Gale Fell

About Gale Fell

Tucked away in the Western Fells above Ennerdale, this quiet Birkett forms part of the sprawling high ground between Great Borne and Starling Dodd. Its grassy, often damp slopes offer a sense of seclusion away from the Buttermere crowds, providing a rugged, honest vantage point over the deep trough of Ennerdale Water.

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Did You Know?

• •The name likely stems from the Old Norse 'gail', meaning a narrow passage or ravine, though it is also frequently associated with 'Sweet Gale' (bog-myrtle), a fragrant shrub that thrives in the damp, peaty soils surrounding the Western Fells.
• •While it was omitted from Alfred Wainwright’s pictorial guides, Gale Fell was included by Bill Birkett in his 1994 list of 541 peaks, drawing attention to this often-overlooked shoulder of Great Borne.
• •The summit provides an excellent, low-level perspective of the High Stile ridge and the massive northern face of Pillar, offering a sense of the scale of the Ennerdale valley that is often lost when standing on the higher peaks.
• •It sits directly above the Floutern Pass, an ancient track connecting Buttermere and Ennerdale that remains one of the most notoriously marshy transit points in the district.
• •It is a hill that demands decent gaiters; the terrain between here and Starling Dodd is a masterclass in Cumbrian bog-management.