Lake District
Ponsonby Fell
315M
1033FT
About Ponsonby Fell
Rising quietly above Gosforth, this modest Wainwright Outlying Fell offers a lonely, often pathless experience away from the central Lake District crowds. While the terrain is predominantly rough grass and heather, the summit provides a stark, clear perspective over the Sellafield site toward the Irish Sea and the Isle of Man.
Key Statistics
Rank
750th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Western Fells
Prominence
?
37m
Nearest Town
Gosforth
Geology
You are walking over ancient layers of volcanic ash and hardened hot gas clouds, combined with rugged rock made from naturally cemented stony fragments.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY081070
Latitude
54.4504°N
Longitude
3.4174°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is derived from the Ponsonby family, who held the local manor after the Norman Conquest; the 'by' suffix is Old Norse for a settlement, marking it as a historical hybrid of Viking and Norman influence.
- •Alfred Wainwright was famously unenthusiastic about this hill, noting in his 'Outlying Fells of Lakeland' that while no fell is truly not worth climbing, Ponsonby Fell comes remarkably close to that category.
- •The summit offers a unique vantage point where the industrial sprawl of the West Coast nuclear industry contrasts sharply with the rugged inland silhouettes of Seatallan and Middle Fell to the east.
- •A popular local approach follows the wooded valley of the River Bleng from Gosforth, a route that avoids the tarmac but requires navigation through frequently boggy moorland to reach the small summit cairn.
- •Wainwright's recommended route ends with a rare piece of practical advice: take the bus from Wellington back to Gosforth to avoid the A595, which he described as dangerous and lacking any footpath for walkers.