Birkett Fell

About Birkett Fell

This high, grassy shoulder sits on the northern ridge of Hart Side, overlooking the deep trench of Glencoyne. Though often overshadowed by the higher Helvellyn mass, it offers a superb, airy perspective of Ullswater snaking through the valley below and the rugged profile of Place Fell directly opposite.

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Did You Know?

• •The summit is named after Bill Birkett, the author who defined the 'Birketts' classification. It was formally identified in his 1994 book 'Complete Lakeland Fells' to distinguish this specific high point on the ridge between Hart Side and Stybarrow Dodd.
• •Most walkers visit the fell as part of a high-level circuit from Glenridding, typically linking it with Stybarrow Dodd and Hart Side. The terrain here is characterized by broad, undulating grass that allows for fast-paced walking once the steep initial climb from the valley is finished.
• •From the 725-metre summit, you gain a classic 'lengthwise' view of Ullswater. You can trace the lake's middle and lower reaches as they curve toward Pooley Bridge, framed by the bulky silhouette of Hallin Fell and the Far Eastern fells.
• •The fell overlooks Glencoyne, a valley with a long history of lead mining. It is also the site where Dorothy Wordsworth famously spotted the 'wild daffodils' that inspired her brother William’s most celebrated poem.
• •Its status as a distinct summit is a modern invention of the guidebook era; for centuries, local shepherds likely regarded it as nothing more than a slightly windier section of the path leading toward the higher Dodds.