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.

• •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.