North Pennines
West Fell
542M
1778FT
About West Fell
Rising above the Lune Valley on the western fringe of the Howgill Fells, this smooth, grassy whaleback offers a classic taste of the range’s velvet-like terrain. Often overlooked in favour of the higher Calf, it provides an exceptional vantage point for watching cloud shadows race across the nearby Lake District fells.
Key Statistics
Rank
144th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Yorkshire Dales
Prominence
?
45
Nearest Town
Westmorland and Furness
Geology
You’re walking across the Coniston Group, a sturdy foundation made of ancient layers of hardened sand, silt, and mud.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY670015
Latitude
54.4081°N
Longitude
2.5093°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is a simple descriptive marker of its position on the western edge of the Howgill massif. 'Fell' derives from the Old Norse word 'fjall', a legacy of the Norse-Gaelic settlers who farmed these steep-sided valleys in the 10th century.
- •The summit offers a unique perspective on the geography of Northern England; to the west, you can trace the M6 motorway as it threads through the narrow Lune Gorge, while the skyline is dominated by the sprawling mass of the Far Eastern Lake District, specifically the High Street range.
- •The terrain here is distinct from the limestone plateaus found elsewhere in the Yorkshire Dales. Formed from ancient Silurian slate and gritstone, West Fell lacks the crags and scars of Malham, instead sporting the 'smooth-shaven' appearance famously described by poet W.H. Auden.
- •Walking between West Fell and its neighbours, such as Bush Howe and The Calf, involves traversing high, airy ridges that remain remarkably firm underfoot compared to the peat bogs often found in the Pennines.
- •It is one of the few summits in the country where you can enjoy a sense of total upland isolation while looking directly down onto one of the UK's busiest transport arteries, provided the mist hasn't reduced your world to a small circle of damp grass.