Lake District
Broad Crag - Birker Fell
372M
1220FT
About Broad Crag - Birker Fell
Rising from the rugged moorland above Eskdale, this modest rocky outcrop offers a quiet vantage point over the lower Duddon Valley. While often overshadowed by the high peaks to the north, its heathery slopes provide a sense of isolation and excellent perspectives on the craggy profile of nearby Harter Fell.
Key Statistics
Rank
649th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Fells
Prominence
?
12m
Nearest Town
Eskdale
Geology
You are walking on the Birker Fell Andesite Formation. This rugged ground is made of hard volcanic rock that formed from ancient, cooling lava flows.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SD195978
Latitude
54.3697°N
Longitude
3.2406°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is a simple descriptive compound of the Middle English 'brod' and the Celtic-derived 'crag', distinguishing its wide, tiered rocky face from the sharper, more pointed knolls found elsewhere on the moor.
- •This summit is a recognized 'Birkett', one of the 541 fells documented by Bill Birkett. It is frequently visited as part of a circuit of the Birker Fell plateau, often paired with the higher Green Crag and the nearby Great Worm Crag.
- •The summit offers an earned view west towards Devoke Water, the Lake District’s largest tarn, which sits in a desolate basin surrounded by ancient Bronze Age remains and burial cairns.
- •To the north-east, the hill provides a particularly clear profile of the Scafell massif, allowing walkers to see the 'real' Broad Crag—its 934-metre namesake—looming in the distance above Upper Eskdale.
- •It is the perfect summit for those who want the satisfaction of saying they have climbed Broad Crag without the inconvenience of actually having to climb a mountain.