Saturday, 1 July 2000

Black Fell

Black Fell

Black Fell

Black Fell

Height323m (1,060ft)
Prominence126m (413ft)
RegionSouthern Fells
Climbed2 Times

Black Fell forms the high, rolling core of the beautiful wooded and hilly country nestled between the valleys of Langdale, Coniston, and Windermere. Though modest in altitude, it commands an important geographical position. Alfred Wainwright dedicated an independent chapter to this peak in his *Pictorial Guide*, deeply impressed by its stellar merits as an unhindered viewing platform. In his eyes, this mountain stands as a vital boundary stone, beautifully representing the outermost eastern perimeter of the high Lakeland fells.

"Everyone knows Tarn Hows, but few the summit of the fell rising behind, above immature plantations and slopes richly coloured in bracken, to the northeast. This is Black Fell." — Wainwright 1958, Book Three

Sprawling across the lower southern lap of the mountain is the world-famous water of Tarn Hows. This iconic landscape is actually a masterclass in Victorian civil engineering, artificially conjoined and landscaped by James Marshall in the 1860s. Now preserved by the National Trust, it attracts tens of thousands of sightseers annually. Yet, despite the heavy foot traffic below, remarkably few visitors ever choose to turn north and break trail up the quiet, bracken-cloaked ridges of the fell itself.

The Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar on Black Crags

The Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar on Black Crags

The true high point of the mountain is a rocky outcrop bearing the optimistic title of Black Crags. Because the immediate plateau is entirely treeless and projects out into the low southern basins, the quality of the view is staggering for a peak of just 323 metres. Standing by the weathered Ordnance Survey triangulation column opens up an incredibly vast panorama—allowing walkers to scan over the shimmering expanses of Windermere and Coniston Water, balanced by an unmatched long-range look at the jagged teeth of the central fells splitting the northern horizon.

Trip Reports

Black Fell06/06/2015

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