Steel Fell
Encyclopedia
Steel Fell is a fell
in the English Lake District
, lying between Thirlmere
and Grasmere
. It is triangular in plan, the ridges running north, west and south east. Steel Fell rises to the west of the Dunmail Pass road and can be climbed from the summit, or from Grasmere and Wythburn.
, forming the end of one of the many east ridges of High Raise
. Intermediate between the two are Codale Head and Calf Crag
. Steel Fell is bordered by Wythburndale to the north and the valley of Green Burn to the south west. The eastern face looks down on Dunmail Raise.
Being triangular in plan, Steel Fell has three principal ridges.The northern ridge drops quickly to the head of Thirlmere at Steel End, while that to the south east falls gradually toward Grasmere village, beginning down Cotra Breast. The eastern ridge connects to Calf Crag
, the next fell
in the popular circuit of the Greenburn valley, crossing a narrow depression with a scattering of small tarns.
The southern face of Steel Fell falls over Blakerigg Crag to Greenburn, a feeder of the lake of Grasmere
. Wythburndale marks the north western boundary of the fell, flowing to Thirlmere. The eastern face drops over Ash Crags to the pass of Dunmail Raise
. Two streams, both named Raise Beck, flow north and south down the pass, following the main Keswick
- Ambleside
road, Steel Fell thus sitting on the Lake District's main north-south watershed. Water from the southern slopes reaches the sea at Morecambe Bay while rain falling a few yards to the north reaches the sea via the River Derwent at Workington
.
lapilli
-tuff
and breccia
of the Thirlmere Member. The remainder of the fell is characteristic of the Lincomb Tarns Formation of dacitic lapilli tuff with andesite sills. A large sill is evident near the surface above Wythburndale.
of reddish stone. The best of the view is to the north, Blencathra
appearing above Thirlmere
. South west there is a fine mountain panorama stretching as far as the Coniston Fells
.
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...
, lying between 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 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...
. It is triangular in plan, the ridges running north, west and south east. Steel Fell rises to the west of the Dunmail Pass road and can be climbed from the summit, or from Grasmere and Wythburn.
Topography
Steel Fell stands away from the main spine of the Central FellsCentral Fells
The Central Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Reaching their highest point at High Raise , they occupy a broad area to the east of Borrowdale. Perhaps unexpectedly the Central Fells are generally lower than the surrounding hills, the Lake District's general dome-like...
, forming the end of one of the many east ridges of High Raise
High Raise (Langdale)
High Raise is a fell in the Central Fells of the English Lake District not to be confused with another High Raise situated in the Far Eastern Fells...
. Intermediate between the two are Codale Head and Calf Crag
Calf Crag
Calf Crag is a fell in the English Lake District, on the eastern side of the High Raise massif.-Topography:The spine of the Central Fells runs on a north-south axis with the highpoint at High Raise...
. Steel Fell is bordered by Wythburndale to the north and the valley of Green Burn to the south west. The eastern face looks down on Dunmail Raise.
Being triangular in plan, Steel Fell has three principal ridges.The northern ridge drops quickly to the head of Thirlmere at Steel End, while that to the south east falls gradually toward Grasmere village, beginning down Cotra Breast. The eastern ridge connects to Calf Crag
Calf Crag
Calf Crag is a fell in the English Lake District, on the eastern side of the High Raise massif.-Topography:The spine of the Central Fells runs on a north-south axis with the highpoint at High Raise...
, the next 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 popular circuit of the Greenburn valley, crossing a narrow depression with a scattering of small tarns.
The southern face of Steel Fell falls over Blakerigg Crag to Greenburn, a feeder of 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....
. Wythburndale marks the north western boundary of the fell, flowing to Thirlmere. The eastern face drops over Ash Crags to the pass of Dunmail Raise
Dunmail Raise
Dunmail Raise is a hill in the English Lake District, the highest point of a pass on the Keswick-Kendal road, the A591, to the south of Thirlmere reservoir on the way to Grasmere, in the Lake District National Park...
. Two streams, both named Raise Beck, flow north and south down the pass, following the main 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...
- 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...
road, Steel Fell thus sitting on the Lake District's main north-south watershed. Water from the southern slopes reaches the sea at Morecambe Bay while rain falling a few yards to the north reaches the sea via the River Derwent at Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
.
Geology
The geology of Steel Fell is complex. The summit and Ash Crags exhibit the welded rhyodaciticDacite
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...
and breccia
Breccia
Breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments....
of the Thirlmere Member. The remainder of the fell is characteristic of the Lincomb Tarns Formation of dacitic lapilli tuff with andesite sills. A large sill is evident near the surface above Wythburndale.
Summit and view
Above the steep faces the triangular plateau, half a mile across, is dotted with small tarns. The summit bears the name Dead Pike and carries a large cairnCairn
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...
of reddish stone. The best of the view is to the north, 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:...
appearing above 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....
. South west there is a fine mountain panorama stretching as far as the 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...
.