Yarlside

About Yarlside

Distinguished by its exceptionally steep, smooth grassy flanks, this prominent Howgill peak rises sharply between Bowderdale and Cautley. It offers a classic "velvet hill" experience, requiring a stiff climb from Sedbergh to reach a summit that looks directly across the deep trench of Bowderdale towards the bulky mass of The Calf.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is rooted in Old Norse, combining jarl (an earl or chieftain) with sīde (a hill slope), suggesting this prominent fell-side was once associated with a Viking-age leader.
• •Although not a 'Wainwright' in the Lake District sense, Alfred Wainwright featured Yarlside in his book Walks in Limestone Country, where he warned walkers that its western flank is so steep it is "best avoided by all but the most athletic."
• •The summit provides a grandstand view of the Cautley Horseshoe, looking directly over the top of Cautley Spout—England's highest cascading waterfall—towards the neighbouring plateau of The Calf.
• •While it is classified as a Marilyn and a Hewitt, Yarlside is most famous among local runners for its inclusion in the arduous Three Peaks of the Howgills race, where its relentless gradient provides a brutal sting in the tail.
• •The descent towards Bowderdale is less of a walk and more of a controlled fall; if you aren't testing the friction of your trousers on the grass at some point, you've probably taken the long way around.