Widdybank Fell

About Widdybank Fell

Overlooking the vast Cow Green Reservoir, this broad moorland plateau in the North Pennines offers a rugged, wind-swept experience. It sits at the heart of the Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve, providing a vantage point to see the River Tees plunge over Cauldron Snout against the backdrop of Mickle Fell’s massive ridge.

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Did You Know?

• •The fell is renowned for its 'sugar limestone,' a crumbly white rock formed when the heat of the liquid Whin Sill magma cooked the surrounding carboniferous limestone over 290 million years ago.
• •This unique geology supports the 'Teesdale Assemblage,' a collection of rare arctic-alpine plants including the vibrant blue Spring Gentian, which has survived here in the thin soil since the last Ice Age.
• •Its name likely stems from the Old English 'withig,' meaning willow, suggesting the damp margins of the River Tees were once lined with willow thickets before the landscape was cleared for grazing.
• •From the summit, you can look directly south across the water of Cow Green Reservoir to the long, dark plateau of Mickle Fell, the highest point in Yorkshire’s historic North Riding.
• •While the modest height suggests a gentle stroll, the saturated peat hags of the summit plateau ensure that any hiker attempting a direct line will finish the day significantly heavier than they started.