Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
597m (1959ft)
Hay Stacks (Haystacks) is in The Western Fells, The Lake District, Cumbria, England
You can walk to the top of Hay Stacks (Haystacks) by using any of these 8 route maps:
Walk c406 Hay Stacks from Gatesgarth, Buttermere
Wainwright's favourite mountain
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 3.25ml (6km) |
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| Ascent: | 1,920ft (585m) |
| Time: | 3½ hrs |
| Grade: |  (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Buttermere - Gatesgarth - Peggy's Bridge - Buttermere - Scarth Gap - Hay Stacks - Innominate Tarn - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Scarth Gap - Peggy's Bridge - Gatesgarth - Buttermere
Walk c295 Hay Stacks and Fleetwith Pike from Gatesgarth, Buttermere
Wainwright's favourite mountain
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 5.80ml (8.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 2,455ft (748m) |
| Time: | 4½ hrs |
| Grade: |  (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Buttermere - Gatesgarth - Peggy's Bridge - Buttermere - Scarth Gap - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Innominate Tarn - Blackbeck Tarn - Black Beck - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Warnscale Beck - Dubs Hut - Dubs Quarry - Fleetwith Pike - Honister Crag (Black Star) - Fleetwith Pike - Fleetwith Edge - Gatesgarth - Buttermere
Walk c456 Fleetwith Pike, Hay Stacks, Brandreth and Grey Knotts from Honister Hause
Lots of ups and downs to stunning views
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 6.25mls (10km) |
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| Ascent: | 2,756ft (840m) |
| Time: | 5.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Honister Pass - Honister Hause - Bell Crags - Hopper Quarry - Honister Quarries - Honister Crag (Black Star) - Burnt Scarth - Fleetwith Pike - Dubs Hut - Dubs Quarry - Warnscale Beck - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Blackbeck Tarn - Innominate Tarn - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Innominate Tarn - Loft Beck - Coast to Coast Walk - Brandreth - Grey Knotts - Honister Hause.
Walk c228 Hay Stacks from Buttermere
Wainwright's favourite mountain
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 8.25ml (13km) |
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| Ascent: | 2,334ft (711m) |
| Time: | 5½ hrs |
| Grade: | (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Buttermere - Gatesgarth - Warnscale Bottom - Warnscale Beck - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Black Beck - Blackbeck Tarn - Innominate Tarn - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Scarth Gap - Burtness Wood - Buttermere
Walk c151 Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Hay Stacks from Honister Hause
Good paths on rough ground
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 8.5ml (13.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 4,260ft (1,298m) |
| Time: | 7.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Honister Pass - Honister Hause - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Black Beck - Blackbeck Tarn - Innominate Tarn - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Scarth Gap - Ennerdale - River Liza - Black Sail Hut (Youth Hostel) - Black Sail Path - Kirk Fell - Kirk Fell (East Top) - Beckhead Tarn - Beck Head - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Windy Gap - Green Gable - Gillercomb Head - Brandreth - Grey Knotts - Honister Hause.
Walk c287 The High Stile Ridge and Hay Stacks from Buttermere
Unsurpassed views of Buttermere and Wainwright's favourite
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 11.25ml (18km) |
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| Ascent: | 4,132ft (1,259m) |
| Time: | 8.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Buttermere - Scale Force - Scale Beck - Blea Crag - Lingcomb Edge - Red Pike (Buttermere) - High Stile - High Crag (Buttermere) - Gamlin End - Seat (Buttermere) - Scarth Gap - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Innominate Tarn - Blackbeck Tarn - Black Beck - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Warnscale Beck - Warnscale Bottom - Gatesgarth - Buttermere
Walk c397 The Buttermere Fells from Buttermere
Very long high level route with superb views
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 16ml (25.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 6,285ft (1,915m) |
| Time: | 12.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Very Hard) |
Route Summary:
Buttermere - Scale Force - Scale Beck - Blea Crag - Great Borne - Starling Dodd - Little Dodd (Ennerdale) - Ling Comb - Lingcomb Edge - Red Pike (Buttermere) - Dodd (Buttermere) - Red Pike (Buttermere) - High Stile - High Crag (Buttermere) - Gamlin End - Seat (Buttermere) - Scarth Gap - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Innominate Tarn - Blackbeck Tarn - Black Beck - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Warnscale Beck - Dubs Hut - Dubs Quarry - Fleetwith Pike - Honister Crag (Black Star) - Fleetwith Pike - Fleetwith Edge - Gatesgarth - Buttermere
Walk c120 The Ennerdale Horseshoe
Strenuous, high level route worth every step - if you have the energy!
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 18.75ml (30km) |
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| Ascent: | 7,309ft (2,408m) |
| Time: | 14.75hrs |
| Grade: | (Very Hard) |
Route Summary:
Bowness Knott Car Park Ennerdale - Low Gillerthwaite Field Centre - High Gillerthwaite Yourth Hostel - Red Pike (Buttermere) - High Stile - High Crag (Buttermere) - Seat (Buttermere) - Scarth Gap - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Innominate Tarn - Blackbeck Tarn - Black Beck - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Great Round How - Brandreth - Gillercomb Head - Green Gable - Windy Gap - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Beck Head - Beckhead Tarn - Kirk Fell (East Top) - Kirk Fell - Black Sail Pass - Looking Stead (Pillar) - High Level Route - Robinson's Cairn - Pillar - Wind Gap - Black Crag (Pillar) - High Beck - Low Beck - Ennerdale.
Interactive Walking Maps
See Hay Stacks (Haystacks) and the surrounding tops on our unique, downloadable, PDF Peak Bagging Maps:
NB: Whether you print off a copy or download it to your phone, these PDF Peak Baggers' Maps might prove incredibly useful when your are up there on the tops and you cannot get a phone signal.
*This version is marked with the walk routes you need to follow to Walk all 214 Wainwrights in just 59 walks.
See Hay Stacks (Haystacks) and the surrounding tops on our free-to-access 'Google Style' Peak Bagging Maps:
The Western Fells of The Lake District National Park
Less data - quicker to download
The Whole of The Lake District National Park
More data - might take a little longer to download
You can find Hay Stacks (Haystacks) & all the walks that climb it on these unique free-to-access Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Maps (pink/magenta covers):
Fellow go4awalkers who have already walked, climbed, scaled, summited, hiked & bagged Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
Christine Shepherd walked up Hay Stacks (Haystacks) on June 4th, 2007 [from/via/route] I walked from Honister using walk c151 Did walk c287 on 29.8.17 to bag Haystacks for a 2nd time. On 19.5.24 I chose Haystacks to finish my third rounsd of The Wainwrights. I walked there & from Honister with four friends in glorious sunshine. Perfect. Climbed again from Honister with Julie on 22.4.26 [with] On my own [weather] Warm & clear - Climbed again on 29.8.17. This was the last fell of a glorious day's walking. Unfortunately, a slip on Haystacks meant that I walked back down to Buttermere limping with a bit of a hole in my knee.
Geoff Hand climbed it on April 2nd, 2026 [from/via/route] Walk from Gatesgarth Farm Buttermere up High Stile, along Combe Crags to High Crag, then down to Seat, cross Scarth Gap & up HayStacks. Then over to Inominate Tarn Blackbeck Tarn, then down passed the disused Quarry (and Bothy) to Warnscale Bottom & back to the Farm [with] Graham, my son, Cath, my son's partner and Alice, my Granddaughter. [weather] Started off sunny & clear, then a few clouds bubbled up. Very cold in the Westerly Wind. - Fanastic iconic views. Saw the bothy that I had seen on facebook many times! A poignant stroll around Innominate Tarn.
Paul Roddam bagged it on July 19th, 2025 [with] Barb, Bri [weather] Muggy
Caroline Winter hiked Hay Stacks (Haystacks) on May 13th, 2025 [from/via/route] Gatesgarth, Haystacks via Scarth Gap, skirted Fleetwith Pike- trail by stream [with] Becky [weather] Hot spell of weather - Late start, enjoyed ice creams & coffees at the shop van by CP. ventured off to find the infinity pool after return to car, then wild camped- amazing red skies tonight
Ian Ashton summited on March 1st, 2025 [with] Ella jack and chelle
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Photographs & Pictures of views from, on, or of, Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
Grasmoor, Robinson and Fleetwith Pike and Buttermere from Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
Matt and Bex on Hay Stacks (Haystacks) with Gamlin End,High Crag and Crummock Water in the background
Ennerdale with Hay Stacks (Haystacks) and the High Stile ridge (right) and Looking Stead and Pillar (left) from Brandreth
High Crag (left), Crummock Water and Grasmoor (right) from the summit of Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
Seat (Buttermere), Gamlin End, High Crag (Buttermere), Mellbreak, Crummock Water, Buttermere Village, Rannerdale Knotts and the shoulder of Grasmoor from the summit of Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
Looking Stead (Pillar) and Pillar itself towering above the upper reaches of Ennerdale from Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
. . . see all 47 walk photographs & pictures of views from, on, or of, Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
Send us your photographs and pictures on, of, or from Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
If you would like to add your walk photographs and pictures to this page, please send them as email attachments (configured for any computer) along with your name to:
and we shall do our best to publish them.
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