Fountains Fell

About Fountains Fell

Rising as a massive, peat-covered plateau between Malham and Ribblesdale, this gritstone-capped height offers a quieter alternative to its famous neighbor, Pen-y-ghent. Its broad summit is scarred by historical mining and characterized by high-altitude bog, providing an atmospheric, rugged walk with exceptional views across the Ribble Valley towards Ingleborough.

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Did You Know?

• •The hill’s name originates from its historical ownership by the Cistercian monks of Fountains Abbey; though the abbey is located over 25 miles away, the monks used these high fells as vast sheep pastures during the Middle Ages.
• •The fell contains some of the highest coal mine workings in England, where 18th and 19th-century miners extracted a thin seam of coal from beneath the gritstone cap to fuel lime kilns in the valleys below.
• •The western edge of the plateau provides a spectacular, direct perspective of Pen-y-ghent, showcasing the distinct 'stepped' profile of limestone and gritstone that gives the neighboring peak its famous crouching lion shape.
• •The Pennine Way passes directly over the southern shoulder of the fell, yet the path avoids the actual summit, meaning many long-distance walkers technically miss the highest point of this Hewitt and Marilyn.
• •A traverse of the summit plateau in poor visibility is a masterclass in bog-trotting, where the landscape successfully resolves into an endless, repetitive sequence of black peat hags and dark pools.