Lake District
Heel Toe Hill
321M
1053FT
About Heel Toe Hill
Located south of Coniston Water within the undulating Blawith Fells, this modest Synge provides a quiet alternative to the busier high fells. It offers a vantage point over the southern reach of the lake and Peel Island, with the imposing profiles of Dow Crag and the Old Man dominating the northern horizon.
Key Statistics
Rank
737th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Fells
Prominence
?
13m
Nearest Town
High Nibthwaite
Geology
The ground beneath you is the Bannisdale Formation, featuring alternating layers of hardened mud and silt that form the hill’s solid foundation.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SD312918
Latitude
54.3178°N
Longitude
3.0577°W
Did You Know?
- •The hill is classified as a Synge, a list compiled by Timothy Synge specifically for Lake District tops exceeding 1,000 feet in height, placing it among the more obscure but locally significant summits.
- •The summit offers a clear, earned view across Coniston Water toward Peel Island, which served as the real-world inspiration for 'Wild Cat Island' in Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons.
- •Its unusual name is thought to describe the short, rhythmic 'heel-to-toe' gait required to navigate the undulating and often boggy moorland tracks that characterise the approach from Torver.
- •Looking north-west, the higher Coniston fells appear as a dramatic wall of rock, with the distinctive craggy profile of Dow Crag standing out clearly against the skyline.
- •At 321 metres, it clears the Synge classification threshold by a mere 53 feet, proving that in the Lake District, a little extra height is all it takes to turn a bit of moorland into a named summit.