TheWestern Fells are a part of theCumbrian Mountains in theLake District ofEngland. Centred onGreat Gable, they occupy a triangular area betweenButtermere andWasdale. The Western Fells have high ridges and an abundance of naked rock.
The Lake District is aNational Park in the north west of the country which, in addition to its lakes, contains a complex range of hills. These are known locally asfells, and range from low hills to the highest ground in England. There are hundreds of tops, and many writers have attempted to draw up definitivelists. In doing so the compilers frequently divide the range into smaller areas to aid their description.
The most influential of all such authors wasAlfred Wainwright, whosePictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells series has sold in excess of 2 million copies,[1] being in print continuously since the first volume was published in 1952. Wainwright divided the fells into seven geographical areas, each surrounded by valleys and low passes. While any such division must be arbitrary, and later writers have deviated to a greater or lesser extent from this blueprint,[2][3] Wainwright's sevenfold division remains the best known partitioning of the fells into "sub ranges", each with its own characteristics. The Western Fells are one of these divisions, covered by volume 7 of Wainwright's work.[4]
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The Western Fells rise gradually from the Cumbrian coastal plain, Wainwright excluding some of the lower specimens nearest the sea. He drew a complex and arbitrary dividing line part way between his intended border[4] at the extremity of the major lakes, and the more distant boundary of the National Park. The few hills thus excluded were covered later in his supplementary volume,The Outlying Fells of Lakeland (1974). The inner boundary is by contrast well defined. TheRiver Cocker runs along the north eastern edge and Wasdale to the south east. In the acute angle where these valleys converge, the border is marked by headwaters ofBorrowdale, closing the gap betweenHonister Pass and Sty Head. Honister connects to theNorth Western Fells and Sty Head to theSouthern.
The Western Fells form the southern wall of the Buttermere valley and the northern fence of Wasdale. Between the two liesEnnerdale, so that in effect the group is the shape of a singlehorseshoe, each branch about 10 miles (16 km) in length.
At the head of Ennerdale standsGreat Gable, the highest of the Western Fells at 2,949 feet (899 m). More commonly thought of as a Wasdale Fell, its profile from that valley gives it its name. The southern arc of the group travels due west from Great Gable, the main ridge consisting ofKirk Fell,Pillar (named for its great out-thrust of rock),Scoat Fell,Haycock andCaw Fell. A number of outliers line the side valleys of Wasdale, namelyYewbarrow,Red Pike (Wasdale),Seatallan,Middle Fell andBuckbarrow. Beyond Caw Fell is the lower Lank Rigg group, consisting ofLank Rigg,Crag Fell andGrike.
The northern arc begins with Great Gable's lesser sibling,Green Gable, andBrandreth, before turning north west above the shore of Buttermere. First comesHaystacks, Wainwright's favourite fell and the resting place of his ashes.[5] Next areHigh Crag,High Stile andRed Pike (Buttermere), the three fells of Buttermere Edge. These are connected by narrow soaring ridges and shelter dark coombes from the sunlight. The wild and rocky character of the range then gradually diminishes withStarling Dodd andGreat Borne, before crossing the pedestrianFloutern Pass to theLoweswater Fells. These areMellbreak, brooding darkly aboveCrummock Water,Hen Comb,Gavel Fell,Blake Fell andBurnbank Fell. The final extremity of the northern arc curves around the head ofLoweswater toLow Fell andFellbarrow. The satellites of the main ridge,Base Brown,Grey Knotts andFleetwith Pike, centre upon Brandreth.
Ennerdale almost bisects the Western Fells, but access for cars barely penetrates the valley. At its head however is Black Sail Hut, England's most remoteYouth Hostel. Great Gable and its neighbours can be reached from Wasdale Head,Seathwaite, Honister Pass or Gatesgarth (Buttermere). Access to the northern arc is continuous along the Buttermere valley although the southern arc is more remote, particularly as the ridge gradually moves away from Wasdale.
