | Silver HowCentral Fells | 395 m | Central Fells | Moderate |
| 204 | Walla CragCentral Fells | 379 m | Central Fells | Easy |
| 206 | LatriggNorthern Fells | 368 m | Northern Fells | Easy |
| 210 | Rannerdale KnottsNorth Western Fells | 355 m | North Western Fells | Moderate |
| 211 | Loughrigg FellCentral Fells | 335 m | Central Fells | Moderate |
| 214 | Castle CragNorth Western Fells | 290 m | North Western Fells | Moderate |
The big four
Scafell Pike is the highest point in England at 978 m, and the reason Wasdale fills up on summer weekends. The shortest route goes up Brown Tongue from the head of Wastwater. Wasdale Mountain Rescue says to allow at least 5 to 6 hours for it, even in very good weather.
Helvellyn, at 950 m, is the other magnet. Most people come for Striding Edge from Glenridding, a real scramble along a narrow crest, and come down Swirral Edge.
Those two get the most rescue callouts as well as the most walkers. In 2025 a callout map from Mountain Rescue England and Wales and Ordnance Survey showed the largest clusters around them. A spokesperson for the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association told the Whitehaven News that they "draw lots of people", including some "lacking in experience, equipment and skill". Scafell Pike's callouts are mostly people who can't find their way back down, and Helvellyn has more falls.
Skiddaw, at 931 m, has a wide tourist path from Gale Road that is easy to follow even in mist. Blencathra, at 868 m, is famous for Sharp Edge, the most exposed Grade 1 scramble in the Lakes.
The short classics
Catbells is the family ridge above Derwentwater, with a few easy rock steps below the top. Latrigg is the shortest climb out of Keswick. Walla Crag and Castle Crag fit into a morning. Loughrigg Fell, Silver How and Helm Crag sit above Grasmere. In late spring, Rannerdale Knotts draws a crowd for the bluebells in Rannerdale, so keep to the paths. The easiest Wainwrights page has distances and times for the shortest of these.
How to avoid the crowds
Go early, or go midweek
The car parks at the start of the busiest paths fill first, and on a fine weekend they fill early. That happens at Hawse End below Catbells, at Gale Road for Skiddaw and Latrigg, at the Walna Scar Road car park above Coniston, and in Patterdale, where Helvellyn walkers want the same spaces as everyone else. Get there early and you get a space and a quieter path on the way up. It is weekends when the parking runs out, so a weekday is easier still.
Leave the car behind
A bus or boat saves you the parking and lets you walk a line rather than a loop. The Keswick Launch calls at Hawse End for Catbells. The 555 runs through Ambleside, Rydal and Grasmere for Loughrigg, Silver How and Helm Crag. The 508 comes from Penrith to Glenridding for Helvellyn, and the 78 goes up Borrowdale for Castle Crag. Timetables change with the seasons, so check them before you set out. The Wainwrights by bus guide has the routes.
Take a different way up
Nearly every popular fell has a quieter route. These come from the route write-ups on each fell page.
- Scafell Pike. From Seathwaite in Borrowdale by Styhead and the Corridor Route, from Great Langdale by Rossett Gill and Esk Hause, or up the River Esk from Eskdale into remote country. All three are longer than the Wasdale path.
- Helvellyn. The pitched path from Swirls on the Thirlmere side is the most direct way up, with no scrambling. Thirlspot and Wythburn are the other western starts, and the old pony track up Grisedale is long but steady.
- Skiddaw. Longside Edge from Dodd Wood goes over Ullock Pike, Long Side and Carl Side. It is a finer route than the tourist path, and a quieter one. A third route climbs from Skiddaw House, the hostel in Skiddaw Forest, over Sale How.
- Catbells. From Little Town and Chapel Bridge in Newlands, a path climbs east to Hause Gate, and the view opens out all at once as you reach the col.
- Latrigg. A quieter approach comes in from Threlkeld, across Glenderaterra Beck and along the long east ridge.
- Coniston Old Man. Follow the Walna Scar Road west and fork up to Goat's Water, under the cliffs of Dow Crag, instead of climbing through the quarries.
- Blencathra. Scales Fell and Blease Fell are walkers' routes, away from the queue for Sharp Edge.
Or go somewhere else
Busy fells are busy because they are good. But there are 214 Wainwrights, and some are a long way from any road and see few walkers. The quiet Wainwrights guide covers the fells back o' Skiddaw, the western fringe above Ennerdale and the Far Eastern outliers around Haweswater. For a long day on high ground, the ridge walks guide has rounds that string several fells together.
Popular does not mean easy
Several of these fells need a clear, calm day. Striding Edge, Sharp Edge and Jack's Rake on Pavey Ark are scrambles, and the summit of Scafell Pike is a boulder field where the paths are marked mostly by cairns. The Wainwrights to avoid in bad weather guide explains which ones and why, and Wainwright scrambles gives the grade of each route. Carry a map and compass, and check the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) forecast before you go.
For where to stay and park, see the town guides for Keswick, Glenridding and Patterdale, Wasdale, Grasmere and Coniston. The live Upfell stats page has figures from the app.