Potter Fell is a

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...

near the villages of

Burneside Burneside () is a small village in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. It is located to the north of Kendal and to the south east of Staveley, on the River Kent, just upstream from the confluence of the River Sprint. It has about 3,00 ...

and Staveley,

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

, England, reaching a maximum height of at Brunt Knott.

Alfred Wainwright Alfred Wainwright Order of the British Empire, MBE (17 January 1907 – 20 January 1991), who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalking, fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume ''Pictorial ...

in his ''

The Outlying Fells of Lakeland ''The Outlying Fells of Lakeland'' is a 1974 book written by Alfred Wainwright dealing with hills in and around the Lake District of England. It differs from Wainwright's ''Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Pictorial Guides'' in that each ...

'' identifies four summits on Potter Fell: Brunt Knott, Ulgraves and two unnamed summits, all of which are thus recognised by the

Database of British and Irish Hills The mountains and hills of the British Isles are categorised into various lists based on different combinations of elevation, prominence, and other criteria such as isolation. These lists are used for peak bagging, whereby hillwalkers attempt ...

. There are a number of tarns on the fell, including Gurnal Dubs and Potter Tarn.

Summits

Potter Fell is made up of four separate peaks (as identified by Wainwright), two of which are unnamed. The first unnamed summit (395 m / 1,296 ft) lies between Potter Tarn and Brunt Knott.Lakeland Fells – Potter Fell
, retrieved 30 September 2008 Further north from the first unnamed summit is Brunt Knott (427 m / 1,401 ft), marked by a stone

triangulation station A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The station is usually set up by a map ...

at its highest point.Stridingedge.net – The Outlying Fells of Lakeland A-Z
, retrieved 30 September 2008 Between these first two summits is a small pool of water with a wall running through it, which Wainwright named "''wall through a pool''". East of these two summits is another unnamed one (390 m / 1,280 ft). Further east is the fourth summit, Ulgraves (332 m / 1,089 ft); like Brunt Knott, the highest point is marked by a trig point. The summit of Ulgraves looks over the

Longsleddale Longsleddale () is a valley and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. It includes the hamlet of Sadgill. The parish has a population of 73. As the population taken at the 2011 Census was less than 100, detail ...

valley. Wainwright's clockwise route starts on the road between Bowston and Staveley and passes the four summits, two named and two nameless, as described above, with a total of of ascent. Brunt Knott can also be ascended from Staveley.

Tarns

There are a number of tarns on Potter Fell, of which Gurnal Dubs and Potter Tarn are the most significant. Potter Tarn is located at the bottom of the ascent to the unnamed summit (395 m). The tarn supplies water to Croppers Paper Mill in Burneside and its flow is moderated by a concrete

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

. The present water level is around half of its 1990 level, when the dam was lowered. The outflow from Potter Tarn issues into Ghyll Pool before the stream descends towards the paper mill.Nutall, J. (1995), ''The Tarns of Lakeland – Vol II: East'', p. 149 Gurnal Dubs is a popular place for

recreational fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is occupational fishing activities done for profit; or subsistence fishing, ...

and the licences are managed by the Kent Angling Association.Lakeland Fishing – Gurnal Dubs
retrieved 30 September 2008 It is located to the west of Ulgraves and south of the unnamed summit (395 m). The tarn is home to a

boathouse A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...

that was renovated in 1985.

References

{{Outlying Fells Fells of the Lake District Landforms of Cumbria Westmorland and Furness