Lake District
Meal Fell
549M
1802FT
About Meal Fell
Tucked away in the 'Back o’ Skiddaw', this smooth, grassy Uldale fell offers quiet isolation. Its distinctive summit is marked by a substantial stone wind shelter built into the rocky crest, providing a central link in a classic, undulating horseshoe walk between Great Cockup and Great Sca Fell.
Key Statistics
Rank
330th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Northern Fells
Prominence
?
29.3m
Nearest Town
Ireby and Uldale
Geology
Meal Fell is composed of layers of sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. These compressed sediments from three distinct formations create the solid foundation beneath your feet.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY283337
Latitude
54.6938°N
Longitude
3.1139°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Old Norse word 'melr', which usually refers to a hill covered in bent-grass or a stony ridge, accurately describing the fell's transition from smooth turf to the small rocky outcrops at its crown.
- •Alfred Wainwright was particularly fond of the summit's stone wind shelter, describing it as 'the best bit of man-made work on the fell' and a welcome refuge on an otherwise exposed plateau.
- •The fell is separated from Great Cockup by Trusmadoor, a striking, deep-cut mountain pass that served as an ancient glacial meltwater channel and remains one of the most atmospheric geographical features in the Northern Fells.
- •The summit provides a clear, earned view north across the Solway Plain to the hills of Dumfries and Galloway, contrasted by the massive, dark bulk of the Skiddaw massif dominating the southern skyline.
- •The summit shelter is often a necessity rather than a curiosity; sitting at the edge of the range, the fell acts as a natural funnel for westerly winds sweeping in from the Irish Sea.