Lake District
Binsey
447M
1465FT
About Binsey
Binsey is a gentle, grassy outlier located in the far northwest of the Lake District. It’s a short, straightforward climb from the road near Uldale, offering a panoramic view that punches well above its weight, spanning from the Solway Firth to the high Skiddaw range.
Key Statistics
Rank
514th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Northern Fells
Prominence
?
241.9m
Nearest Town
High Ireby
Geology
You’re walking on the Eycott Volcanic Group, a mix of andesite and basaltic‑andesite volcanic rocks that formed during an ancient, unnamed eruption.
Classifications
Find It
Latitude
54.7088°N
Longitude
3.2042°W
Did You Know?
- •Binsey serves as the northernmost summit in Alfred Wainwright’s pictorial guides, sitting as a detached outlier that offers a unique perspective of the Lake District's boundary.
- •The summit is topped by a large, ancient Bronze Age tumulus, which now serves as the foundation for a modern Ordnance Survey trig pillar and a stone windshelter.
- •Its name originates from the Old Norse Byrgis-ey, meaning 'Byrgi’s island,' aptly describing how the fell rises in isolation from the surrounding lowlands.
- •Due to its unique position, the fell was historically used as a prominent beacon point; on a clear day, the visibility extends across the Solway Firth to the Galloway hills in Scotland.
- •It is the ultimate 'low-effort, high-reward' fell, perfect for hikers who want the glory of a Wainwright summit without actually having to break a sweat or cancel their lunch reservations.