Hardendale Nab

Rising from the limestone plateau near Shap, this modest Tump offers a stark contrast between industrial activity and quiet fell-side. The grassy summit overlooks the massive excavations of Shap Fell quarry, providing an airy perspective across the M6 corridor towards the high, rolling skyline of the Lake District’s Far Eastern Fells.

• •The name 'Nab' derives from the Old Norse 'nabbi', describing a projecting prow or spur of land, while Hardendale refers to the small limestone-scattered valley to the west.
• •To the south of the summit lies the site of a Bronze Age ring cairn, which was significantly excavated in the 1980s ahead of the expansion of the neighbouring limestone works.
• •Looking east on a clear day, the distinctive profile of Cross Fell—the highest point of the Pennines—dominates the horizon across the Eden Valley.
• •The hill provides a grandstand view of the M6 motorway as it reaches its highest point in England at Shap Summit, located just a couple of miles to the south.
• •It is perhaps the only hill in the region where the sound of the wind in the grass is frequently punctuated by the distant, rhythmic hum of a gear-changing HGV on the motorway below.