Fellbarrow
Encyclopedia
Fellbarrow is a low hill in the north west of the English
Lake District
. It is not far from the town of Cockermouth
, near to Loweswater
and can most easily be climbed from Low Lorton, or Thackthwaite
. From the summit there are views across the Lorton valley to Grasmoor
and Whiteside
.
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. Fellbarrow and Low Fell stand remote from the end of the northern arm.
Loweswater
is unique amongst the major lakes of the District in emptying toward the centre of the National Park
. It's waters flow out eastwards into Crummock Water
before beginning their northward journey as the Cocker. Loweswater does not therefore represent any watershed between the fell
s on either side of its valley, as might be supposed from a quick glance at the map. A low ridge circuiting the western end of the lake joins Burnbank Fell
to Low Fell and Fellbarrow, confirming them as the last outpost of the Western Fells.
The two fells form a ridge 2 miles long with the lower Fellbarrow at the northern end. Alfred Wainwright
in his influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
was forced to estimate the elevation of Low Fell and considered (although with some doubts) Fellbarrow to be the high point of the ridge.. There are a number of intervening tops, in particular Smithy Fell and Sourfoot Fell which Wainwright decided were satellites of Low Fell, based on the position of the lowest col
. That convention is followed here.
To the east of Fellbarrow is the Vale of Lorton, through which flows the River Cocker. This is a wide cultivated valley with a number of small parcels of woodland, the settlement of Thackthwaite lying nearest to the fell. To the west are a number of small streams including Mosser Beck and Cat Gill, which also flow northward and ultimately join the Cocker. This is rolling agricultural land on the very edge of the Lake District. North of Fellbarrow is the lower top of Hatteringill Head (1,263 ft), listed in some guidebooks before the ridge falls away over Whin Fell to a minor road known as Mirk Lane. Fellbarrow also sends out a short ridge north eastward over Broadmoor Hill towards Low Lorton village. The fell is rounded and grassy almost throughout.
sandstone
turbidities. Beneath this and occasionally outcropping on the eastern flanks are the laminated mudstone
and siltstone
of the Kirk Stile Formation.
triangulation
column and a cairn
. To west and north are the Irish Sea
and Solway Firth
, seen across the Cumberland plain. To the east is a fine view of the North Western Fells
across Lorton- the Whiteside
- Grisedale Pike
ridge perhaps the highlight- with Skiddaw
and Blencathra
popping up behind. Further round the view is crowded with fells, the northern wall of Ennerdale seen side on throughout its length and backed by Pillar
and the Scafells
. No lakes or tarns
can be seen.
, either branching north at the ridge or climbing both tops. From the west there are no rights of way on the fell, although it is marked by OS
as access land. An approach from the Mosser road is therefore a possibility.
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 not far from the town of Cockermouth
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
, near to 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...
and can most easily be climbed from Low Lorton, or Thackthwaite
Thackthwaite
Thackthwaite is a village in Cumbria, England, from which hikers can climb Low Fell and Fellbarrow.A second place called Thackthwaite is located just to the north of Little Mell Fell, at ....
. From the summit there are views across the Lorton valley to Grasmoor
Grasmoor
Grasmoor is a mountain in the north-western part of the Lake District, northern England. It is the highest peak in a group of hills between the villages of Lorton, Braithwaite and Buttermere, and overlooks Crummock Water....
and Whiteside
Whiteside (Lake District)
Whiteside is a fell in the north-western area of the English Lake District. It stands at the western end of the Grisedale Pike- Hopegill Head ridge overlooking Crummock Water.-Topography:...
.
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. Fellbarrow and Low Fell stand remote from the end of the northern arm.
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...
is unique amongst the major lakes of the District in emptying toward the centre of the National Park
Lake District National Park
The Lake District National Park is located in the north-west of England and is the largest of the English National Parks and the second largest in the United Kingdom. It is in the central and most-visited part of the Lake District....
. It's waters flow out eastwards into 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...
before beginning their northward journey as the Cocker. Loweswater does not therefore represent any watershed between the 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 :...
s on either side of its valley, as might be supposed from a quick glance at the map. A low ridge circuiting the western end of the lake joins Burnbank Fell
Burnbank Fell
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...
to Low Fell and Fellbarrow, confirming them as the last outpost of the Western Fells.
The two fells form a ridge 2 miles long with the lower Fellbarrow at the northern end. Alfred 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 influential 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...
was forced to estimate the elevation of Low Fell and considered (although with some doubts) Fellbarrow to be the high point of the ridge.. There are a number of intervening tops, in particular Smithy Fell and Sourfoot Fell which Wainwright decided were satellites of Low Fell, based on the position of the lowest col
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
. That convention is followed here.
To the east of Fellbarrow is the Vale of Lorton, through which flows the River Cocker. This is a wide cultivated valley with a number of small parcels of woodland, the settlement of Thackthwaite lying nearest to the fell. To the west are a number of small streams including Mosser Beck and Cat Gill, which also flow northward and ultimately join the Cocker. This is rolling agricultural land on the very edge of the Lake District. North of Fellbarrow is the lower top of Hatteringill Head (1,263 ft), listed in some guidebooks before the ridge falls away over Whin Fell to a minor road known as Mirk Lane. Fellbarrow also sends out a short ridge north eastward over Broadmoor Hill towards Low Lorton village. The fell is rounded and grassy almost throughout.
Geology
The rocks beneath the summit are of the Loweswater Formation, composed of greywackeGreywacke
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. Beneath this and occasionally outcropping on the eastern flanks are the laminated mudstone
Mudstone
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.
Summit and View
The summit is a gently curving grassy dome, crossed by a fence, and sports an Ordnance SurveyOrdnance 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...
triangulation
Triangulation
In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring distances to the point directly...
column and 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...
. To west and north are the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
and 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...
, seen across the Cumberland plain. To the east is a fine view of the 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...
across Lorton- the Whiteside
Whiteside (Lake District)
Whiteside is a fell in the north-western area of the English Lake District. It stands at the western end of the Grisedale Pike- Hopegill Head ridge overlooking Crummock Water.-Topography:...
- Grisedale Pike
Grisedale Pike
Grisedale Pike is a fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England situated west of the town of Keswick in the north-western sector of the national park. At a height of 791 m it is the 40th highest Wainwright in the Lake District; it also qualifies as a Hewitt, Marilyn and Nuttall...
ridge perhaps the highlight- with Skiddaw
Skiddaw
Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake District National Park in England. With a summit at 931 m above sea level it is the fourth highest mountain in England. It lies just north of the town of Keswick, Cumbria, and dominates the skyline in this part of the northern lakes...
and Blencathra
Blencathra
Blencathra, also known as Saddleback, is one of the most northerly mountains in the English Lake District. It has six separate fell tops, of which the highest is the Hallsfell Top.-Name:...
popping up behind. Further round the view is crowded with fells, the northern wall of Ennerdale seen side on throughout its length and backed by Pillar
Pillar (Lake District)
Pillar is a mountain in the western part of the English Lake District. Situated between the valleys of Ennerdale to the north and Wasdale to the south, it is the highest point of the Pillar group . At 892 metres it is the eighth highest mountain in the Lake District...
and the Scafells
Scafells
Image:Annotated Scafell range.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Scafell range as seen looking west from Crinkle Crags. rect 23 372 252 419 Slight Side rect 173 794 560 834 Scafell East Buttress...
. No lakes or tarns
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...
can be seen.
Ascents
From Low Lorton village a lane leads westwards, joining to the access track to Hatteringill farm. This gives access to the north east ridge above Broadmoor Hill, within easy reach of the summit. An alternative is to climb Low Fell via the drove road from ThackthwaiteThackthwaite
Thackthwaite is a village in Cumbria, England, from which hikers can climb Low Fell and Fellbarrow.A second place called Thackthwaite is located just to the north of Little Mell Fell, at ....
, either branching north at the ridge or climbing both tops. From the west there are no rights of way on the fell, although it is marked by 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...
as access land. An approach from the Mosser road is therefore a possibility.