Common Fell

Overlooking the village of Glenridding, this rounded, grassy shoulder serves as an eastern satellite to Sheffield Pike. Though often bypassed by those seeking higher ground, this Birkett and Synge provides a tranquil vantage point for surveying the deep trench of Glencoyne and the steep southern face of Place Fell.

• •The name is a literal reference to its historical status as common land, where local farmers from the Glenridding and Glencoyne valleys exercised their ancient rights to graze livestock on the open fellside.
• •From the summit, walkers gain a particularly clear view of the 'elbow' of Ullswater, where the lake bends at Silver Point, framed by the rugged fells of the Far Eastern range.
• •The summit provides a direct line of sight to the distinctive, triangular profile of Catstycam to the west and the massive, craggy bulk of Helvellyn beyond the Glenridding Common.
• •For those collecting the Birketts, this summit is a brief but worthwhile diversion from the main path connecting the chimney of the old Greenside Mine to the summit of Sheffield Pike.
• •Its name suggests a certain lack of exclusivity, and indeed, it remains one of the few places in the busy Ullswater valley where you might actually have the summit cairn to yourself.