Loadpot Hill

About Loadpot Hill

This expansive, grassy dome in the Far Eastern Fells offers some of the easiest high-level walking in the Lake District. Sitting on the ancient Roman route of High Street, it provides a gentle alternative to the craggier central fells, with wide horizons stretching toward the North Pennines and the Northern Fells.

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Did You Know?

• •The name likely derives from the Old English 'lad' (a way or path) and the Middle English 'pot' (a hole or depression), referring to the Roman road that traverses the plateau and the deep peaty hollows found nearby.
• •A prominent landmark near the summit is the solitary stone chimney of Lowther House, a ruined 19th-century shooting lodge built for the Earl of Lonsdale to provide shelter on this exposed moorland.
• •Alfred Wainwright praised the fell for its 'excellent springy turf,' noting that the smooth ground makes for some of the most comfortable walking in the Lake District, provided you stay clear of the occasional peat hag.
• •From the summit cairn, the view to the northwest is dominated by the unmistakable profiles of Blencathra and Skiddaw, while the Lowther Valley stretches out toward the Solway Firth in the north.
• •The hill is situated directly on the route of the Roman road known as High Street, which served as a high-altitude thoroughfare for legions marching between the forts at Brougham and Ambleside.
• •While the 'pot' in its name may refer to landscape hollows, many walkers find it a more accurate description of the state of their boots after attempting a direct crossing during a wet Cumbrian winter.