Lake District cloud inversion forecast
Deep glacial valleys and big lakes make the Lake District one of the best places in Britain to look down on a sea of cloud.
On still autumn and winter mornings, cold damp air drains off the fells and pools over Derwentwater, Ullswater and Windermere. When a warm lid sits above it, the valleys fill with flat, white cloud and the fells poke out like islands.
Shallow valley fog can be seen from small hills like Latrigg or Cat Bells. Deeper anticyclonic cloud seas often need a 900 m summit such as Helvellyn or Skiddaw.
The forecast below is for the valleys around Keswick. Pick a viewpoint to see whether its summit is likely to be above the cloud.
Viewpoints to try
| Viewpoint | Height |
|---|---|
| LatriggShort walk from Keswick; looks straight down on Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite | 368 m |
| Cat BellsPopular ridge above the west shore of Derwentwater | 451 m |
| Hallin FellQuick climb above Ullswater | 388 m |
| Loughrigg FellLow fell above Grasmere and Ambleside | 335 m |
| BlencathraLooks south over the Thirlmere and St John’s valleys | 868 m |
| SkiddawWide views over Keswick and the northern lakes | 931 m |
| HelvellynClassic for big cloud seas over Ullswater and Thirlmere | 950 m |
| Scafell PikeEngland’s highest summit, above almost any inversion | 978 m |
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Other cloud inversion forecasts
- Peak DistrictThe Hope Valley is famous for filling with cloud on calm, cold mornings, watched from Mam Tor and Win Hill.
- Eryri (Snowdonia)Steep-sided valleys and lakes in Eryri trap cloud below the summits of Yr Wyddfa, the Glyderau and Moel Siabod.
- Scottish HighlandsFrom Ben Nevis to Loch Lomond and Perthshire, Highland glens and sea lochs fill with cloud under winter high pressure.
- Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons)The Usk valley fills with fog on calm mornings, seen from Pen y Fan, the Sugar Loaf and the Skirrid.
- Yorkshire DalesRibblesdale and the Three Peaks are a fine place to watch cloud fill the dales below limestone summits.