Fairfield

Fairfield is a fell in the Eastern Fells of the Lake District, standing south of the Helvellyn range. It forms the highest point of a group of hills and has a distinctive bow-tie shape with ridges running north, south, east and west. The southern side shows gentle grassy slopes, while the northern face drops into dark precipices and deep valleys. Two southern arms create the popular Fairfield horseshoe walk, starting in Ambleside and circling Rydale. The eastern ridge leads to tops such as Hart Crag and Dove Crag, and the western ridge descends past Great Rigg and Heron Pike. Fairfield’s dramatic contrasts were praised by Alfred Wainwright in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. The fell overlooks the desolate upper Deepdale, split by Greenhow End, with corries like Cawk Cove and Link Cove on either side. Grisedale Tarn lies north-west of the summit at about 540 metres, holding brown trout and perch and linked to Ullswater three miles away. The summit is a rough stony plateau with many cairns and a pair of large windbreaks near the high point. Views stretch to Helvellyn’s Striding Edge, Nethermost Pike and Saint Sunday Crag, while Windermere and Coniston Water appear to the south. Visitors on the Fairfield horseshoe walk start in Ambleside and follow the valley of Rydale before climbing to the summit. The route from Great Rigg follows a long grassy ridge, while the Hart Crag approach passes Link Hause with a view of Scrubby Crag. An indirect ascent from Patterdale goes via Birks and St Sunday Crag, crossing Deepdale Hause before reaching Cofa Pike. The Grisedale Hause route climbs rough scree from Tongue Gill or Dunmail Raise, and the fell also forms part of the Threlkeld–Kirkstone Walk. From the summit plateau, steep drops into Deepdale lie just yards away, and the flat top offers wide views across the major fell groups.