The sweeping bulk of Maiden Moor rising beyond the shoulder of Cat Bells

Maiden Moor

Height575m (1,886ft)

Prominence10m (33ft)

RegionNorth Western Fells

Climbed3 Times

Standing roughly four miles south of the bustling market town of Keswick, Maiden Moor forms a massive, high-altitude partition wall separating the quiet Newlands Valley from the rugged, wooded slopes of Borrowdale. Due to its exceptionally modest relative prominence, this broad plateau is frequently omitted from major UK hill-bagging lists, yet it deservedly preserves a dedicated individual chapter in Alfred Wainwright's definitive guides. The origin of the fell's title remains shrouded in mystery; while the term "Maiden" is frequently associated with ancient, prehistoric hill fortifications across Britain, no archaeological traces of defensive earthworks exist here, suggesting it may instead refer to a historic landscape where seasonal games, festivals, or folk rituals were played out by young dalesfolk.

"From mid-Newlands, Maiden Moor is seen to rise in three tiers: the lowest, rock crowned, behind the hamlet of Little Town; the second, also craggy, above but some distance back; and finally the summit, set at the edge of a steep fall to the upper reaches of the valley." — Wainwright 1957, Book Two

Because the top of the fell is a vast, remarkably flat and grassy upland tableland, there is no sudden, dramatic peak to aim for, making the exact geographical high point notoriously difficult to discern with the naked eye. Instead, walkers track along a wide path, where a simple, small pile of stones rests amidst the grass to mark the summit. Stepping toward the western rim of this high plateau rewards the effort with magnificent, airy views tracking right over the depths of the Newlands Valley toward the rugged silhouettes of the Coledale fells and the distant Western giants.