Eycott Hill

Sitting on the quiet eastern fringe of the Northern Fells near Mungrisdale, this modest Birkett offers a gentle contrast to the rugged Blencathra massif nearby. It is a place of undulating moorland and distinctive volcanic outcrops, managed as a nature reserve, providing an expansive perspective across the Vale of Eden.

• •The hill is the type locality for the Eycott Volcanic Group, a series of lava flows approximately 460 million years old. These rocks are notable for being 'porphyritic', containing large, pale feldspar crystals that are easily visible against the darker volcanic stone.
• •The name likely derives from the Old English 'eg-cot', meaning a cottage or shelter situated by a stream or marshy land—a description that still fits the damp, mossy terrain surrounding the hill today.
• •Much of the site is managed by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust. This nature reserve status protects a rare upland habitat where the boggy hollows between rocky ribs support specialised plants like grass-of-Parnassus and bog asphodel.
• •While it lacks significant height, the summit is an excellent vantage point for studying the topography of the higher Northern Fells; the dramatic profiles of Souther Fell and Bannerdale Crags are particularly well-defined from here.
• •Despite its geological significance, the summit is frequently ignored by hikers heading for the 'big' fells, leaving the 460-million-year-old lava flows to be appreciated almost exclusively by the local sheep.