Northumberland
Girdle Fell [White Crags]
536M
1759FT
About Girdle Fell [White Crags]
Tucked away in the remote Kielderhead Moors, this quiet upland is defined by its isolation and the gritstone outcrops of White Crags. It offers a rugged, often pathless experience for walkers seeking solitude away from the main Cheviot massifs, with expansive views over the Kielder Forest and the rolling hills of the Scottish Borders.
Key Statistics
Rank
23rd Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Cheviots
Prominence
?
29m
Nearest Town
Northumberland
Geology
You are walking across the Fell Sandstone Formation, a landscape built from layers of sturdy sandstone that form these distinctive, rugged crags.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NT697017
Latitude
55.3084°N
Longitude
2.4789°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely derives from the Old English 'gyrdel', meaning a belt or girdle, perhaps referring to the way the hill's contours or the White Crags outcrops appear to wrap around the moorland shoulder.
- •The summit area provides a clear vantage point over the Kielderhead National Nature Reserve, a vast area of blanket bog and heath that serves as an important habitat for feral goats and upland birds like the golden plover.
- •To the west, the hill drops away into the Scaup Burn, while the view northwards is dominated by the higher, rounded summits of the Cheviot massif and the sharp profile of Peel Fell on the skyline.
- •Girdle Fell is a prime example of the 'border mires' landscape; if your boots stay dry during the approach from the Kielder side, you have likely strayed onto a rare stretch of paved forest road by mistake.
![Girdle Fell [White Crags]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/High_moorland_on_Girdle_Fell_-_geograph.org.uk_-_610267.jpg)