Burnbank Fell
Encyclopedia
Burnbank Fell is a small hill in the west of the English
Lake District
. It is the most westerly of the Loweswater Fells, a group of low grassy hills lying just south of Loweswater
. The hill is predominantly grassy with sprawling flanks and a broad ridge connecting it to Blake Fell
. It can be climbed from Lamplugh
in the west, or from Waterend on the lakeshore.
occupy a triangular sector of the Lake District, bordered by the River Cocker to the north east and Wasdale
to the south east. Westwards the hills diminish toward the coastal plain of Cumberland. At the central hub of the high country are Great Gable
and its satellites, while two principal ridges fan out on either flank of Ennerdale
, the western fells in effect being a great horseshoe around this long wild valley. Burnbank Fell and the other Loweswater Fells form the extremity of the northern arm.
The Loweswater Fells have been compared to the digits of a hand, radiating out south westward from the "palm" centred on Loweswater village
. From the west these are Burnbank Fell, Blake Fell, Gavel Fell
, Hen Comb
and Mellbreak
, the "thumb".
Burnbank Fell marks the north western perimeter of the Lakeland Fells, its feet set on the boundary of the National Park. Beyond lie the valley of the River Marrom and the industrial towns of the coastal plain. Beyond the park boundary is the low double top of Mockerkin How (810 ft), standing above Mockerkin Tarn
. This is a natural waterbody, known for its water lillies and stocked with eel, pike and perch. It is associated with several local legends, including that of a sunken town.
The north eastern flanks of Burnbank Fell are much steeper, with some crags on the upper slopes overlooking Loweswater. Lower down the fellside is Holme Wood, an attractive background to views across the lake. Holme Beck runs down through the trees, forming the boundary between Burnbank Fell and Blake Fell to the south. High up in the woods is Holme Force, an attractive parallel pair of waterfall
s.
A west ridge drops from the summit across an easy grassy saddle to Owsen Fell (1,342 ft). This is generally considered a part of Burnbank Fell although some guidebooks differ. Owsen Fell descends to the village of Lamplugh, conifer plantations being operated on the lower slopes. All drainage from Owsen Fell and the western slopes drains to the River Marron and ultimately the Derwent.
and siltstone
of the Kirk Stile Formation. The eastern slopes show outcropping of the Loweswater Formation of greywacke
sandstone
turbidities.
The Ordnance Survey
Explorer map series show abandoned mine levels above Wisenholme Beck and some surface extraction near the summit. Wainwright
shows a further old level on the eastern slopes.
. The Lakeland view is greatly restricted by Blake Fell although there is a vista of the Northern
and North Western Fells
. Loweswater is hidden by the slope although Crummock Water
comes into view a few paces to the north east. The view of the coast, Isle of Man
, Solway Firth
and Criffel
is uninterrupted.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. It is the most westerly of the Loweswater Fells, a group of low grassy hills lying just south of Loweswater
Loweswater
Loweswater is one of the smaller lakes in the English Lake District. The village of Loweswater is situated at the foot of the lake.The lake is not far from Cockermouth and is also easily reached from elsewhere in West Cumbria. The group of fells to the south of Loweswater is known as the Loweswater...
. The hill is predominantly grassy with sprawling flanks and a broad ridge connecting it to Blake Fell
Blake Fell
Blake Fell is a hill in the Western part of the English Lake District. It is the highest point of the Loweswater Fells, an area of low grassy hills with steep sides overlooking the lake of Loweswater. The fell also overlooks the village of Loweswater, from which it can be climbed. An alternative...
. It can be climbed from Lamplugh
Lamplugh
Lamplugh is a scattered community and civil parish located in west Cumbria on the edge of the English Lake District. It is the starting point for a number of walks, and is on the Sea to Sea / C2C / Coast to Coast Cycle Route....
in the west, or from Waterend on the lakeshore.
Topography
The Western FellsWestern Fells
The Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Centred on Great Gable they occupy a triangular area between Buttermere and Wasdale...
occupy a triangular sector of the Lake District, bordered by the River Cocker to the north east and Wasdale
Wasdale
Wasdale is a valley and civil parish in the western part of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. The River Irt flows through the valley to its estuary at Ravenglass. A large part of the main valley floor is occupied by Wastwater, the deepest lake in England...
to the south east. Westwards the hills diminish toward the coastal plain of Cumberland. At the central hub of the high country are Great Gable
Great Gable
Great Gable is a mountain lying at the very heart of the English Lake District, appearing as a pyramid from Wasdale , but as a dome from most other directions. It is one of the most popular of the Lakeland fells, and there are many different routes to the summit...
and its satellites, while two principal ridges fan out on either flank of Ennerdale
Ennerdale
Ennerdale may refer to:* Ennerdale, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa* Ennerdale Water, a lake in the Lake District in England**Ennerdale Bridge, a nearby settlement...
, the western fells in effect being a great horseshoe around this long wild valley. Burnbank Fell and the other Loweswater Fells form the extremity of the northern arm.
The Loweswater Fells have been compared to the digits of a hand, radiating out south westward from the "palm" centred on Loweswater village
Loweswater, Cumbria
Loweswater is a village and civil parish in the county of Cumbria, England.-Village:The village lies between the Lake District lakes of Loweswater and Crummock Water, about south of Cockermouth and within the Lake District National Park...
. From the west these are Burnbank Fell, Blake Fell, Gavel Fell
Gavel Fell
Gavel Fell is a hill in the English Lake District. Centremost of the five Loweswater Fells in the western part of the District, it stands between Hen Comb and Blake Fell...
, Hen Comb
Hen Comb
Hen Comb is a fell in the west of the English Lake District. One of the Loweswater Fells it lies to the south of Loweswater lake and Loweswater village...
and Mellbreak
Mellbreak
Mellbreak is a hill in the Western part of the English Lake District. Despite being surrounded on all sides by higher fells , it stands in isolation. It is surrounded on three sides by a 'moat' of deep marshy land, and on the east side by the lake of Crummock Water...
, the "thumb".
Burnbank Fell marks the north western perimeter of the Lakeland Fells, its feet set on the boundary of the National Park. Beyond lie the valley of the River Marrom and the industrial towns of the coastal plain. Beyond the park boundary is the low double top of Mockerkin How (810 ft), standing above Mockerkin Tarn
Tarn (lake)
A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. A corrie may be called a cirque.The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond...
. This is a natural waterbody, known for its water lillies and stocked with eel, pike and perch. It is associated with several local legends, including that of a sunken town.
The north eastern flanks of Burnbank Fell are much steeper, with some crags on the upper slopes overlooking Loweswater. Lower down the fellside is Holme Wood, an attractive background to views across the lake. Holme Beck runs down through the trees, forming the boundary between Burnbank Fell and Blake Fell to the south. High up in the woods is Holme Force, an attractive parallel pair of waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s.
A west ridge drops from the summit across an easy grassy saddle to Owsen Fell (1,342 ft). This is generally considered a part of Burnbank Fell although some guidebooks differ. Owsen Fell descends to the village of Lamplugh, conifer plantations being operated on the lower slopes. All drainage from Owsen Fell and the western slopes drains to the River Marron and ultimately the Derwent.
Geology and Mining
The summit area is composed of the laminated mudstoneMudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
and siltstone
Siltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
of the Kirk Stile Formation. The eastern slopes show outcropping of the Loweswater Formation of greywacke
Greywacke
Greywacke or Graywacke is a variety of sandstone generally characterized by its hardness, dark color, and poorly sorted angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or lithic fragments set in a compact, clay-fine matrix. It is a texturally immature sedimentary rock generally found...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
turbidities.
The Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
Explorer map series show abandoned mine levels above Wisenholme Beck and some surface extraction near the summit. Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
shows a further old level on the eastern slopes.
Summit and View
The top of Burnbank Fell is a rounded grassy dome, the summit marked by an old fence post and small cairnCairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
. The Lakeland view is greatly restricted by Blake Fell although there is a vista of the Northern
Northern Fells
The Northern Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Including Skiddaw, they occupy a wide area to the north of Keswick. Smooth sweeping slopes predominate with a minimum of tarns or crags...
and North Western Fells
North Western Fells
The North Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Including such favourites as Catbells and Grisedale Pike, they occupy an oval area beneath the Buttermere and Borrowdale valley systems...
. Loweswater is hidden by the slope although Crummock Water
Crummock Water
Crummock Water is a lake in the Lake District in Cumbria, North West England situated between Buttermere to the south and Loweswater to the north. Crummock Water is two and a half miles long, three quarters of a mile wide and 140ft deep. The River Cocker is considered to start at the north of the...
comes into view a few paces to the north east. The view of the coast, Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, Solway Firth
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
and Criffel
Criffel
Criffel is a hill in southern Galloway, Scotland. It is 570 metres high but appears higher because of its great isolation and high relative height — it is the eighth most prominent hill in Southern Scotland...
is uninterrupted.