Bell Rib

Guarding the southern end of Yewbarrow, this craggy prow offers a vertiginous introduction to the Western Fells. The ascent from Wasdale Head is famously direct, requiring a scramble through the 'Doorway' gully. It provides an unmatched, airy perch overlooking the full length of Wast Water and the Screes.

• •The name combines 'Bell', often used in Northern England to describe a bell-shaped prominence, with 'Rib', denoting the narrow, rocky spine that projects from the main body of the fell.
• •It is classified as a Synge, a summit identified by Timothy Synge in his 1995 guide for its individual character and the significant physical effort required to reach it.
• •The ascent involves navigating 'The Doorway', a steep, narrow rock notch that provides the primary scrambling route through the otherwise formidable crags of the southern face.
• •The summit offers a specific, birds-eye view of St Olaf’s Church at Wasdale Head, appearing as a tiny stone speck amidst a patchwork of ancient drystone-walled fields.
• •It is the kind of climb that makes you realise 'level ground' is a concept the Wasdale fells haven't quite finished negotiating yet.