Lake District
Gale Fell East Top
499M
1638FT
About Gale Fell East Top
Rising quietly in the Western Fells near Buttermere, this unassuming grassy summit sits on the high ridge between Great Borne and Starling Dodd. Classified as a Synge, it offers a pathless, often boggy alternative to the popular nearby peaks, rewarding walkers with a stark sense of solitude and clear views down into Ennerdale.
Key Statistics
Rank
420th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Western Fells
Prominence
?
19.5m
Nearest Town
Loweswater
Geology
You’re trekking across a base of hard granite and ancient mudstone, which create the rugged ground beneath your boots.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY143167
Latitude
54.5392°N
Longitude
3.3251°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely derives from the Old Norse 'geil', meaning a narrow ravine or passage, although 'Gale' is also the traditional Lakeland term for Bog Myrtle, a fragrant shrub that blankets much of this damp, peaty upland.
- •It is classified as a Synge, a list established by Tim Synge in 1995 which identifies every Lakeland summit over 1,500 feet with at least 15 metres of prominence.
- •The summit is located on the high, undulating plateau connecting Great Borne to Starling Dodd; most walkers follow the main fence line to the south, leaving this specific top largely untrodden.
- •The summit provides an excellent vantage point for viewing the rugged northern face of the High Stile range, with the dark depths of Ennerdale and the distant Irish Sea visible to the west.
- •As an 'East Top' of an already secondary fell, it remains one of the few places in the Lake District where you are more likely to encounter a bog-submerged boot than another human being.