Steeple is a fell in the English

Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...

. It is situated in the mountainous area between Ennerdale and Wasdale and reaches a height of . Steeple is really part of Scoat Fell, being just the rocky northern projection of that fell. However, because of its prominent peak and steep crags it has earned the reputation of being a separate fell. The Lake District writer Alfred Wainwright rated Steeple and its name very highly saying, ''“Seen on a map, it commands the eye and quickens the pulse, seen in reality it does the same“''.

Topography

Steeple’s close proximity to Scoat Fell robs it of being one of the best fells in the area; the two fells are linked by the Steeple arête with a lowest height of . The arête is stony and loose underfoot due to erosion and it is better to stick to the firmer rock along the crest. Scoat Fell is only higher than Steeple but the short distance between them means that the higher dominates the lower significantly.

Ascents

Steeple can be ascended from Wasdale or Ennerdale; it is usually climbed in conjunction with other nearby fells such as Pillar, Scoat Fell and Red Pike as part of the Mosedale Horseshoe walk. It can be climbed directly from Ennerdale by a public footpath that leaves the valley at grid reference and goes south through the forest to reach the open fell and climbs the north ridge of Steeple to reach the summit.

Summit

The top of the fell is a sharp peak with hardly room for a cairn. In fact there is room for only a few people and often there is a queue to stand at the highest point. The ground falls away sharply on all sides especially to Windgap Cove to the east. The view is limited by higher fells to the south and east but there is an excellent view of

Ennerdale Water Ennerdale Water is the most westerly lake in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is a glacial lake, with a maximum depth of 150 feet (45 metres), and is ½ mile to a mile (700 to 1,500 metres) wide and 2½ miles (3.9 kilo ...

and an opportunity to examine the nearby cliffs and hollows of Mirk and Mirklin Coves.

References

* A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, The Western Fells, Alfred Wainwright, * Complete Lakeland Fells,

Bill Birkett Thomas William Birkett (born 1952) better known as Bill Birkett is an English civil engineer, mountain writer, photographer and climber from the Lake District, Cumbria who has undertaken many expeditions around the world. Early life Bill Bi ...

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