Lake District
Stakeley
379M
1243FT
About Stakeley
Tucked away in the quiet moorland of the Sleddale Fells near Shap, this modest grassy rise offers a peaceful escape from the busy central lakes. Reaching its summit involves navigating the undulating, often damp ground above Wet Sleddale Reservoir, rewarding walkers with a unique perspective on the eastern fringe of the National Park.
Key Statistics
Rank
633rd Highest in Region
Parent Range
Far Eastern Fells
Prominence
?
15.2m
Nearest Town
Orton
Geology
Stakeley is built from alternating layers of mudstone and siltstone, formed by fine sediment settling in ancient, deep waters.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY567081
Latitude
54.4664°N
Longitude
2.6694°W
Did You Know?
- •Stakeley likely derives its name from the Old English 'staca', meaning a stake, and 'leah', meaning a meadow or clearing, suggesting a boundary marked out in the landscape.
- •The hill is classified as a Synge, appearing in Tim Synge’s guide to the Lakeland fells which focuses on summits over 300 metres that possess a distinct sense of height and independence.
- •The summit provides a clear outlook east across the M6 corridor toward the limestone plateau of the Orton Fells and the distant, dark silhouette of Cross Fell in the North Pennines.
- •The hill rises above Sleddale Hall, the remote farmhouse famously used as the filming location for Crow Crag in the 1987 cult film Withnail and I.
- •It is the kind of hill where you are far more likely to encounter a startled sheep or a persistent peat bog than another human being.