Holme Fell
Encyclopedia
Holme Fell or Holm Fell is a fell
in the Lake District
in Cumbria
, England
. It is located between Coniston Water
and Little Langdale
, almost isolated from the neighbouring Coniston Fells by Yewdale Beck.
, although the topographical connection via Great Intake and Low Tilberthwaite is rather tortuous. Further east, beyond Oxen Fell High Cross, the high ground continues to Black Fell
.
The fell itself is a ridge running broadly north south and about a mile and a half long. The summit is at the southern extremity, a flank guarded by Calf and Raven Crags. Immediately to the north is Ivy Crag, a second top sporting a large cairn
, followed by the depression of Uskdale Gap. Continuing northward are a succession of lower tops, gradually descending toward the final knoll of Great How (692 ft). A swift descent to the floor of Little Langdale then follows.
The boundaries of the fell are all formed by roads and tracks, giving ample opportunity for circular walks. The main Ambleside
-Coniston
road lies to the east and the minor road along Little Langdale to the north. Yewdale Beck runs around the southern perimeter, with the narrow access lane to Hodge Close hugging its bank. From Hodge Close a bridleway runs north to Little Langdale. The southern half of the fell is girt all about with natural woodland, mostly deciduous species. There are also some larger artificial plantings to the north.
Hodge Close bears the remains of quarrying (see below), as does Uskdale Gap. To the west of the Gap are two small tarns
. These were built as reservoirs for the quarry, with the water used to operate a funicular
to raise slate to ground level.
A further artificial waterbody is Yew Tree Tarn
beside the Ambleside- Coniston road. This was dammed in the 1930s to a depth of 10 ft by James Marshall, the local landowner. The original intent was to provide fishing, and trout
are still plentiful today.
lapilli
-tuff
of the Lincomb Tarns Formation. Further to the north west are outcrops of the volcaniclastic sandstone
s of the Seathwaite Fell Formation with sills of basalitic
andesite
.
.
and the rest of the Coniston fells preventing distant views in the south-western quadrant.
Explorer 1:25,000 map shows it as Holme Fell, but their Landranger 1:50,000 map has it as Holm Fell, albeit with Holme Ground to the north-west. The Ordnance Survey's Gazeteer records only Holme Fell – as the gazeteer is based on locations on the Landranger maps, this suggests that the spelling Holm Fell on that map may be an error. The spelling Holme Fell is used by Alfred Wainwright
in his book "The Southern Fells", but Holm Fell by Alan Dawson in his book "The Relative Hills of Britain".
Whichever way it is spelt, the word holm(e) is believed to derive from an Old Norse
root referring to a dry place within a marshy area.
routes such as “First Night Nerves” and “Wicked Willie”.
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 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...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England
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...
. It is located between Coniston Water
Coniston Water
Coniston Water in Cumbria, England is the third largest lake in the English Lake District. It is five miles long, half a mile wide, has a maximum depth of 184 feet , and covers an area of . The lake has an elevation of 143 feet above sea level...
and Little Langdale
Little Langdale
Little Langdale is a valley in the Lake District, England containing Little Langdale Tarn and a hamlet also called Little Langdale. A second tarn, Blea Tarn, is in a hanging valley between Little Langdale and the larger Great Langdale to the north...
, almost isolated from the neighbouring Coniston Fells by Yewdale Beck.
Topography
Holme Fell is an eastern outlier of WetherlamWetherlam
Wetherlam is a mountain in the English Lake District. It is the most northerly of the Coniston Fells, the range of fells to the north-west of Coniston village; its north-east slopes descend to Little Langdale.-Topography:...
, although the topographical connection via Great Intake and Low Tilberthwaite is rather tortuous. Further east, beyond Oxen Fell High Cross, the high ground continues to Black Fell
Black Fell (Lake District)
Black Fell is a fell in the English Lake District. It rises to the north of Tarn Hows, between Coniston and Hawkshead.-Topography:Black Fell is the high point in the hilly area bounded by Windermere, Langdale and Coniston. It occupies an area of around one mile by two, clad mainly in fell grass...
.
The fell itself is a ridge running broadly north south and about a mile and a half long. The summit is at the southern extremity, a flank guarded by Calf and Raven Crags. Immediately to the north is Ivy Crag, a second top sporting a large 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...
, followed by the depression of Uskdale Gap. Continuing northward are a succession of lower tops, gradually descending toward the final knoll of Great How (692 ft). A swift descent to the floor of Little Langdale then follows.
The boundaries of the fell are all formed by roads and tracks, giving ample opportunity for circular walks. The main Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
-Coniston
Coniston, Cumbria
Coniston is a village and civil parish in the Furness region of Cumbria, England. It is located in the southern part of the Lake District National Park, between Coniston Water, the third longest lake in the Lake District, and Coniston Old Man; about north east of Barrow-in-Furness.-Geography and...
road lies to the east and the minor road along Little Langdale to the north. Yewdale Beck runs around the southern perimeter, with the narrow access lane to Hodge Close hugging its bank. From Hodge Close a bridleway runs north to Little Langdale. The southern half of the fell is girt all about with natural woodland, mostly deciduous species. There are also some larger artificial plantings to the north.
Hodge Close bears the remains of quarrying (see below), as does Uskdale Gap. To the west of the Gap are two small 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...
. These were built as reservoirs for the quarry, with the water used to operate a funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
to raise slate to ground level.
A further artificial waterbody is Yew Tree Tarn
Yew Tree Tarn
Yew Tree Tarn is a small lake in the English Lake District situated in between the towns of Ambleside and Coniston. The tarn was formed when the local landowner dammed the Yewdale Beck in the 1930s....
beside the Ambleside- Coniston road. This was dammed in the 1930s to a depth of 10 ft by James Marshall, the local landowner. The original intent was to provide fishing, and trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
are still plentiful today.
Geology
The summit ridge is formed from the daciticDacite
Dacite is an igneous, volcanic rock. It has an aphanitic to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. The relative proportions of feldspars and quartz in dacite, and in many other volcanic rocks, are illustrated in the QAPF diagram...
lapilli
Lapilli
Lapilli is a size classification term for tephra, which is material that falls out of the air during a volcanic eruption or during some meteorite impacts. Lapilli means "little stones" in Latin. They are in some senses similar to ooids or pisoids in calcareous sediments.By definition lapilli range...
-tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
of the Lincomb Tarns Formation. Further to the north west are outcrops of the volcaniclastic 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,...
s of the Seathwaite Fell Formation with sills of basalitic
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
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,...
.
Ascents
The fell can be climbed by a number of routes, notably those starting at Holme Ground, Hodge Close quarry, Yew Tree Tarn and Yew Tree Farm, the last two easily extended back to the popular Tarn HowsTarn Hows
Tarn Hows is an area of the Lake District National Park, containing a picturesque tarn, approximately northeast of Coniston and about northwest of Hawkshead...
.
View
Despite its diminutive stature, the hill's relative isolation means it still commands good views to north, south and east, including almost the full length of Coniston Water, with WetherlamWetherlam
Wetherlam is a mountain in the English Lake District. It is the most northerly of the Coniston Fells, the range of fells to the north-west of Coniston village; its north-east slopes descend to Little Langdale.-Topography:...
and the rest of the Coniston fells preventing distant views in the south-western quadrant.
Holme or Holm?
The 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...
Explorer 1:25,000 map shows it as Holme Fell, but their Landranger 1:50,000 map has it as Holm Fell, albeit with Holme Ground to the north-west. The Ordnance Survey's Gazeteer records only Holme Fell – as the gazeteer is based on locations on the Landranger maps, this suggests that the spelling Holm Fell on that map may be an error. The spelling Holme Fell is used by 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 book "The Southern Fells", but Holm Fell by Alan Dawson in his book "The Relative Hills of Britain".
Whichever way it is spelt, the word holm(e) is believed to derive from an 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....
root referring to a dry place within a marshy area.
Hodge Close Quarry
The slopes of Holme Fell include the massive disused green slate quarry at Hodge Close, located at , the quarry closed just before the start of the Second World War. It has flooded chambers and tunnels which are used by cave divers for sport, it is a dangerous location and several divers have died over the years, becoming lost in the murky waters of the tunnels. The quarry is also used by rock climbers and offers some excellent ExtremeExtreme sport
An extreme sport is a popular term for certain activities perceived as having a high level of inherent danger...
routes such as “First Night Nerves” and “Wicked Willie”.