Yoke

Yoke is a fell in the Lake District of Cumbria, standing 706 metres high in the park’s far eastern sector. It lies six and a half kilometres east-north-east of Ambleside on the southern end of a ridge that runs down from High Street. The fell’s name comes from the Old English word geoc, meaning mountain ridge, related to the German joch. It is part of the Kentmere Horseshoe, a 19-kilometre walk with 1,100 metres of ascent that circles the valley. Most direct routes reach the summit via the Garburn Pass, following a wall over boggy ground to the top. The fell’s southern slopes show signs of quarrying on both the Troutbeck and Kentmere sides. Rainsborrow Crag, a 300-metre precipice on the Kentmere flank, draws rock climbers and overlooks Rainsborrow Tarn below. Old maps mark short stretches of a possible Roman road crossing the fell’s slopes between Ambleside and Penrith. Path repairs have been made on the southern slopes to stop further erosion from walkers. From the summit, Windermere and Morecambe Bay appear in the east, while higher fells like those around Coniston and Langdale rise to the west. A small cairn 100 metres south of the summit gives a better view of these lakes and hills. To the north, the view is blocked by Ill Bell, though High Street’s summit can still be glimpsed. Walking 150 metres north-east brings Kentmere Reservoir into sight over Star Crag.