Hallin Fell

Rising steeply above the Martindale zig-zags, this compact fell offers perhaps the finest effort-to-reward ratio in the Lake District. Its broad, grassy summit is dominated by a massive stone obelisk and commands an exceptional, tiered view along the reach of Ullswater toward the high crags of the Helvellyn range.

• •The name likely derives from the Old Norse 'hallr', meaning a slope or a large stone, which accurately describes the fell's steep western flank falling away into the waters of Ullswater.
• •Alfred Wainwright was a significant advocate for this minor height, stating that its summit provides a view of Ullswater that is 'unsurpassed' by many of the more famous and much higher peaks in the region.
• •The summit is marked by a remarkably large, square-cut stone obelisk. Standing nearly four metres high, it was built by local stonemasons and serves as a prominent landmark for navigators on the lake below.
• •The fell sits at the gateway to Martindale, a secluded valley home to the oldest red deer herd in England. During the autumn rut, the echoing 'bolling' of the stags can often be heard clearly from the summit plateau.
• •While most visitors take the short, direct path from the church at the top of the hause, a more rewarding approach follows the terrace path around the fell's western waist, looking directly down into the depths of the lake.
• •Despite the enormous size of its summit monument, Hallin Fell remains more than 600 metres short of the highest peaks in the county; it is a hill that evidently suffers from a height-related inferiority complex.