Ill Bell 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 moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of Man, pa ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Lake District, in the county of

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

, standing on the narrow ridge between the valleys of

Kentmere Kentmere is a valley, village and civil parish in the Lake District National Park, a few miles from Kendal in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. Historically in Westmorland, at the 2011 census Kentmere had a population of 1 ...

and Troutbeck.

Topography

To the north is

Froswick Froswick is a fell in the English Lake District, standing on the fine narrow ridge between the valleys of Kentmere and Troutbeck. Topography To the north is Thornthwaite Crag, while the adjoining fell to the south is Ill Bell. Froswick is s ...

, a strikingly similar lesser copy, while the adjoining fell to the south is

Yoke A yoke is a wooden beam sometimes used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, u ...

. Ill Bell appears from some directions to be a perfectly symmetrical bell-shaped peak, and 'Hill Bell' is one possible derivation of the name, quoted by

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

:''

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: With this form aped by Froswick, the ridge assumes an unmistakable 'roller-coaster' appearance when viewed in profile. The western side is steep and relatively smooth, falling not direct to the Troutbeck valley but to its main tributary, Hagg Gill. The low top of Troutbeck Tongue stands between the two valleys. The eastern Kentmere flank is rougher and steeper, falling in a great tumble of scree to the shore of Kentmere Reservoir. There is the hint of a ridge to the north-east over Leads Howe. North and south of Ill Bell the Kentmere face is gouged out by Over and Rainsborrow Coves respectively. These features have created the narrow ridges to Froswick and Yoke.

Ascents

The ridge is followed by a good path, and is the most usual route of ascent. Yoke and Ill Bell form the start of the popular Kentmere Horseshoe, returning ultimately down the ridge on the opposite side of Kentmere valley. The ridge is also commonly ascended from Troutbeck valley, via the Garburn Road. Direct ascents are also possible from the valley of Hagg Gill via the northernmost quarry, or striking up over Lead Howes from the reservoir in Kentmere.

Summit

The top of Ill Bell is small, peaked, and unusually stony for the

Far Eastern Fells The Far Eastern Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Reaching their highest point at High Street (828 metres or 2.718 ft.), they occupy a broad area to the east of Ullswater and Kirkstone Pass. Much quieter than the ...

. A number of columnar cairns have been built at the summit and at various points close by. These are big enough to enable easy recognition of the fell from a distance. The view of the Scafells is good and Ill Bell also gives a fine view of

Windermere Windermere (sometimes tautologically called Windermere Lake to distinguish it from the nearby town of Windermere) is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in length, and almost 1 mile (1.5 km) at its wides ...

. All the fells making up the Kentmere Horseshoe can be seen clearly, while

Cross Fell Cross Fell is the highest mountain in the Pennines of Northern England and the highest point in England outside the Lake District. It is located in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It lies within the county of Cumbria and ...

and the Dun Fells in the Pennines are in sight above Nan Bield Pass.

References

External links

Illustrated ascent from Troutbeck with downloadable route
{{Far Eastern Fells Fells of the Lake District Nuttalls Hewitts of England