Wether Hill 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 ...

in the English

Lake District The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...

, between Martindale and Haweswater. It lies on the main north-south ridge of the Far Eastern Fells between Loadpot Hill and High Raise. Lesser ridges also radiate out to the east and north-west. It should not be confused with Wether Hill in north

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

Topography

North of Wether Hill, across a broad depression, is Loadpot Hill, the height of the two being almost equal. Flowing east from this col is Howe Grain, a feeder of Cawdale Beck. This in turn flows through a

U-shaped valley U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of Glacial period, glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with s ...

and finally – renamed Howes Beck – passes through Bampton to the Lowther. Between Cawdale Beck and the Haweswater catchment further south runs Wether Hill's three mile eastern ridge. This begins at High Kop on the summit plateau and then narrows to form the subsidiary height of Low Kop (). From here a spur runs north east down The Hause into Cawdale. The east ridge however continues over Bampton Fell to a series of rocky tops above the northern shore of Haweswater. Among these are Four Stones Hill (complete with standing stones), Great and Little Birkhouse Hills and Pinnacle How, before the high ground peters out at Haweswater Beck. South of Wether Hill the main ridge narrows before climbing to Red Crag, an outlier of High Raise. Flowing east from this depression are the feeders of Measand Beck. This runs below Low Kop and Bampton Fell, entering Haweswater halfway along the northern edge. Before the raising of the lake, silt carried down Measand Beck formed The Straits, a narrow waist between the two halves of the original lake. The area was farmed from Measand Beck Hall, now submerged. The western face of Wether Hill falls steeply into Rampsgill, part of the Martindale valley system, with some broadleaved plantations at the base. Partway down the slope is the protuberance of Gowk Hill (). This is a round grassy dome from which a rocky spur descends northwards over Brownthwaite Crag and Steel Knotts. Enclosed between this and Loadpot Hill is the little valley of Fusedale.

Summit

The grassy top of Wether Hill has two summits of similar height. The southern is broader, but the northern top bears a cairn and is the traditional summit.

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 ...

:''

A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells ''A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'' is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells (the local word for hills and mountains) of the Lake District in northwest England. Written over a period of 13 years from 1952, they ...

'', Book 2: High Kop and the start of the east ridge fall from the south summit. The Roman road (

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

), which runs along the north-south ridge, narrowly avoids both tops. There are good views west to the

Helvellyn Helvellyn (; possible #Names, meaning: ''pale yellow moorland'') is a mountain in the English Lake District, the highest point of the Helvellyn range, a north–south line of mountains to the north of Ambleside, between the lakes of Thirlmere a ...

range and a wide vista toward the Pennines in the opposite direction.

Ascents

Ascents from Martindale can be made via Steel Knotts or Fusedale. From Haweswater (Burnbanks) the approach can be made via Measand Beck or the east ridge. The east ridge can also be gained halfway along via The Hause from Bampton. Wether Hill is often also climbed incidentally from the Roman road while passing along the main ridge from High Raise to Loadpot Hill.

References

{{Far Eastern Fells Fells of the Lake District Nuttalls Bampton, Cumbria Martindale, Cumbria