- Broom Fell
Infobox Mountain
Name = Broom Fell
Photo = Broom Fell.png
Elevation = 511 m (1,676 ft)
Location =Cumbria , ENG
Range =Lake District ,North Western Fells
Prominence = "c." 25 m
Parent peak =Lord's Seat
Coordinates =
Topographic
OS "Landranger" 89, 90, "Explorer" OL4
Grid_ref_UK = NY195271
Listing = Wainwright
Translation =
Language =
Pronunciation =Broom Fell is a small hill in the
English Lake District . It lies on a ridge connectingLord's Seat andGraystones , but is rarely climbed.Alfred Wainwright did however accord it the status of a separatefell in his influential guidebook series, the "Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells ".Alfred Wainwright : "A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells , Book 6, The North Western Fells": Westmorland Gazette (1964): ISBN 0-7112-2459-5]Topography
The
North Western Fells occupy the area between the rivers Derwent and Cocker, a broadly oval swathe of hilly country, elongated on a north-south axis. Two roads cross from east to west, dividing the fells into three convenient groups. The most northerly sector, rising betweenWhinlatter Pass and the Vale of Embleton, includes Broom Fell.Lord's Seat is the highest of the fells north of Whinlatter and sends out a long ridge westwards. The ridge begins with a marshy depression before rising to the summit of Broom Fell. It then continues west to the more pronounced saddle of Widow Hause, beyond which is Graystones. Widow Hause is densley forested on the southern side with the conifers of the Darling How Plantation.
To the south of Broom Fell is the pleasant valley of Aiken Beck, heavily wooded in its lower reaches. This secluded dale lies between the main ridge and
Whinlatter Fell, draining to the west and ultimately reaching the Cocker. Hidden within the Darling How Plantation is the fine waterfall of Spout Force.On the northern flank of Broom Fell is Burthwaite Heights (1,043 ft), listed as a separate top in some guidebooks.Bill Birkett: "Complete Lakeland Fells": Collins Willow (1994): ISBN 0-00-713629-3] This is a small hill beside the vast morass of Wythop. Wythop Moss itself lies to the west and drains (slowly) via Tom Rudd Beck. To the east of Burthwaite Heights runs the valley of Wythop Beck, emptying rather more effectively between the twin hills of
Ling Fell andSale Fell .Geology
The predominant rock is the
Ordovician Kirk Stile Formation of the Skiddaw Group. This consists of laminatedmudstone andsiltstone . To the south of the summit are outcrops ofgreywacke sandstone .British Geological Survey: 1:50,000 series maps, "England & Wales Sheet 29": BGS (1999)]ummit and View
The top is grassy and the summit is marked by the end of a wall coming up from Aiken Beck to the south west. Since this wall connects to no others and simply stops at the highest point, its purpose in unknown. A summit cairn of approximately 2m in height now exists on the summit as does a small wind shelter made from part of the wall.
The view southward takes in the Whiteside-
Grisedale Pike ridge and theGrasmoor fells showing behind. Westward, across the Vale of Lorton, are the Loweswater Fells, and to the east and north there are sightings of higher fells on either side of Lord's Seat. The coastal plain andSolway Firth are also seen to good effect.Ascents
From Wythop Mill a crossing of Wythop Moss can be made, using the old path which gives the only remotely dry footing. Once the marsh is passed an ascent up the northern slope of Widow Hause leads to the ridge.
The alternative is to make use of Aiken Beck, a car park being available near Scawgill Bridge on the Whinlatter Pass road. From the valley the southern slopes of Broom Fell can be tackled direct, or a longer route can be taken via the summit of Lord's Seat.
References
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