Birkett Hill

This is a grassy limestone hill just outside Kirkby Stephen that’s mostly known for the old lead mine workings on its side. It sits right on the edge of the higher fells, giving you a great view of the town before the ground starts getting much steeper and boggier toward Nine Standards.

• •Amazingly, there is another Birkett Hill (383 m) located less than a mile to the south, meaning peak-baggers must check their GPS carefully to ensure they are on the higher of the two "twins."
• •To further confuse map-readers, this specific hill is often referred to locally as Hartley Birkett to distinguish it from the other two hills sharing the same name in the immediate area.
• •The hill’s eastern slopes are riddled with historical lead mine shafts and spoil heaps, where sharp-eyed walkers can still find colorful samples of fluorite and calcite crystals.
• •While not the highest peak on the route, the hill serves as a vital landmark for walkers on the famous Coast to Coast path as they leave the lowlands of Cumbria for the peat hags of the Yorkshire Dales.