Cross Fell
Cross Fell seen from the Eden Valley
Elevation	893 m (2,930 ft)
Location	North Pennines, England
Prominence	651 m
Topo map	OS Landranger 91
OS grid reference	NY687343
Listing	Hewitt, Marilyn, Nuttall

At 893 m, Cross Fell is the highest point in the Pennine hills of Northern England. It is also the highest point in England apart from the main Lake District peaks. The summit is a stony plateau being part of a 20 km long ridge running North West to South East, which also incorporates Little Dun Fell (842 m) and Great Dun Fell (849 m). The three adjoining fells form an escarpment that rises steeply above the Eden Valley on its south western side and drops off more gently on its north eastern side towards the South Tyne and Tees Valleys. Image File history File linksMetadata Crossfell. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... The metre, or meter (US), is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet) is any of several old units of distance or length, measuring around a quarter to a third of a meter. ... The North Pennines is the northernmost part of the so-called backbone of England, the range of hills which runs through the centre of the northern half of England, from north to south. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains. ... It has been suggested that Topographic profile be merged into this article or section. ... Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... The mountains and hills of Great Britain, and to a lesser extent Ireland, are the subject of a considerable number of lists which categorise them by height, topographic prominence, or other criteria. ... A Hewitt is a hill in England, Wales or Ireland over two thousand feet (609. ... A Marilyn is a hill with a relative height of at least 150 metres, regardless of absolute height or other merit. ... The Nuttalls are hills in England and Wales over 610 m (2000 feet), which rise above their surroundings on all sides by 15 m. ... Typical Pennine scenery. ... A sign on the A1 road points to The NORTH Northern England, The North or North of England is a rather ill-defined term, with no universally accepted definition. ... The panorama across Eskdale from Ill Crag. ... In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat open country if the uplift was recent in geologic history. ... Great Dun Fell is the second-highest hill in the Pennine range, lying two miles south along the watershed from Cross Fell, its higher neighbour. ... In geography, a fell is a treeless mountain landscape that has been shaped by glacier ice earlier in history. ... In geology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves an elevation differential, often involving high cliffs. ... The River Eden is a river in Cumbria, England that flows through Carlisle on its way into the Solway Firth. ... The River Tyne can refer to two rivers in the United Kingdom: River Tyne, England River Tyne, Scotland This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Tees is an English river which rises on the eastward slope of Cross Fell in the Pennine Chain and flows eastwards for about 87 miles (137 km) before emptying into the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar. ...

Cross Fell summit is crowned by a cross-shaped dry-stone shelter, though this is not the reason for the naming of the hill. On a clear day there are excellent views from the summit across the Eden Valley to the mountains of the Lake District. On the northern side of Cross Fell there are also fine views across the Solway Firth to the Southern Uplands of Scotland. A Greek cross (all arms of equal length) above a saltire, a cross rotated by 45 degrees For other uses, see Cross (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Rock fence be merged into this article or section. ... The panorama across Eskdale from Ill Crag. ... Map of Solway Firth. ... The Southern Uplands is the southernmost of Scotlands three major geographic areas (the others being the Central Belt and the Highlands). ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by...

The fell is prone to dense hill fog and fierce winds. It can be an inhospitable place for much of the year. In ancient times it was known as "Fiends Fell" and believed to be the haunt of evil spirits. It has been speculated that this last feature may be why the fell became known as Cross Fell ('cross' = 'angry').^[1] Another theory is that at some time a cross was placed at the summit in order to ward off the spirits. But the origin of the name is not known for sure.

A conspicuous local feature is the golf ball shaped radar installation on the summit of Great Dun Fell. This was built in the 1960s and serves to support civil air traffic control over the North Atlantic. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ...

Local Geography

Cross Fell and the adjoining fells are mainly comprised of a bed of hard, carboniferous limestone. Where this bed surfaces, there are steep rock faces. There are also strata of shale and gritstone that surface on the fell. On the south and west facing slopes of Cross Fell the rock faces have been broken up by frost action to give a scree slope made up of large boulders. The local terrain shows obvious evidence of recent glaciation and is covered by thin soil and acidic peat. Carboniferous Limestone is a type of limestone rock. ... Goldenville Strata exposed at a quarry in Bedford, Canada. ... Shale Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. ... Gritstone is a sedimentary rock composed of coarse sand grains and is a coarser version of sandstone. ... Scree or detritic cone is a term given to broken rock that appears at the bottom of crags, mountain cliffs or valley shoulders. ...

the summit of Cross Fell with Great Dun Fell in the background

Cross Fell, Great Dun Fell and Little Dun Fell form a block of high terrain which is all over 800 m in altitude. This is the largest block of high ground in England and it is snow-covered for much of the year. Snow can be found in gullies on the north side of Cross Fell as late as May in most years. In some years, lying snow has been known to persist until July and fresh snowfall in June (mid-summer in the Northern Hemisphere) is common. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x683, 74 KB) Summary {{Information |Description=Carl Fogarty at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia on April 22 2006 |Source=Own Work |Date=April 22 2006 |Author=G Alan Bouwe Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x683, 74 KB) Summary {{Information |Description=Carl Fogarty at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia on April 22 2006 |Source=Own Work |Date=April 22 2006 |Author=G Alan Bouwe Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link...

Precipitation on Cross Fell averages around 280 cm per year. Local flora includes a number of rare alpine plants such as the Starry Saxifrage and a mountain Forget-me-not. ^[2] Cross Fell is covered by what is known as "siliceous alpine and boreal grassland". It is the southernmost outlier of this vegetation type, which is common to highlands in Scotland and Scandinavia. It is a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Local farmers are required to keep free-roaming sheep off the tops of the fells in order to avoid damaging the natural flora. ^[3] Binomial name Saxifraga stellaris L. Saxifraga stellaris (Starry Saxifrage) is a species of saxifrage native to central and northern Europe, occurring in mountains from the British Isles and Scandinavia south to the Alps. ... Species The Forget-me-nots are the genus Myosotis of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. ... A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora. ...

The Helm Wind is a local phenomenon. An east wind causes air to rise slowly to the summit of the ridge and cool as it does so. At the summit, the dense, cool air drops rapidly down the steep western slope (causing the Helm Wind) and forces warmer ambient air to rise. Moisture in the ambient air condenses to form the Helm Bar — a stationary handle of thin cloud running along and outwards from the edge of the summit. The Helm Wind can be very strong where it is channelled down gullies in the side of the escarpment. It is experienced particularly in the villages of Milburn and Kirkland^[4]. A similar feature can be found around Table Mountain near Cape Town, South Africa. For other uses, see Table Mountain (disambiguation). ... , City motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Province Western Cape Mayor Helen Zille Area  - % water 2,499 km² N/A Population  - Total (2004)  - Density Ranked 100th 2,893,251 1,158/km² Established 1652 Time zone SAST (UTC+2...

Routes to Cross Fell summit

Sketch map of the approaches to Cross Fell

Cross Fell is crossed by the Pennine Way footpath en route from Dufton to Alston. Thus it may be climbed either from Dufton to the south east, or from Garrigill to the north west simply by following the Way. This section of the Way is well signposted and laid out. Some parts of the path are surfaced with stone slabs. The summit is about 12 km from either village. Image File history File links Crossfellmap. ... Image File history File links Crossfellmap. ... The Pennine Way is a long-distance footpath in England. ... There are a couple place in the world with the name Alston: Alston, Cumbria Alstonvale, Quebec, Canada Alston, Georgia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Garrigill Village Green Garrigill, Cumbria is a small village in the North Pennine region of the UK sitiuated on the banks and close to the source of the River South Tyne. ...

The easiest route to Cross Fell summit (around 6 km each way) is via a road from the village of Knock. This is a well graded, tarmac road which provides car access to the radar installation on Great Dun Fell and a quarry nearby. Great Dun Fell is the highest point in the British road system. Although most of the road is private, little effort is made to prevent access to the general public and it is possible to drive a normal car almost up to the summit of Great Dun Fell, where the road meets the route of the Pennine Way. It is a relatively easy walk from this point along the summit ridge to Cross Fell. However, there is a very boggy area separating Little Dun Fell and Cross Fell, and the correct route between the two is marked by a tall cairn situated at the edge of Cross Fell and several hundred metres back from the ridge. One of many cairns marking British mass graves at the site of the Battle of Isandlwana. ...

on the north side of Cross Fell, May 2006

An interesting route to the summit is from the village of Kirkland. The walker can park his/her car by the side of the road going north out of the village and follow a track going past a group of holiday cottages ^[5] and rising up to some ancient mine workings. A track leads from that point towards the west flank of Cross Fell. A direct approach to the summit from the west involves climbing a difficult scree slope, so an easier way is to follow the track (not well defined over its whole length) around to the north side of the fell, where it meets the Pennine Way at a cairn. One may then follow the Way up a gentle slope to the summit. This route offers fine views (up to 100 km on a clear day) over both the Solway to the north and the Eden Valley to the south. In fair conditions, the walk from Kirkland to the summit takes about 2 to 3 hours^[6]. Image File history File linksMetadata Cf2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Cf2. ... The name Kirkland has multiple uses: People Rev. ...

An ascent of Cross Fell in anything but perfect weather conditions can become challenging. None of the available routes offers a well defined path all the way to the summit. To the north of the ridge lies an extensive area of featureless bog and moorland, without obvious contours. The immediate area around Cross Fell is prone to hill fog and low cloud. Above 500 metres, visibility can suddenly drop to almost nil. It is easy to become disoriented and lost. Lütt-Witt Moor, a bog in Henstedt-Ulzburg in northern Germany. ... Heaths are anthropogenic habitats found primarily in northern and western Europe, where they have been created by thousands of years of human clearance of natural forest vegetation by grazing and burning on mainly infertile acidic soils. ...

Ascending the scree slope on the west flank of Cross Fell

The scree slopes on the edges of Cross Fell can be treacherous in conditions of snow or ice. The large boulders are not securely seated and move readily when a walker tries to cross them. It is easy to fall and break a limb. This particular line of approach to the summit is best avoided unless conditions are clear and dry. Image File history File linksMetadata Crossf3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Crossf3. ... Scree or detritic cone is a term given to broken rock that appears at the bottom of crags, mountain cliffs or valley shoulders. ...

Inreasing numbers of walkers have come into the area since the Pennine Way opened in the 1960s and as car ownership has become more widespread. After a number of fatalities among walkers in the locality, a mountain rescue team was established at nearby Penrith in 1959. This team is called out to rescue lost, disappeared or injured walkers in the Cross Fell area, on average about once every two weeks^[7].

That said, Cross Fell has much to offer the visitor. A climb to the summit is safe and easy so long as proper precautions are taken. The walker should be adequately dressed and equipped with map and compass. Most of the locality is within range of mobile phones.

Views of Cross Fell

Cross Fell is a conspicuous feature in the landscape. It dominates the skyline on almost the entire 30-km length of the A66 trunk road between Penrith and Stainmore. It can also be seen from Helvellyn summit in the Lake District and from high ground throughout Dumfriesshire and Northumberland. Penrith is a market town in the county of Cumbria (historically Cumberland), England. ... Helvellyn, at 950 metres (3,117 feet) above sea-level, is the third highest peak in England. ... Dumfriesshire (Siorrachd Dhùn Phris in Gaelic) was a county of Scotland. ... Northumberland is a county in northern England. ...

Cow Green reservoir, with (l to r) Great Dun Fell, Little Dun Fell and Cross Fell in the background at a distance of about 10 km

Image File history File linksMetadata Crossf4. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Crossf4. ...

References

1. ^ North Pennines AONB Partnership :article on Cross Fell
2. ^ Cumbrian Wildlife :plants
3. ^ Joint Nature Conservation Committee :listing of sites
4. ^ The Helm Bar :an account
5. ^ Kirkland Hall cottages :advertisement
6. ^ Walking Britain (OS) :route guide and photographs
7. ^ Penrith Mountain rescue :callouts log

External links

• Computer-generated summit panoramas Cross Fell Index
• Stephen Goodwin, rucsacs article :Cross Fell