Lake District
Banna Fell
455M
1492FT
About Banna Fell
Rising gently above Ennerdale Bridge, this broad, grassy Birkett offers a tranquil escape from the busier high fells. The summit provides a grandstand view of the Ennerdale valley, looking directly across the water to the steep northern faces of Great Borne and the distant, craggy skyline of the Pillar massif.
Key Statistics
Rank
497th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Western Fells
Prominence
?
38m
Nearest Town
Ennerdale and Kinniside
Geology
As you hike, you are walking on layers of mudstone and siltstone. These rocks formed from mud and silt that hardened into the foundation of the fell.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY115174
Latitude
54.5442°N
Longitude
3.3682°W
Did You Know?
- •The name Banna Fell likely stems from the Old Norse word banna, meaning 'prohibited' or 'forbidden,' suggesting it may have once marked a boundary or a restricted grazing area.
- •Banna Fell is frequently bagged alongside Gavel Fell and Blake Fell as part of a classic, softer-underfoot circuit that straddles the boundary between the Loweswater and Ennerdale valleys.
- •From the summit, walkers are rewarded with a specific view of the Irish Sea and the West Cumbrian coastal plain, which contrasts sharply with the rugged, land-locked silhouettes of the high fells to the east.
- •Croasdale Beck rises on the southern slopes of this fell, gathering water from the high peat before descending to meet the River Ehen at the village of Ennerdale Bridge.
- •Despite its modest height, it carries the status of a Birkett, proving that in the Lake District, you don't need to be a giant to earn a place in the record books—you just need a slightly different definition of what counts as a mountain.