Lonscale Fell
Encyclopedia
Lonscale Fell is a hill in the English
Lake District
. Its pointed second top is instantly recognisable, standing at the eastern end of the Skiddaw
massif. The fell is easily climbed from Keswick or from Skiddaw House to the north. Although now primarily a sheep pasture, it once saw considerable mining activity beneath the long eastern wall of crag.
and Jenkin Hill to the depression of Flag Pots. Beyond this is the final upthrust of Lonscale Fell before the craggy descent to the Glenderaterra Beck,
The southern flanks fall gently over acres of sheep pasture in the manner of the Skiddaw range. At the base of the slope is the wooded valley of Whit Beck, separating Lonscale Fell from the east ridge of Latrigg
. Here also is Lonscale, the farm which has given its name to the fell
. Whit Beck is a tributary of the Glenderaterra, a stream which forms the eastern boundary of Lonscale Fell. This flows due south from Skiddaw Forest between the Skiddaw massif and Blencathra
, before joining the River Greta and running on through Keswick
. The eastern face of the fell above the Glenderaterra is a mile long scarp of crags, a singular feature in the Skiddaw range.
To the north of the fell is Skiddaw Forest. Confusingly this forest contains no trees, —other than the windbreak of Skiddaw House — but is a marshy upland area at around 1,300 ft surrounded on all sides by higher fells. Three streams flow from Skiddaw Forest, dividing the Northern Fells into three sectors. Dash Beck runs north west, the River Caldew north east and the River Glenderaterra south. The single building in Skiddaw Forest is Skiddaw House, which has variously seen service as a shepherds' bothy and a Youth Hostel.
The northern boundary of Lonscale Fell is Salehow Beck, a tributary of the River Caldew, its waters bound for the Solway Firth
by way of Carlisle. Beyond the river is Great Calva
, the first of the Back o'Skiddaw fells. The feeders of Salehow Beck and Whit Beck flow from the col
of Flag Pots, completing the western boundary.
the Kirk Stile Formation of the Skiddaw Group predominates. This is composed of laminated mudstone
and siltstone
with greywacke
sandstone and is of Ordovician
age.
The Glenderaterra valley was the scene of some mining activity in the nineteenth century. The northern workings were first named Glenderaterra Mine and later Brundholme Mine. These were driven primarily for lead
, but also copper
ore and baryte. The returns were never economic, the mine being abandoned in 1920. A little to the south was Blencathra Mine, worked unsuccessfully until about 1880. There are also some abandoned quarries below the eastern crags.
, an outlier of Blencathra.
The highest point bears a small cairn
from which a fine Lakeland panorama is displayed southward. Thirlmere
and Derwentwater are seen along with all of the major fell groupings. To the other points of the compass the northern fells intervene, close up but less inspiring.
From the Glenderaterra, or from Skiddaw House, the climber can make use of either the Burnt Horse Ridge, or a direct scramble up the buttress to reach Lonscale Pike.
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...
. Its pointed second top is instantly recognisable, standing at the eastern end of the 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...
massif. The fell is easily climbed from Keswick or from Skiddaw House to the north. Although now primarily a sheep pasture, it once saw considerable mining activity beneath the long eastern wall of crag.
Topography
The long south east ridge of Skiddaw descends over Little ManSkiddaw Little Man
Skiddaw Little Man also called Little Man is a fell in the English Lake District, it is situated four kilometres north of the town of Keswick and reaches a height of 865 m .-Topography:...
and Jenkin Hill to the depression of Flag Pots. Beyond this is the final upthrust of Lonscale Fell before the craggy descent to the Glenderaterra Beck,
The southern flanks fall gently over acres of sheep pasture in the manner of the Skiddaw range. At the base of the slope is the wooded valley of Whit Beck, separating Lonscale Fell from the east ridge of Latrigg
Latrigg
Latrigg is one of the lowest fells in the Lake District, but is a popular climb due to its convenient location overlooking the town of Keswick and the beautiful views down the valley of Borrowdale from the summit. It is the least mountainous of the Skiddaw fells, the summit being almost entirely...
. Here also is Lonscale, the farm which has given its name to 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 :...
. Whit Beck is a tributary of the Glenderaterra, a stream which forms the eastern boundary of Lonscale Fell. This flows due south from Skiddaw Forest between the Skiddaw massif 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:...
, before joining the River Greta and running on through Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
. The eastern face of the fell above the Glenderaterra is a mile long scarp of crags, a singular feature in the Skiddaw range.
To the north of the fell is Skiddaw Forest. Confusingly this forest contains no trees, —other than the windbreak of Skiddaw House — but is a marshy upland area at around 1,300 ft surrounded on all sides by higher fells. Three streams flow from Skiddaw Forest, dividing the Northern Fells into three sectors. Dash Beck runs north west, the River Caldew north east and the River Glenderaterra south. The single building in Skiddaw Forest is Skiddaw House, which has variously seen service as a shepherds' bothy and a Youth Hostel.
The northern boundary of Lonscale Fell is Salehow Beck, a tributary of the River Caldew, its waters bound for the 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...
by way of Carlisle. Beyond the river is Great Calva
Great Calva
Great Calva is a fell in the Lake District, England. It is in the Northern Fells, lying roughly at the centre of this region of high ground. As a result it is distant from roads and quite remote by Lakeland standards...
, the first of the Back o'Skiddaw fells. The feeders of Salehow Beck and Whit Beck flow from the 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...
of Flag Pots, completing the western boundary.
Geology and Mining
In common with much of the Northern FellsNorthern Fells
The Northern Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Including Skiddaw, they occupy a wide area to the north of Keswick. Smooth sweeping slopes predominate with a minimum of tarns or crags...
the Kirk Stile Formation of the Skiddaw Group predominates. This is composed of 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...
with greywacke
Greywacke
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 and is of Ordovician
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
age.
The Glenderaterra valley was the scene of some mining activity in the nineteenth century. The northern workings were first named Glenderaterra Mine and later Brundholme Mine. These were driven primarily for lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, but also copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
ore and baryte. The returns were never economic, the mine being abandoned in 1920. A little to the south was Blencathra Mine, worked unsuccessfully until about 1880. There are also some abandoned quarries below the eastern crags.
Summit and View
The highest point lies on a gentle dome on the western side of the fell. The prominent peaked top visible from below lies to the east at a height of 2,306 ft. This is referred to as Lonscale Pike by some guidebooks. The watershed between the Greta to the south and the Caldew to the north actually bypasses both of these tops, following the north eastern ridge of Burnt Horse over a top at 2,295 ft and then onward to Mungrisdale CommonMungrisdale Common
Mungrisdale Common, pronounced mun-grize-dl, with emphasis on grize, is a fell in the English Lake District. Although Alfred Wainwright listed it as one of the 214 featured hills in his influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells it was his least favourite. He commented that it "has no more...
, an outlier of Blencathra.
The highest point bears a small 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...
from which a fine Lakeland panorama is displayed southward. Thirlmere
Thirlmere
Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria and the English Lake District. It runs roughly south to north, with a dam at the northern end, and is bordered on the eastern side by the A591 road and on the western side by a minor road....
and Derwentwater are seen along with all of the major fell groupings. To the other points of the compass the northern fells intervene, close up but less inspiring.
Ascents
From Keswick, or as a labour saving alternative from the Gale Road car park behind Latrigg, a number of routes present themselves. Flag Pots can be reached from the tourist route to Skiddaw, or a direct line can be taken up the southern slopes. Another possibility is to follow the southern edge of Lonscale Crags, and the final (and longest) option is to contour right around the fell up the Glenderaterra and outflank it from behind.From the Glenderaterra, or from Skiddaw House, the climber can make use of either the Burnt Horse Ridge, or a direct scramble up the buttress to reach Lonscale Pike.