Fell Head

About Fell Head

Rising steeply above the Lune Valley, this prominent Howgill summit offers a classic velvet-smooth profile of grass and deep-cut gills. A Hewitt and Nuttall, it provides a quiet, airy vantage point over the M6 corridor towards the eastern fells of the Lake District, often paired with the nearby summit of The Calf.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is a topographical description combining the Old Norse 'fjall' (mountain) with the Middle English 'head', marking its position as the high point above the deep-cut valleys that drop toward the River Lune.
• •Unlike the limestone pavement found in the southern Dales, this area is composed of Silurian gritstones and shales, which have weathered into the famously smooth, steep-sided ridges characteristic of the Howgill Fells.
• •The western flank features 'gills' like Black Force and Carlingill, where water has carved dramatic, hidden ravines into the hillside that remain invisible until you are standing almost directly above them.
• •The summit offers a specific, framed view of the M6 motorway snaking through the Lune Gorge far below, with the Far Eastern Fells of the Lake District—including High Street and Harter Fell—forming the horizon.
• •The ascent from Carlingill Bridge via the ridge of Linghaw is one of the most direct and punishingly steep pulls in the region, a route that quickly dispels the myth that these rounded hills are an easy stroll.
• •The Howgills are often compared to a herd of sleeping elephants; from the top of Fell Head, you are standing on a prominent shoulder, though the 'velvety' appearance of the grass hides a gradient that is decidedly less comfortable than upholstery.