Lovely Seat

About Lovely Seat

Rising above the famous Buttertubs Pass, this broad peat-covered fell serves as a quieter companion to Great Shunner Fell. While the terrain is often heavy going, the summit rewards walkers with a unique stone-built throne and expansive views across Wensleydale toward the distant silhouettes of the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

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Did You Know?

• •Originally known as Lunasett, the name derives from the Old Norse for 'moon pasture.' While the 1856 Ordnance Survey map rebranded it as Lovely Seat, local commoners on Abbotside have historically maintained the traditional name.
• •The summit features a distinctive stone-built chair integrated into the cairn, providing a literal 'seat' with a grandstand view south towards the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough, and Whernside.
• •A series of tall stone cairns stands on the skyline 300 metres west of the summit. These are far more prominent from the surrounding valleys than the true high point, serving as a useful landmark for those ascending from the Buttertubs road.
• •Navigating the plateau in poor visibility is significantly aided by a persistent line of fence posts that runs between the summit and the pass, helping walkers negotiate the deep peat hags that define this section of the fells.
• •The name suggests a degree of comfort that the approach rarely provides; in a wet Pennine winter, the 'Lovely Seat' is usually reached only after several miles of distinctly unlovely bog.