Place Fell

Place Fell stands in the English Lake District, a mountain with steep western slopes that overlook the villages of Glenridding and Patterdale. It sits at the western end of a ridge that forms a ten-mile horseshoe around the Martindale catchment, a series of valleys draining north into Ullswater. To the south lies Angletarn Pikes, while deep valleys border the fell on all other sides. The northern and western flanks drop sharply to the lake, with patches of woodland on the lower slopes. Silver Point, a promontory between the upper and middle sections of Ullswater, marks the exception where the ground levels out. Alfred Wainwright called the lakeside path from Sandwick to Patterdale the most beautiful and rewarding walk in Lakeland. Boredale, one of the Martindale valleys, forms Place Fell’s eastern boundary with steep crags and outcrops. At Boredale Hause, 1,300 feet above sea level, a narrow ridge links Place Fell to the Far Eastern Fells. A small ruin known as the Chapel in the Hause sits at this pass, an unexpected spot for a church. From here, paths lead to Patterdale, Bannerdale, Hartsop and the summit of Place Fell via Steel Edge. The summit is a wide plateau with the highest point in the south-west corner. A rocky ridge called Hart Crag runs north-east across the plateau, dotted with small tarns. A second ridge descends north from the summit, passing The Knight and Bleaberry Knott before curving east above Ullswater’s middle reach. Low Birk Fell, part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest, holds a prominent beacon visible from Sandwick. The valley of Scalehow Beck drains the northern side of Place Fell, while the triangulation column and cairn on the summit offer views up Glencoyne and Kirkstone valleys.