Hart Side
Encyclopedia
Hart Side is a fell
in the English
Lake District
, being an outlier of the Helvellyn range
in the Eastern Fells
. The Ordnance Survey
maps give the name to a broad saddle dropping from White Stones on Stybarrow Dodd
, but Wainwright
in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
gave the name to the lower top to the north of this depression. By his convention the entire ridge between the valleys of Deepdale and Glencoyne is known as Hart Side.
. The southern boundary of Hart Side is formed at first by the steep sided valley of Glencoyne, falling due east to the upper reach of Ullswater, and then by the lakeshore itself.
From White Stones, which is properly part of Stybarrow Dodd, a flat topped saddle leads north to Hart Side. From here the ridge turns sharply east to the twin summit of Birkett Fell (2,434 ft). This was named in honour of Norman (Lord) Birkett in 1963. In addition to his role as a judge at the Nuremberg Trials
, Birkett was a strong defender of the Lake District and was instrumental in the defeat of a plan to raise Ullswater and convert it into a reservoir. The scheme was finally abandoned only a week before his death. The fell bears a cairn
built of stone from the lakeshore, with a slate plaque inscribed "Birkett Fell". A second memorial on Kailpot Crag carries the inscription "He loved Ullswater. He strove to maintain its beauty for all to enjoy."
Within the sharp corner of the ridge is Glencoyne Head, the craggy head of that valley. An opening here is the northern end of the Glencoyne or High Horse Level of Greenside mine, driven a mile through the rock of Sheffield Pike
. This was perhaps the most successful of all the Lakeland mines, winning lead and silver for over 200 years and abandoned only in 1962. A number of old miners tracks can still be traced on Hart Side, particularly the "Terrace" which contours along the southern side of the ridge from Park Brow to the mine opening.
From Birkett Fell the ground drops away and then a narrower ridge continues east to Brown Hills (1,807 ft). The ridge now turns north east again, running parallel with the middle reach of Ullswater. Swineside Knott (1,814 ft) provides a fine viewpoint for the lake and this is followed in quick succession by the tops of Watermillock Common and Common Fell, both around 1,781 ft. The altitude drops again over rockier terrain to the final two summits on the ridge, Round How (1,269 ft) and Bracken How (1,217 ft), before the final descent over Brunt Crag to the Dockray road.
From Brown Hills onward the southern flank is dotted with plantings of mixed woodland, the steep upper slopes having areas of crag. The northern side is generally smoother, although there is rock below Birkett Fell and Common Fell. The ridge itself from Brown Hills to Common Fell is unpleasantly boggy, as are all approaches from Dowthwaitehead.
lies over the plagioclase
-phyric andesite
lava
s of the Birker Fell Formation.
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
in the English
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...
, being an outlier of the Helvellyn range
Helvellyn range
Helvellyn range is the name given to a part of the Eastern Fells in the English Lake District, fell being the local word for hill. The name comes from Helvellyn, the highest point of the group....
in the Eastern Fells
Eastern Fells
The Eastern Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Centred on Helvellyn they primarily comprise a north south ridge running between Ullswater and Lakeland's Central Valley.-Partition of the Lakeland Fells:...
. 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...
maps give the name to a broad saddle dropping from White Stones on Stybarrow Dodd
Stybarrow Dodd
Stybarrow Dodd is a fell in the English Lake District. It stands on the main spine of the Helvellyn range in the Eastern Fells, situated between Thirlmere and the Ullswater catchment.-Topography:...
, but 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...
in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells of the Lake District in northwest England...
gave the name to the lower top to the north of this depression. By his convention the entire ridge between the valleys of Deepdale and Glencoyne is known as Hart Side.
Topography
This ridge runs roughly north eastward for around 3 miles, gradually losing height until being cut off by Aira Beck at Dockray. To the north of Hart Side is Deepdale, not to be confused with a valley of the same name near Patterdale. Deepdale Beck drops suddenly over a waterfall at Dowthwaitehead and from then on is renamed Aira Beck, continuing north east and then coming round to the south to meet the middle reach of UllswaterUllswater
Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately nine miles long and 0.75 miles wide with a maximum depth of slightly more than ....
. The southern boundary of Hart Side is formed at first by the steep sided valley of Glencoyne, falling due east to the upper reach of Ullswater, and then by the lakeshore itself.
From White Stones, which is properly part of Stybarrow Dodd, a flat topped saddle leads north to Hart Side. From here the ridge turns sharply east to the twin summit of Birkett Fell (2,434 ft). This was named in honour of Norman (Lord) Birkett in 1963. In addition to his role as a judge at the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
, Birkett was a strong defender of the Lake District and was instrumental in the defeat of a plan to raise Ullswater and convert it into a reservoir. The scheme was finally abandoned only a week before his death. The fell bears a cairn
Cairn
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...
built of stone from the lakeshore, with a slate plaque inscribed "Birkett Fell". A second memorial on Kailpot Crag carries the inscription "He loved Ullswater. He strove to maintain its beauty for all to enjoy."
Within the sharp corner of the ridge is Glencoyne Head, the craggy head of that valley. An opening here is the northern end of the Glencoyne or High Horse Level of Greenside mine, driven a mile through the rock of Sheffield Pike
Sheffield Pike
Sheffield Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, an outlier of the Helvellyn range in the Eastern Fells. It stands on the eastern side of the range, looking down on Ullswater.-Topography:...
. This was perhaps the most successful of all the Lakeland mines, winning lead and silver for over 200 years and abandoned only in 1962. A number of old miners tracks can still be traced on Hart Side, particularly the "Terrace" which contours along the southern side of the ridge from Park Brow to the mine opening.
From Birkett Fell the ground drops away and then a narrower ridge continues east to Brown Hills (1,807 ft). The ridge now turns north east again, running parallel with the middle reach of Ullswater. Swineside Knott (1,814 ft) provides a fine viewpoint for the lake and this is followed in quick succession by the tops of Watermillock Common and Common Fell, both around 1,781 ft. The altitude drops again over rockier terrain to the final two summits on the ridge, Round How (1,269 ft) and Bracken How (1,217 ft), before the final descent over Brunt Crag to the Dockray road.
From Brown Hills onward the southern flank is dotted with plantings of mixed woodland, the steep upper slopes having areas of crag. The northern side is generally smoother, although there is rock below Birkett Fell and Common Fell. The ridge itself from Brown Hills to Common Fell is unpleasantly boggy, as are all approaches from Dowthwaitehead.
Geology
PeatPeat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
lies over the plagioclase
Plagioclase
Plagioclase is an important series of tectosilicate minerals within the feldspar family. Rather than referring to a particular mineral with a specific chemical composition, plagioclase is a solid solution series, more properly known as the plagioclase feldspar series...
-phyric andesite
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
s of the Birker Fell Formation.