Summits of Great Britain

Some Mountains, Hills and Summits of Great Britain

These pages feature some of the many mountains, hills, fells, summits and high points in Britain. The criteria for inclusion are that (1) I've climbed the hill in question, and (2) that I've taken a photo at the summit. Wherever possible there is also a picture of the hill from a neighbouring summit or adjacent valley, or a picture of the view from the top.

See the home page for an explanation of the status terms (Munro, Corbett, Marylin, Hewitt, et al).

Homepage; Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14


	Nine Barrow Down Location: Purbeck Downs, Dorset Grid Ref: SZ 007811 Height: 653 ft (199 m) Status: Marilyn Notes: One of a handful of Marilyns whose status was discovered after Dawson published his original list, Nine Barrow Down is the top of a downland ridge laying to the southwest of Poole Harbour. It stands above the coastal resort of Swanage, from where it's a comfortable walk of just under an hour. To make it a worthwhile expedition consider walking the whole three-mile ridge from Swanage to Corfe Castle, or vice-versa. The highest point is unmarked, the trig pillar having been removed, and lays about 100 metres north of the footpath at a field corner near a pair of masts. Poole and Bournemouth are seen to the north, the Ise of Wight to the east and the Purbeck Downs and Corfe Castle to the west.

	Nine Standards Rigg Location: Yorkshire Dales, Swaledale Grid Ref: NY 8250611 Height: 2172 ft (662 m) Status: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall Notes: A sprawling hill in the northern Pennines, Nine Standards Rigg lays on the route of the Coast to Coast Walk. On the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and on the main watershed of England, it overlooks the town of Kirkby Stephen three miles to the west, and it's from here that the easiest ascent can be made. The origin of the nine "stone men" or columnar cairns on the summit, is a mystery.

	North Berwick Law Location: East Lothian Grid Ref: NT 556842 Height: 613 ft (187 m) Status: Marilyn Notes: Rising stark and alone from the coastal plains of East Lothian not far from Dunbar, North Berwick Law is an ancient vocanic plug. Its summit features a mix of grass and rock plus a good deal of "furniture", including a couple of old buildings and an arch. It is easily climbed from North Berwick in around 45 minutes via a path winding around its western side. The view from the top is most rewarding, encompassing the Firth of Forth, the Lammermuirs to the south, and the crouching lion shape of Arthur's Seat some thirty miles to the west.

	Orrest Head Location: Lake District, Far Eastern Fells Grid Ref: SD 414994 Height: 781 ft (238 m) Status: Wainwright outlying fell Notes: Orrest Head is the spot at which, on a summer day in 1930, Alfred Wainwright first set eyes on the mountainscape of the Lake District and fell in love with it. That view can't have changed much since then, save that Windermere town has grown. Orrest Head, a modest fell by any standards, can be reached by first following the Kendal road out of town then taking a farm driveway and a woodland path up to the rocky little bald of the summit. All is pastoral through the southwestern arc, dominated by Windermere itself and the forests on its far shore, but it's the northwestern arc that commands attention for here the fells crowd into view. The Coniston fells, the Langdale Pikes, the Fairfield Horseshoe, Red Screes and the western arm of the Kentmere horseshoe all feature strongly.

	Pen y Fan Location: Brecon Beacons Grid Ref: SO 012215 Height: 2907 ft (886 m) Status: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall Notes: The highest summit in the Brecon Beacons, indeed the highest summit in south Wales. Pen-y-Fan's characteristic flat top stands out for many miles around. It is best climbed from Storey Arms on the Brecon - Merthry road (there's a regular bus service for non-drivers), from where a straightforward and reasonably graded path will get you to the top in 75 minutes. The view is glorious and includes the hills of mid-Wales (Cadair Idris, Plynlymon, the Arans and Berwyns), the Marches (the Wrekin, the Shropshire Hills, the Clee Hills), the Black Mountains and the Forest of Dean, the Cotswolds, the Mendips and the Quantocks, the Bristol Channel and Exmoor, Lundy and Gower. On the clearest of days there are glimpses of Snowdonia, 90 miles away.

	Pen-y-Ghent Location: Yorkshire Dales, Ribblesdale Grid Ref: SD 838733 Height: 2278 ft (694 m) Status: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall Notes: One of the "Three Peaks" of the Yorkshire Dales, Pen-y-Ghent is a great whaleback hill with a distinctive double cliff on its southern spur. The upper and lower cliffs are formed of gritstone and limestone respectively. The rocky summit of the hill is crossed by a drystone wall. Pen-y-Ghent is on the route of the Pennine Way and also lies on the main watershed of Britain. Views are extensive, though are perhaps at their best to the west and northwest, encompassing Ribblesdale, Ingleborough and Whernside. The hill is a straightforward climb from Horton in Ribblesdale, a distance of 3 miles with some 1500 ft of ascent. Don't miss Hull Pot and Hunt Pot, spectacular limestone potholes both just off route.

	Periton Hill Location: Exmoor Grid Ref: SS 946442 Height: 973 ft (297 m) Status: Marilyn Notes: This summit is the highest point of a long ridge of heathland laying south of Minehead, on the Somerset coast. The trig point itself is fairly well hidden by trees and stands atop an old stone wall. Periton Hill is an easy walk from Minehead; the most straightforward approach is to walk through the town's residential streets to Hopcott, follow the woodland track up to the ridge, then walk to the west for just under a mile. Thanks to the surround of woodland there is little view, but from various spots in the vicinity you can see the bulk of Exmoor including Dunkery Beacon, Gallax Hill south of Dunster, eastwards to the Quantocks and north across Minehead and the Bristol Channel to Wales.

	Pike O'Stickle Location: Lake District, Central Fells Grid Ref: NY 274073 Height: 2326 ft (709 m) Status: Wainwright, Hewitt, Nuttall Notes: One of the Langdale Pikes, Pike O'Stickle's shapely topknott commands a fine view over Langdale itself, Windermere and the south east lakes, and across to Lonsdale. It's really just a top of High Raise but its profile and position make it a prized conquest for hillwalkers. The ascent of its summit tor is actually quite tricky and the fainthearted may well think twice. It can be included in a round of the Pikes, or can be climbed individually by way of Stake Pass, Easedale, Stickle Ghyll or Dungeon Ghyll.

	Pinhaw Beacon Location: Aire Gap, West Yorkshire Grid Ref: SD 944473 Height: 1273 ft (388 m) Status: Clement Notes: Pinhaw Beacon is on the route of the Pennine Way and is the highest part of a sprawl of unimproved heather moorland between Colne and Skipton. Skipton itself is in view from the summit, which can be ascended very easily from the minor road crossing Elslack Moor, only ten minutes' walk away.

	Raise Location: Lake District, Eastern Fells Grid Ref: NY 342174 Height: 2889 ft (883 m) Status: Wainwright, Hewitt, Nuttall Notes: The thirteenth highest summit in England, a height reached by virtue of Raise being one of Helvellyn's northern neighbours. Raise lays between the Glenridding mine track and Stick's Pass, each of which offer straightforward ascents (and from Raise it's little more than a stroll to Helvellyn itself). The rocky summit, a novelty on this otherwise grassy ridge, provides an interesting foreground to a grand summit vista.

	Rampsgill Head Location: Lake District, Eastern Fells Grid Ref: NY 442128 Height: 2598 ft (792 m) Status: Wainwright, Hewitt, Nuttall Notes: Situated atop the dogleg in the High Street ridge just north of High Street itself, Rampsgill Head stands at the head of both Ramps Gill (to the northwest) and Riggindale Beck (to the southeast) and boasts a pretty good panorama. The outcrop of rocks pictured appears to be the highest point, though a similar outcrop a couple of hundred metres to the southwest is actually a superior viewpoint and does appear to be the true head of Ramps Gill. Standing as it does at the crossroads of the High Street ridge and Wainwright's Coast to Coast route, it boasts a choice of four ascent routes; that from Ullswater is probably the most popular.

	Rannerdale Knotts Location: Lake District, North Western Fells Grid Ref: NY 167183 Height: 1165 ft (355 m) Status: Wainwright, Clement Notes: Just a 45 minute climb from Buttermere, this rocky little summit is a very rewarding climb for the minimum effort involved. An offshoot of Whiteless Pike in the Grasmoor group, Rannerdale Knotts has a commanding view over both Buttermere and Crummock Water, and in the other direction offers a superb view of the wild slopes of Grasmoor and Whiteless Pike.

	Red Beck Top Location: Lake District, Southern Fells Grid Ref: NY 242097 Height: 2365 ft (721 m) Status: Hewitt, Nuttall Notes: A nameless top on the high ridge between Allen Crags and Glaramara. Since it qualifies as both a Nuttall and a Hewitt, it has been named after the nearest watercourse for inclusion in the Nuttall list (though the Hewitt list gives it as Glaramara South Top), Typically rocky, like all the tops in this area. The summit has fine views of the Langdale Pikes and Coniston fells (as pictured) as well as Great End and the Gables.

	Red Screes Location: Lake District, Eastern Fells Grid Ref: NY 396087 Height: 2546 ft (776 m) Status: Wainwright, Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall Notes: Red Screes lays to the east of the Fairfield horseshoe overlooking Kirkstone Pass. The ridge rises just north of the town of Ambleside and Red Screes can be ascended from the town in around two and a half hours. The mountain dominates the northern end of Windermere and the views from its summits are excellent, taking in just about all the major Lakeland fells apart from Skiddaw and Blencathra. It is unusual in having a substantial tarn adjacent to its summit.

	Rhos Dirion Location: Black Mountains Grid Ref: SO 211334 Height: 2339 ft (713 m) Status: Nuttall Notes: The Black Mountains are a range of north-south heathland ridges just west of the England/Wales border, and their northern terminations form a series of splendid little summits. Rhos Dirion is one of these, laying to the west of its immediate neighbour Twmpa. Although higher than Twnpa it has lesser topological status as there is only 90 metres of reascent from its parent fell back along the ridge. It is equally well climbed from Gospel Pass in the east (via Twmpa) or from Talgarth in the west, though there is rather less ascent from Gospel Pass. The view to the north is excellent, taking in much of rural Powys and Herefordshire, while the bulk of the Black Mountains lays to the south and the Brecon Beacons are well presented to the southwest.

	Rombalds Moor (a.k.a. Ilkley Moor) Location: West Yorkshire, Lower Wharfedale Grid Ref: SE 114452 Height: 1320 ft (402 m) Status: Marilyn, Clement Notes: So near the big cities of industrial Yorkshire, yet so wild! Rombalds Moor is a stretch of virgin moorland laying between the Wharfe and the Aire only seven miles from the centre of Bradford, and directly between Ilkley and Keighley. The moor's edges feature some excellent rock scenery, notably the Cow & Calf Rocks above Ilkley. The moor itself is empty save for a handful of tracks, a rickety old stone wall and a couple of radio masts. The trig pillar is only twelve minutes' walk from the car park at the end of the high road up from Keighley, but is perhaps better visited on a traverse from Ilkley to Keighley or vice versa. Ilkley Moor itself is an excellent place for the novice walker to get some moorland experience.

	Ryder's Hill Location: Dartmoor Grid Ref: SX 660691 Height: 1691 ft (515 m) Status: Dewey Notes: Ryder's Hill is the highest top in the southeastern quarter of Dartmoor. It stands a few kilometres south of Dartmeet and not far off the route of the Two Moors Way. It could be climbed in under an hour from the motor road at Comberstone Tor and is at the northern end of an easy ridgewalk including Puper's Hill and Snowdon. There are splendid views across the valleys of both branches of the river Dart.

	Saint Sunday Crag Location: Lake District, Eastern Fells Grid Ref: NY 369134 Height: 2759 ft (841 m) Status: Wainwright, Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall Notes: The highest summit on the long northeastern ridge that Fairfield sends out towards Ullswater, St Sunday Crag is a splendid mountain in its own right. Its steep slopes make it appear formidable yet it can be ascended without too much hassle, either from Grizedale Tarn or along the ridge from either direction. Little can be seen of Ullswater from the summit but the views of Helvellyn, Fairfield and the High St range are especially good.

	Sale Fell Location: Lake District, North Western Fells Grid Ref: NY 194296 Height: 1178 ft (359 m) Status: Wainwright, Clement Notes: Sale Fell stands more or less on the northwestern edge of the Lakeland fells, overlooking Bassenthwaite. Its position gives it an excellent panorama across Cumbria's coastal plain and across the Solway Firth to Scotland, while the view of Skiddaw to the east (illustrated, left) is particularly good. The fell may easily be climbed from the Kelswick farm road above Embleton.

	Sandy Hillock Location: Scottish Highlands, Mounth Grid Ref: NO 266804 Height: 2520 ft (768 m) Status: Corbett top Notes: Sandy Hillock is a top of Broad Cairn, and lays about 500 metres off the track from Loch Muick to its parent. There is a path of sorts along the northeast shoulder of the hill, from the main track to the top. The summit is not terribly interesting save for the view along the length of Glen Clova (pictured).

	Scafell Pike Location: Lake District, Southern Fells Grid Ref: NY 215072 Height: 3210 ft (978 m) Status: Wainwright, Furth Munro, Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall, County Top (Cumbria), Country Top (England) Notes: Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England. And there is no doubt that it's a mountain and not just a hill - it's rocky rather than grassy, it's got two other "tops" as well as the principal summit, it has extensive boulder fields, it has crags and gullies and ravines, and it has snow lying until late spring. The summit panorama consists largely of countless similar craggy fells nearby, though further afield it's possible to see Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man. It's relatively straightforward to climb, although some walkers will find the boulder fields tedious. The standard route is from Seathwaite at the end of Borrowdale, via Stockley Bridge, Grains Gill and Esk Hause. I don't recommend the alternative "corridor route", which is great ankle-breaking country. Shorter and steeper ascents can be made from Wasdale.

Homepage; Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

This page last updated 21st July 2010

590