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
Nearest Town
High Ireby
Prominence
?
241.9m
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
Nearby Fells
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.
Find It
Latitude
54.7088°N
Longitude
3.2042°W
Explore Further
View on Map
Open in the interactive map explorer
Lake District Guide
Editorial guide for this region
Browse All Wainwrights
All 214 fells across 7 volumes
Browse All Birketts
All Lake District tops over 1,000ft
Browse All Marilyns
Prominent hills across Britain & Ireland
Browse All Fellrangers
Fells from the Fellranger series