Place Fell
Encyclopedia
Place Fell is a hill in the English
Lake District
. It stands at the corner of the upper and middle reaches of Ullswater
, with steep western flanks overlooking the villages of Glenridding
and Patterdale
.
catchment, a system of valleys draining northward into Ullswater. Place Fell is at the western terminus of this ridge. To the south is Angletarn Pikes
, whilst on all other sides Place Fell stands independent and is bordered by deep valleys.
The fell is bounded on the north and west by Ullswater. For the most part these flanks fall steeply to the shore, with several areas of woodland on the lower slopes. The exception is Silver Point, the promontory separating the upper and middle reaches of the lake. This is formed by Silver Crag (890 ft), an outlier standing apart from the mass of the fell. The lakeshore path from Sandwick in the north to Patterdale in the south was described by Wainwright
as the most beautiful and rewarding walk in Lakeland. South of the lake, Place Fell's steep slopes continue above Patterdale village to Boredale Hause above the valley of Goldrill Beck.
Place Fell's eastern boundary is Boredale, one of the Martindale valleys. This face is also steep with many outcrops of crag. Travelling up Boredale, the valley turns gradually to the south west, making as though to intercept Patterdale and cut the fell off from its neighbours altogether. The thin strip of high ground at Boredale Hause (1,300 ft) is all that joins Place Fell to the main body of the Far Eastern Fells. A tiny ruin at the top of the pass is named on OS
maps as the 'Chapel in the Hause', one of the more unlikely sites for a church. From the hause the ridge can be followed south along a good path to Angletarn Pikes, first climbing the subsidiary top of Stony Rigg (1,610 ft). Other paths from this walkers crossroads lead to Patterdale, Boredale, Bannerdale via Beda Fell
, Hartsop
and Patterdale, in addition to the route up Steel Edge to the summit of Place Fell.
The top of Place Fell is a wide plateau with the summit at the south western corner. From here the rocky ridge of Hart Crag runs for a short distance north east across the plateau, decorated with a number of small tarns. Continuing in this direction, the ground gradually narrows as it descends to Low Moss, beyond which are the subsidiary tops of High Dodd (1,645 ft) and Sleet Fell (1,240 ft).
A second descending ridge runs north from the summit area, beginning at The Knight (1,800 ft). This rock outcrop assumes an impressive peaked appearance when viewed from the north, although from behind it could easily be missed. From here the ridge descends over Bleaberry Knott (1,675 ft) and Low Birk Fell, curving east above the middle reach of Ullswater. Low Birk Fell sports a fine beacon (columnar cairn), easily seen from Sandwick. Between the Bleaberry Fell and High Dodd ridges is the valley of Scalehow Beck, providing much of Place Fell's northern drainage.
and cairn
placed about ten yards apart on two competing high-points. The cairn sits above Ullswater and provides superb views up the facing valleys from Glencoyne round to Kirkstone
, the rough eastern faces of the Helvellyn range
being particularly striking.
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 stands at the corner of the upper and middle reaches of Ullswater
Ullswater
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 ....
, with steep western flanks overlooking the villages of Glenridding
Glenridding
Glenridding is a village located at the southern end of Ullswater, in the English Lake District. The village is popular with mountain walkers who can scale England's third highest mountain, Helvellyn, and many other challenging peaks from here. The village has ample accommodation including two...
and Patterdale
Patterdale
Patterdale is a small village and civil parish in the eastern part of the English Lake District in the Eden District of Cumbria, and the long valley in which they are found, also called the Ullswater Valley....
.
Topography
A ten mile long horseshoe of high ground surrounds the MartindaleMartindale, Cumbria
Martindale is a valley and civil parish in Cumbria, England, situated within the Lake District National Park between the lakes of Ullswater and Haweswater...
catchment, a system of valleys draining northward into Ullswater. Place Fell is at the western terminus of this ridge. To the south is Angletarn Pikes
Angletarn Pikes
Angletarn Pikes, is a fell in the English Lake District, near the village of Patterdale. Its most notable feature is the summit tarn from which it derives its name.-Topography:...
, whilst on all other sides Place Fell stands independent and is bordered by deep valleys.
The fell is bounded on the north and west by Ullswater. For the most part these flanks fall steeply to the shore, with several areas of woodland on the lower slopes. The exception is Silver Point, the promontory separating the upper and middle reaches of the lake. This is formed by Silver Crag (890 ft), an outlier standing apart from the mass of the fell. The lakeshore path from Sandwick in the north to Patterdale in the south was described by 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...
as the most beautiful and rewarding walk in Lakeland. South of the lake, Place Fell's steep slopes continue above Patterdale village to Boredale Hause above the valley of Goldrill Beck.
Place Fell's eastern boundary is Boredale, one of the Martindale valleys. This face is also steep with many outcrops of crag. Travelling up Boredale, the valley turns gradually to the south west, making as though to intercept Patterdale and cut the fell off from its neighbours altogether. The thin strip of high ground at Boredale Hause (1,300 ft) is all that joins Place Fell to the main body of the Far Eastern Fells. A tiny ruin at the top of the pass is named on OS
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 as the 'Chapel in the Hause', one of the more unlikely sites for a church. From the hause the ridge can be followed south along a good path to Angletarn Pikes, first climbing the subsidiary top of Stony Rigg (1,610 ft). Other paths from this walkers crossroads lead to Patterdale, Boredale, Bannerdale via Beda Fell
Beda Fell
Beda Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, situated to the south of Ullswater. It divides the valleys of Boredale and Bannerdale within the Martindale system.-Topography:...
, Hartsop
Hartsop
Hartsop is a small village in the English Lake District. It lies in the Patterdale valley, near Brothers Water, Hayeswater and Kirkstone Pass.It consists of 17th Century grey stone cottages, like so many of its neighbours. Hartsop retains its historic image, in that, in common with a number of...
and Patterdale, in addition to the route up Steel Edge to the summit of Place Fell.
The top of Place Fell is a wide plateau with the summit at the south western corner. From here the rocky ridge of Hart Crag runs for a short distance north east across the plateau, decorated with a number of small tarns. Continuing in this direction, the ground gradually narrows as it descends to Low Moss, beyond which are the subsidiary tops of High Dodd (1,645 ft) and Sleet Fell (1,240 ft).
A second descending ridge runs north from the summit area, beginning at The Knight (1,800 ft). This rock outcrop assumes an impressive peaked appearance when viewed from the north, although from behind it could easily be missed. From here the ridge descends over Bleaberry Knott (1,675 ft) and Low Birk Fell, curving east above the middle reach of Ullswater. Low Birk Fell sports a fine beacon (columnar cairn), easily seen from Sandwick. Between the Bleaberry Fell and High Dodd ridges is the valley of Scalehow Beck, providing much of Place Fell's northern drainage.
Summit and view
The summit of the fell has an OS triangulation columnTrig point
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
and 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...
placed about ten yards apart on two competing high-points. The cairn sits above Ullswater and provides superb views up the facing valleys from Glencoyne round to Kirkstone
Kirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It is at an altitude of .This is the Lake District's highest pass that is open to motor traffic and it connects Ambleside in the Rothay Valley to Patterdale in the Ullswater Valley - the A592 road. In places,...
, the rough eastern faces 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....
being particularly striking.