North Pennines
Murton Fell
674M
2210FT
About Murton Fell
Rising above the Eden Valley near Appleby, this broad Pennine shoulder offers a quieter alternative to its famous neighbour, High Cup Nick. The terrain is classic peat and grass moorland. Reaching the expansive plateau earns a panoramic vista across the Vale of Eden toward the distant, jagged skyline of the Lake District fells.
Key Statistics
Rank
40th Highest in Region
Parent Range
North Pennines
Prominence
?
74.4m
Nearest Town
Westmorland and Furness
Geology
You are walking across a sturdy foundation of layered limestone and sandstone, interspersed with beds of mudstone and siltstone.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY752246
Latitude
54.6159°N
Longitude
2.3855°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Old English 'mōr' (moor) and 'tūn' (farmstead), simply meaning the settlement on the moorland, referring to the village of Murton sitting at its base.
- •The fell is often identified by Murton Pike, a remarkably symmetrical, conical outlier to the southwest. While lower than the main summit at 594 metres, its sharp profile is the most recognisable landmark in the area when viewed from the Eden Valley.
- •A significant portion of the fell lies within the Warcop Training Area. This military presence means access to certain eastern slopes is strictly controlled by firing times; when the red flags are flying, the quiet of the fells is replaced by the sounds of heavy artillery.
- •The summit plateau offers an unusual perspective of High Cup Nick to the north, allowing walkers to look down the length of the 'Great Chasm' and observe the sheer basalt cliffs of the Whin Sill from above.
- •Finding the actual summit on this sprawling, mossy plateau is a task that relies more on your faith in a GPS than on any obvious topographical drama.