Wansfell | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 486.9 m (1,597 ft) |
Prominence | 147.7 m |
Parent peak | Caudale Moor |
Listing | Wainwright |
Coordinates | 54°26′16″N2°55′19″W / 54.43779°N 2.92194°W |
Geography | |
Location | Cumbria, England |
Parent range | Lake District, Far Eastern Fells |
OS grid | NY403051 |
Topo map | OS Landranger 90, OS Explorer 7 |
Wansfell is a fell in English Lake District situated 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 kilometres) east of the town of Ambleside. The fell is part of the long southern ridge of Caudale Moor and occupies the swath of territory between Ambleside and the Troutbeck valley.
Wansfell has an extensive summit ridge with two tops. The highest point of the fell is called Baystones with a height of 488 m (1,601 ft), while Wansfell Pike, which lies a kilometre to the south west reaches an elevation of 482 m (1,581 ft). Of the two summits, Wansfell Pike is regarded as the “true” summit of the fell by many fell walkers because of its superior view, even though it is the lower of the pair.
Despite its modest elevation, Wansfell has significant topographic prominence, being linked to the higher fell of Caudale Moor by a col near the Kirkstone Pass road (A592) with a height of around 339.2 metres. This gives the fell a prominence of 147.7 metres, which means it just fails to achieve the necessary prominence to be a Marilyn.
The summit was deleted from the original list of Marilyns in 1999 but was re-instated due to a change in the recorded summit position. A team including John Barnard surveyed the hill on 18 September 2009 and on 11 February 2010 announced that the summit and col height measurements were 486.9m and 339.2m respectively, and thus it was once again removed from the list of Marilyns.
Wansfell has strong connections to Ambleside and is seen as very much belonging to the town, with Bill Birkett saying “Wansfell is to Ambleside what St. Pauls is to London”. The popularity of the ascent from Ambleside led to severe erosion which became so bad that the path underwent restoration work in the late 1990s using stone blocks. Sections of the path now resemble a very irregular stone staircase.
The fell's name is thought to originate from the Old Norse language and can draw a parallel with Wansdyke in Somerset in that it is named after the main Norse god and means “Woden's Fell”.
Wansfell hosts a popular short fell race which takes place annually between Christmas and the New Year, the winning runner usually taking around 20 minutes to complete the four-kilometre course.
The fell is predominantly ascended from Ambleside using the road which leaves the town centre and goes past Stockghyll Force waterfall before bearing right onto the restored footpath which is followed to the summit. An ascent is also possible from Troutbeck, on the eastern side of the fell, following a farm track called Nanny Lane until the open fell is reached from where it is an easy climb to the summit. A path through Skelghyll Wood ascends via Kelsick Scar and visits a disused aqueduct observatory on the way.
Wansfell is on the route of the Windermere Way, a long-distance path that circumambulates Windermere.
The fell's two summits are linked by a dry stone wall. Wansfell Pike is the lower of the two but has a more attractive rocky top and a better view, with Windermere looking particularly attractive to the south. The highest point (Baystones) is a grassy hummock marked by a few stones.
Esk Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, one of the cirque of hills forming the head of Eskdale.
Troutbeck Tongue is a small fell in the English Lake District, three miles ENE of Ambleside. It is one of 214 hills listed in Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells, making it a popular attraction for walkers aiming to complete the "Wainwrights". Its moderate height and proximity to a main road mean it is a pleasant half-day excursion that can be done when the higher fells are in cloud.
Loft Crag is a fell in the English Lake District, situated nine kilometres west of Ambleside in the valley of Great Langdale. Along with the neighbouring fells of Harrison Stickle and Pike of Stickle it forms the picturesque Langdale Pikes, which when viewed from the area around Elterwater village gives one of the best-known views in the National Park.
Red Screes is a fell in the English Lake District, situated between the villages of Patterdale and Ambleside. It may be considered an outlier of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells, but is separated from its neighbours by low cols. This gives Red Screes an independence which is reflected in its prominence.
Stony Cove Pike is a fell in the Far Eastern part of the English Lake District. It stands on the other side of the Kirkstone Pass from Red Screes, and is on the end of a ridge coming down from High Street. It is separated from its neighbours by the deep col of Threshthwaite Mouth, so is a Marilyn – the sixteenth highest in the Lake District.
Knott is a mountain in the northern part of the English Lake District. It is the highest point of the Back o'Skiddaw region, an area of wild and unfrequented moorland to the north of Skiddaw and Blencathra. Other tops in this region include High Pike, Carrock Fell and Great Calva. The fell's slopes are mostly smooth, gentle, and covered in grass, with a few deep ravines. It stands a long way from a road and requires a long walk across the moor top get to it; this, as well as the fact that it is hidden from the rest of the Lake District by the two aforementioned giants, make it one of the most unfrequented tops in the Lakes. When it is climbed it is most often from Mungrisdale or from the north via Great Sca Fell. The word Knott is of Cumbric origin, and means simply "hill".
Yoke is a fell in the Lake District in Cumbria, England. It has a height of 706 metres (2,316 ft) and is situated in the far eastern sector of the national park, 6+1⁄2 kilometres ENE of the town of Ambleside. Yoke is the southern extremity of the long ridge that runs southwards from the fell of High Street. Yoke’s name is believed to be derived from the Old English language word geoc which is similar to the German word joch meaning mountain ridge.
Gray Crag is a fell in the Lake District in Cumbria, England.
Dove Crag is a fell in the English Lake District. Situated in the Eastern Fells of the national park, seven kilometres south-south-west of Glenridding, it reaches a height of 792 metres. The fell is often climbed as part of the Fairfield horseshoe walk but a direct ascent from Patterdale is required to show the fell's full potential, displaying the impressive crags just to the north east of the summit. The highest point was originally unnamed on maps, being just a minor top, but over the years the summit has adopted the name of Dove Crag by mutual accord..
Low Pike is a small fell in the English Lake District. It has a modest height of 508 m (1,667 ft) and is situated three kilometres north of Ambleside. Low Pike is well seen from the streets of the town as the first prominent fell on the ridge which continues northwards for a further four kilometres to Fairfield. This ridge is part of the Fairfield horseshoe walk and Low Pike is most commonly ascended as part of this.
High Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, located five kilometres north of Ambleside. Situated in the Eastern Fells, it can be confused with another Lake District High Pike in the Northern Fells. High Pike reaches a height of 656 metres (2,152 ft). It is sometimes referred to as Scandale Fell, although this name really only applies to the high ground at the head of Scandale.
Seat Sandal is a fell in the English Lake District, situated four kilometres north of the village of Grasmere from where it is very well seen. Nevertheless, it tends to be overshadowed by its higher neighbours in the Eastern Fells, Helvellyn and Fairfield.
Great Rigg is a fell in the English Lake District, 7 kilometres north-west of Ambleside and reaching a height of 766 metres. It is most often climbed as part of the Fairfield horseshoe, a 16-km circular walk which starts and finishes in Ambleside. The fell's name originates from the Old English "Rigg", meaning a bumpy or knobbly ridge.
Ullock Pike is a fell situated in northern part of the English Lake District. It is located seven kilometres north west of Keswick and achieves a height of 691 metres (2,267 ft). The fell sits on Skiddaw’s south western ridge along with two other fells, this ridge is regarded as the finest way to ascend Skiddaw, with Alfred Wainwright commenting:
Thornthwaite Crag is a fell in the English Lake District, standing to the west of Haweswater Reservoir. It is a focal point of the Far Eastern Fells, standing at the head of several valleys.
Sour Howes is a small fell in the English Lake District. It is situated five kilometres east of Ambleside, between the Troutbeck and Kentmere valleys and is one of the two separate fells on Applethwaite Common.
Brae Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, situated 12 kilometres north of Keswick it reaches a height of 586 m (1,923 ft) and is regarded as part of the Caldbeck Fells along with High Pike and Carrock Fell even though it has ridge links to the Uldale Fells. The fell's name has Scottish overtones and translates from the Scots language as a hillside or slope. Its northern flanks face the Scottish Borders country across the Eden Valley and Solway Firth.
Lingmoor Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, situated eight kilometres west of Ambleside. The fell reaches a height of 469 m (1,540 ft) and divides the valleys of Great Langdale and Little Langdale. The fell's name originates from the Old Norse word lyng meaning “heather covered”. The actual summit of the fell is named as Brown How on Ordnance Survey maps.
Slight Side is a fell in the English Lake District it stands 25 kilometres east southeast of the town of Whitehaven and reaches a height of 762 metres (2,499 ft). Slight Side lies at the south western edge of the Scafell Massif, a four-kilometre-long crescent of high ground which includes the highest ground in England. The fells names derives from the Old Norse language and means "The mountain shieling with the level pastures", it is a combination of the Norse words "sletta" and "saetr". With a shieling meaning a shepherds hut or a mountain pasture used in the summer.
The Far Eastern Fells are a part of the Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District of England. Reaching their highest point at High Street, they occupy a broad area to the east of Ullswater and Kirkstone Pass. Much quieter than the central areas of Lakeland they offer in general easier walking as the fells merge mainly into the surrounding moorlands.