Silver How is a fell

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 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...

, standing over the village of Grasmere

Grasmere

Grasmere is a village, and popular tourist destination, in the centre of the English Lake District. It takes its name from the adjacent lake, and is associated with the Lake Poets...

. How, derived from the Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 word haugr, is a common local term for a hill or mound.

Topography

Silver How forms part of the Blea Rigg

Blea Rigg

Blea Rigg is a fell in the English Lake District, lying between the valleys of Easedale and Great Langdale. One of the Central Fells, it is a broad plateau with a succession of rocky tops...

 ridge and would be considered just another of the many tops on that fell, were it not for Wainwright's

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...

 decision to accord it a separate chapter 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...

.

West of Silver How the ridge gains in height over a series of tops, principally Lang How, Swinescar Pike, Little Castle How and Great Castle How, toward Blea Rigg

Blea Rigg

Blea Rigg is a fell in the English Lake District, lying between the valleys of Easedale and Great Langdale. One of the Central Fells, it is a broad plateau with a succession of rocky tops...

. South and then east of the summit, the ridge narrows and drops to the wooded depression of Red Bank, before rising to its terminus on Loughrigg

Loughrigg Fell

Loughrigg Fell is a hill in the central part of the English Lake District. It stands on the end of the long ridge coming down from High Raise over Silver How towards Ambleside, and is separated from its neighbours by the depression of Red Bank....

.

The eastern slopes of Silver How above Grasmere are steep and carry trees to the intake wall at half height, the final rise to the summit being craggy. It is this aspect of the fell, seen to great effect from the lake of Grasmere

Grasmere (lake)

Grasmere is one of the smaller lakes of the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It gives its name to the village of Grasmere, famously associated with the poet William Wordsworth, which lies immediately to the north of the lake....

, which has made it so popular with walkers and photographers. There are also crags on the southern side of the ridge, overlooking Chapel Stile in Great Langdale

Great Langdale

Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park in the county of Cumbria, in the northwest of England. It is often simply referred to as Langdale, the epithet Great distinguishing it from the neighbouring valley of Little Langdale....

.

The Grasmere flank is drained by Wray Gill, which forms the northern boundary of the fell as it sweeps around to make a direct entry into the lake. Meg's Gill, a tributary of Great Langdale Beck, marks the eastern edge, dropping through a ravine above Elterwater vil
Below the fell's eastern extremity of Dow Bank, the depression of Red Bank carries a road from Grasmere to Langdale, a scenic route between the two. Near the road summit is High Close Youth Hostel, set amid woodland.

Summit and view

There are numerous paths on the fell, which added to the large selection of rounded tops can make navigation confusing. The true summit, marked by a large tumbled cairn, sits directly above Grasmere and provides fine all round views. Grasmere and its valley provide the highlight, backed by the Fairfield horseshoe

Fairfield horseshoe

Fairfield Horseshoe is a classic circular hillwalking ridge walk route starting from Rydal or Ambleside in the English Lake District that takes in all the fells that surround the valley of the Rydal Beck....

. The Langdale Pikes and Coniston Fells

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...

 are also well seen.

Ascents

Ascents are possible from Grasmere, Chapel Stile, Elterwater and High Close, the climber being spoilt for choice by countless variations. The Grasmere approaches provide fine scenery throughout, whilst that from Elterwater starts in more dreary surroundings. The ascent from Chapel Stile is actually the shortest. Silver How can be combined with Blea Rigg

Blea Rigg

Blea Rigg is a fell in the English Lake District, lying between the valleys of Easedale and Great Langdale. One of the Central Fells, it is a broad plateau with a succession of rocky tops...

to give a longer walk, making New Dungeon Ghyll (Great Langdale) another possible starting point.