Cracoe Fell

About Cracoe Fell

Rising above the village that shares its name, this gritstone-capped moorland is a prominent landmark of the Southern Dales. Characterised by expansive heather and the striking war memorial obelisk at its summit, the fell offers a rugged, often peat-stained crossing with clear views across Wharfedale toward the sharp profile of Simon’s Seat.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Cracoe is likely derived from the Old Norse 'kraka', meaning crow, and 'haugr', meaning hill or burial mound, suggesting the fell was known to Viking-age settlers as a haunt for carrion birds.
• •The summit is marked by a massive stone obelisk, a war memorial dedicated to the men of Cracoe and Rylstone who died in the First World War; its position makes it a landmark visible from much of the southern Craven district.
• •The ridge is frequently walked in conjunction with the nearby Rylstone Cross, a monument immortalised in William Wordsworth's poem 'The White Doe of Rylstone', which tells the story of the 1569 Rising of the North.
• •From the gritstone edges of the summit, the view south extends across the Aire Valley to the lonely, dark bulk of Pendle Hill, while the north-west horizon is often dominated by the peaks of Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent.
• •The terrain between the summit obelisk and the nearby Watt’s Crag is notorious for its deep peat hags and hidden bogs, which can remain saturated even during relatively dry spells in the summer months.
• •The local gritstone plateau is so efficient at holding onto its peat-stained water that 'waterproof' boots are often treated by seasoned locals as more of a polite suggestion than a functional reality.