North Pennines
Fountains Fell South Top
663M
2177FT
About Fountains Fell South Top
Situated on a sprawling gritstone-capped plateau in the Southern Fells, this quiet Nuttall stands as a wilder neighbour to Pen-y-ghent. The terrain is defined by rugged moorland and historical bell pits, offering a remote feel and clear, commanding views across the limestone pavements of the Yorkshire Dales.
Key Statistics
Rank
53rd Highest in Region
Parent Range
Yorkshire Dales
Prominence
?
16.2m
Nearest Town
North Yorkshire
Geology
This peak is built from rugged layers of sandstone, mudstone, and siltstone. These sediments form the sturdy foundation beneath your boots.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SD868707
Latitude
54.1320°N
Longitude
2.2035°W
Did You Know?
- •The name identifies the hill as former property of Fountains Abbey. The Cistercian monks used these high, windswept pastures for extensive sheep grazing throughout the Middle Ages, managed from local monastic granges.
- •The summit plateau is pockmarked with historical 'bell pits'. These are the remains of 18th and 19th-century shafts where miners extracted a thin seam of low-grade coal to fuel the lime kilns in the valleys below.
- •From the summit, the distinctive 'crouching lion' profile of Pen-y-ghent is clearly visible just three miles to the northwest, while the broader silhouettes of Ingleborough and Whernside dominate the western horizon.
- •While the main Pennine Way path crosses the primary summit of Fountains Fell to the north, reaching this South Top requires a detour across pathless, often sodden moorland that sees significantly less foot traffic.
- •Locating the precise highest point on this broad, peat-heavy summit often feels less like mountaineering and more like an optimistic search for the one tuft of grass that isn't currently underwater.