Birch Fell

About Birch Fell

Tucked away between the Kentmere and Longsleddale valleys, this grassy Birkett provides a peaceful alternative to the busier high ridges nearby. While modest in height, it offers a fine, close-up perspective of the craggy eastern face of Shipman Knotts and the steep, green-walled silence of the upper Longsleddale valley.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Old English 'birce', indicating that these lower eastern slopes likely supported hardy birch woodland before the landscape was cleared for upland grazing.
• •Author Bill Birkett included this minor summit in his definitive list of Lake District fells, though many walkers pass it by unnoticed while following the prominent drystone wall that leads toward Shipman Knotts.
• •The summit offers an excellent, 'earned' view of the massive terminal crags of Goat Scar across the Longsleddale valley, a perspective hidden from those walking the main Kentmere Horseshoe.
• •It sits on the undulating ridge of the Far Eastern Fells that separates the secluded valley of Longsleddale from the Kentmere basin, serving as a quiet waypoint on the climb from Sadgill.
• •Birch Fell is one of those summits where the primary challenge isn't the terrain, but actually bothering to check your map to ensure you haven't walked straight past the top while aiming for the higher ground of Kentmere Pike.