Mardale Ill Bell
Encyclopedia
Mardale Ill Bell is a fell
in the English
Lake District
, rising to the south west of Haweswater Reservoir
. It stands on the watershed between Mardale
and Kentmere
and is the highpoint of the south eastern ridge of High Street
, midway on its course to Harter Fell
.
. Mardale Ill Bell sends out a short grass topped spur, Lingmell End, which splits the head of the valley into two.
The north eastern face of Mardale Ill Bell forms the craggy backdrop to Blea Water. This perfect corrie
tarn is the deepest in the Lake District at 207 ft . It's outflow feeds Haweswater, joining with that of a second tarn, Small Water. Between the two, Mardale Ill Bell throws out the rocky spur of Piot Crag. Two tiers of crag drop down to the confluence at Mardale Waters.
South east of the summit a rough narrowing ridge drops to Nan Blield pass at 2,100 ft, before rising again over rocky steps to Harter Fell. Nan Bield was the ancient trading route between Kentmere and the now drowned village of Mardale Green, submerged by the raising of Haweswater in the 1940s. Near the shore of Small Water on the descending path are a number of stone shelters, pointers to the earlier importance of the pass. These each provide refuge for one person in extremis, entrance being via crawling.
North west from Mardale Ill Bell the grassy ridge crosses a wet depression and then expands into a wide plateau, triangular in plan. High Street and Thornthwaite Crag
are at the other two corners, with the roman road crossing north to south.
s on grass, the northern one being the top. The view westwards is confined by higher fells but the Ill Bell
ridge and Coniston
range are seen to good effect. Blea Water and Small Water can be brought into sight from the rim of the crags.
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...
, rising to the south west of Haweswater Reservoir
Haweswater Reservoir
Haweswater is a reservoir in the English Lake District, built in the valley of Mardale in the county of Cumbria. The controversial construction of the Haweswater dam started in 1929, after Parliament passed an Act giving the Manchester Corporation permission to build the reservoir to supply water...
. It stands on the watershed between Mardale
Mardale
Mardale is a glacial valley in the Lake District, in northern England. The valley used to have a hamlet at its head, called Mardale Green, but this village was submerged in 1935 when the water level of the valley's lake, Haweswater, was raised to form Haweswater Reservoir by the Manchester...
and Kentmere
Kentmere
Kentmere is a valley, village and civil parish in the Lake District National Park, a few miles from Kendal in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It is historically part of Westmorland...
and is the highpoint of the south eastern ridge of High Street
High Street (Lake District)
High Street is a fell in the English Lake District. At 828 metres , its summit is the highest point in the far eastern part of the national park. The fell is named after the Roman road which ran over the summit.-History and Naming:...
, midway on its course to Harter Fell
Harter Fell (Mardale)
Harter Fell is a fell in the far eastern part of the English Lake District. The summit at lies the meeting point of three ridges, and Harter Fell forms the head of three valleys: Mardale, Longsleddale and the valley of the River Kent.-Topography:...
.
Topography
The head of the Kentmere valley lies to the south west of the fell with rough slopes leading down over scree to Kentmere ReservoirKentmere Reservoir
Kentmere Reservoir is a water storage facility situated in the Kentmere valley in the county of Cumbria, England. It is located 10.5 km north-northeast of the town of Windermere...
. Mardale Ill Bell sends out a short grass topped spur, Lingmell End, which splits the head of the valley into two.
The north eastern face of Mardale Ill Bell forms the craggy backdrop to Blea Water. This perfect corrie
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
tarn is the deepest in the Lake District at 207 ft . It's outflow feeds Haweswater, joining with that of a second tarn, Small Water. Between the two, Mardale Ill Bell throws out the rocky spur of Piot Crag. Two tiers of crag drop down to the confluence at Mardale Waters.
South east of the summit a rough narrowing ridge drops to Nan Blield pass at 2,100 ft, before rising again over rocky steps to Harter Fell. Nan Bield was the ancient trading route between Kentmere and the now drowned village of Mardale Green, submerged by the raising of Haweswater in the 1940s. Near the shore of Small Water on the descending path are a number of stone shelters, pointers to the earlier importance of the pass. These each provide refuge for one person in extremis, entrance being via crawling.
North west from Mardale Ill Bell the grassy ridge crosses a wet depression and then expands into a wide plateau, triangular in plan. High Street and Thornthwaite Crag
Thornthwaite Crag
Thornthwaite Crag is a fell in the English Lake District, standing to the west of Haweswater Reservoir. It is a focal point of the Far Eastern Fells, standing at the head of several valleys.-Topography:...
are at the other two corners, with the roman road crossing north to south.
Summit and view
The summit has two large 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...
s on grass, the northern one being the top. The view westwards is confined by higher fells but the Ill Bell
Ill Bell
Ill Bell is a fell in the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria, standing on the narrow ridge between the valleys of Kentmere and Troutbeck.-Topography:...
ridge and Coniston
Furness Fells
The Furness Fells are those hills and mountains in the Furness region of Cumbria, England. Historically part of Lancashire, the Furness Fells or High Furness is the name given to the upland part of Furness, that is, that part of Furness lying north of the line between Ulverston and Ireleth...
range are seen to good effect. Blea Water and Small Water can be brought into sight from the rim of the crags.