Thornythwaite Fell

About Thornythwaite Fell

Rising above Rosthwaite, this rugged shoulder of Glaramara offers a quieter alternative to the main ridge path. Its craggy, heather-clad slopes provide a classic Borrowdale ascent, rewarding walkers with an intimate perspective on the deep glacial bowl of The Combe and a striking view across to the Great Gable massif.

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• •The name is derived from Old Norse, combining 'thorn' (hawthorn or briar) with 'thveit', meaning a clearing or meadow. It takes its name from Thornythwaite farm at its base, highlighting its long history as communal grazing land for the Borrowdale valley.
• •While it is passed by thousands of walkers on the popular ascent of Glaramara, Thornythwaite Fell was overlooked by Alfred Wainwright for his main Pictorial Guides. It only gained formal recognition as a distinct summit through the later classifications of Bill Birkett and Tim Synge.
• •The summit offers a superior vantage point for studying the geology of The Combe, a dramatic hanging valley to the west that remains one of the most impressive examples of glacial erosion in the Southern Fells.
• •From the summit cairn, the view south is dominated by the massive northern face of Great End, while looking north provides a clear line of sight over Derwentwater toward the Skiddaw massif.
• •It is the ideal objective for the walker who finds the main Glaramara path too busy; it offers roughly eighty percent of the vista for significantly less than eighty percent of the effort.