Belt Howe

About Belt Howe

Rising above the quiet Mosedale valley near Kendal, this Far Eastern outlier offers a peaceful escape from the busier Lake District hubs. Standing at 408 metres, its grassy slopes provide a clear vantage point over Wet Sleddale Reservoir and the rugged northern face of Branstree, making it a rewarding detour for those seeking solitude.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is a blend of Old Norse and Old English, with 'Howe' deriving from the Norse 'haugr' meaning a hill or mound, while 'Belt' likely refers to a specific strip of land or a former belt of trees on its lower slopes.
• •Categorised as a Synge, this hill is one of the lower-lying summits in Tim Synge’s classification of hills in England and Wales that reach at least 400 metres in height.
• •The summit offers an excellent, earned perspective of the Mosedale Horseshoe, looking directly across the valley to the more prominent peaks of Harter Fell and the undulating ridge of Tarn Crag.
• •The ascent from the north-east is often combined with a walk around Wet Sleddale Reservoir, a quiet corner of the National Park that remains largely untouched by the heavy footfall seen in the central fells.
• •If you find yourself standing on this summit, you have likely either lost your way to the higher Wainwrights or possess a specific, almost suspicious, fondness for the knee-deep peat bogs of the Sleddale fells.