Place Fell

About Place Fell

Dominating the eastern shore of Ullswater, this rugged Marilyn offers a premier perspective of the Helvellyn range. Its complex summit plateau, featuring the rocky outcrop of The Knight, provides a stark contrast to the smoother eastern slopes, while the lakeside path at its base is arguably the finest low-level walk in the Lake District.

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Did You Know?

• •The name likely derives from the Old English 'pless', meaning an enclosure or a place where trees were cleared, referring to the fell's long history as common grazing land for the Patterdale valley.
• •Alfred Wainwright held this fell in high regard, dedicating significant space to it in his Pictorial Guides. He specifically praised the summit for providing the most comprehensive view of Ullswater’s entire length, from Pooley Bridge to the head of the lake.
• •The summit offers a unique 'profile' view of the Helvellyn range. From the trig pillar, you can trace the jagged lines of Striding Edge and Swirral Edge across the valley, a perspective that is often more impressive than the view from the ridges themselves.
• •The base of the fell is skirted by a famous terrace path between Patterdale and Sandwick. It is widely considered the finest lakeside walk in the National Park, clinging to the crags where the fell drops steeply into the deepest waters of Ullswater.
• •Boredale Hause, the primary pass onto the fell from Patterdale, serves as a major mountain crossroads. While the ascent from the village follows an old peat-track, the terrain becomes significantly more intricate and rocky once the hause is left behind.
• •While its height of 657 metres marks it as a modest Hewitt, the series of rocky false summits on the final approach have a habit of making the climb feel considerably longer to those starting out from the pubs in Patterdale.