Maiden Moor

Last updated

Maiden Moor
Maiden Moor from Catbells.jpg
Maiden Moor seen from the summit of Catbells
Highest point
Elevation 576 m (1,890 ft)
Prominence 16 m (52 ft)
Parent peak High Spy north top
Listing Wainwright
Coordinates 54°33′12″N3°10′58″W / 54.55325°N 3.18275°W / 54.55325; -3.18275
Geography
Lake District National Park UK relief location map.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Maiden Moor
Location in Lake District, UK
Location Cumbria, England
Parent range Lake District, North Western Fells
OS grid NY236182
Topo map OS Landranger 89, 90 OS Explorer Outdoor Leisure 4
Looking north from Maiden Moor to Catbells and Derwentwater. Catbells from Maiden Moor.jpg
Looking north from Maiden Moor to Catbells and Derwentwater.

Maiden Moor is a fell in the English Lake District, it stands 6 km (3+34 miles) south of the town of Keswick and is part of the high ground that separates the Newlands Valley and Borrowdale, it has a modest height of 576 m (1,890 ft) and so fails to be mentioned on many UK mountain lists but it does have a separate chapter in Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.

Contents

Name

The meaning of the fell's name is obscure, the name "Maiden" is given to many prehistoric hill forts but there is no evidence that a hill fort ever existed on the fell, it may refer to a place where games or rituals were played where maidens took part.

Topography

The fell's main natural features are Bull Crag which lies below the summit on the Newlands side and the hollow of Yewthwaite Combe which stands beneath the col linking the fell with Catbells on the Newlands side.

Geology

The Maiden Moor ridge is an example of the Buttermere Formation, an olistostrome of disrupted, sheared and folded mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. [1]

Mining and Mrs Tiggy-Winkle

The Combe is the site of the disused Yewthwaite lead mine and there are extensive spoil heaps and old adits and shafts. The mine opened in the late 18th century and closed in 1893. This mine area was made famous by Beatrix Potter as the location of the story "The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle", the story she dedicated to Lucy Carr, daughter of the vicar of Newlands Church, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle is supposed to have lived in one of the holes in the fell above the mine.

Ascents

Maiden Moor stands between two well known fells (Catbells and High Spy) and is part of the popular Newlands horseshoe walk, so it is often approached along the ridge from other fells by walkers whose main objective is a longer walk. However the fell can be climbed directly from Grange in Borrowdale and Little Town in the Newlands valley. Both routes climb to the col (Hause Gate) linking the fell to Catbells and then ascend by the northern ridge. Approaching the top of the fell the path splits with the main path continuing to High Spy without (unusually) going over the highest point of the fell. The right hand fork follows the escarpment above Newlands to reach the summit which is crowned by a small cairn.

Summit

There is no easy way of discerning the exact highest point as the top is a level grassy plateau. There are excellent views across the Newlands valley to the Coledale fells and beyond.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowfell</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

Bowfell is a pyramid-shaped mountain lying at the heart of the English Lake District, in the Southern Fells area. It is the sixth-highest mountain in the Lake District and one of the most popular of the Lake District fells for walkers. It is listed in Alfred Wainwright's 'best half dozen' Lake District fells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harter Fell (Eskdale)</span> Fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England

Harter Fell is a fell in the western part of the English Lake District, located between the Eskdale and Duddon valleys. Its height is 653 metres (2,142 ft) There are several walking routes to the summit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Head</span> Mountain in the Lake District, England

Dale Head is a fell in the north-western sector of the Lake District, in northern England. It is 753 metres or 2,470 foot above sea level and stands immediately north of Honister Pass, the road between Borrowdale and Buttermere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robinson (Lake District)</span>

Robinson is a fell in the English Lake District, its southern slopes descending to Buttermere, while its northern side is set in the Newlands Valley. Paths lead to the summit from the village of Buttermere, from the nearby summit Dale Head and from various locations in the valleys to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat Bells</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

Cat Bells is a fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It has a height of 451 metres (1,480 ft) and is one of the most popular fells in the area. It is situated on the western shore of Derwentwater within three miles of the busy tourist town of Keswick. Its distinctive shape catches the attention of many visitors to the Lakes who feel compelled to climb to the summit after seeing it from the viewpoint of Friars' Crag on the opposite side of Derwentwater. The Lake District writer and walker Alfred Wainwright acknowledges the popularity of Cat Bells among fellwalkers of all abilities by saying:

"It is one of the great favourites, a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together, a place beloved. Its popularity is well deserved: its shapely topknott attracts the eye offering a steep but obviously simple scramble."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esk Pike</span> Fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England

Esk Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, one of the cirque of hills forming the head of Eskdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stony Cove Pike</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Crag</span> Hill in United Kingdom

Castle Crag is a hill in the North Western Fells of the English Lake District. It is the smallest hill included in Alfred Wainwright's influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, the only Wainwright below 1,000 feet (300 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindscarth</span>

Hindscarth is a mountain between the valleys of Buttermere and Newlands, in the north-western part of the English Lake District. The fell's name is derived from two words from the Old Norse language, Hind and Skarth, and means the pass used by the red deer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrow (Lake District)</span> Fell in the English Lake District

Barrow is small fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria which reaches a height of 455 metres (1,494 feet). It is in the Newlands Valley 2.5 miles (4 km) south-west of Keswick. Although comparatively small in height, Barrow commands an all-round view, with the vales of Keswick and Newlands being visible. The name of the fell originates from the Anglo Saxon language meaning a hill or long ridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newlands Valley</span> Valley in Cumbria, England

The Newlands Valley is in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is regarded as one of the most picturesque and quiet valleys in the national park, even though it is situated very close to the popular tourist town of Keswick and the busy A66 road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glaramara</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

Glaramara is a fell in the English Lake District in Cumbria. It is a substantial fell that is part of a long ridge that stretches for over six kilometres from Stonethwaite in Borrowdale up to the important mountain pass of Esk Hause. The summit of Glaramara at 783 metres (2,569 ft) is the central point of this ridge, which separates the valleys of Langstrath and Grains Gill. However, the ridge has two additional fells, numerous subsidiary tops and several small tarns making its traverse an appealing and challenging walk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Gable</span> Mountain in the Lake District, England

Green Gable is a fell in the English Lake District often traversed by walkers en route to its more famous neighbour Great Gable. It can be ascended from Honister Pass, Seathwaite in Borrowdale, or Ennerdale. There are good views of Gable Crag, Scafell Pike and the Buttermere valley from the summit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Spy</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

High Spy is a fell in the English Lake District it is situated on the ridge that separates the Newlands Valley from Borrowdale, eight kilometres south of Keswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sail (Lake District)</span>

Sail is a hill in the English Lake District, lying between Derwentwater and Crummock Water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosthwaite Fell</span>

Rosthwaite Fell is a fell in the English Lake District. It is situated some 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) due south of Keswick and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of the village of Rosthwaite in Borrowdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birkhouse Moor</span>

Birkhouse Moor is a fell in the English Lake District, an outlier of the Helvellyn range in the Eastern Fells. It is properly an eastern ridge of Helvellyn, but was treated as a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. That convention is followed here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rossett Pike</span>

Rossett Pike is a fell in the English Lake District. It is located at the head of Mickleden, one of two tributary valleys of Great Langdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Crag</span>

Green Crag is a fell in the English Lake District. It stands between Eskdale and the Duddon valley in the Southern Fells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Western Fells</span>

The North Western Fells are a part of the Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District of England. Including such favourites as Catbells and Grisedale Pike, they occupy an oval area beneath the Buttermere and Borrowdale valley systems. The North Western Fells are characterised by soaring east-west ridges and an absence of mountain tarns.

References

  1. British Geological Survey: 1:50,000 series maps, England & Wales Sheet 29: BGS (1999)