Yewbarrow 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 Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle o ...

, 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 ...

, which lies immediately north of the head of

Wast Water Wast Water or Wastwater () is a lake located in Wasdale, a valley in the western part of the Lake District National Park, England. The lake is almost long and more than wide. It is a glacial lake, formed in a glacially 'over-deepened' valle ...

. It is 628 metres (2,060 feet) high and in shape resembles the upturned hull of a boat or a barrow. Yewbarrow is on the left in the classic view of

Great Gable Great Gable is a mountain in the Lake District, United Kingdom. It is named after its appearance as a pyramid from Wasdale, though it is dome-shaped from most other directions. It is one of the most popular of the Lakeland fells, and there are ...

and Wast Water. The top of Stirrup Crag forms a second summit 616 metres (2,021 feet) high, half a mile north of the main summit. The Hewitt and Nuttall lists classify the Yewbarrow North Top as a separate summit. The name is derived from the past prevalence of yew trees on the fell and its " barrow" shape.

Topography

The

Western Fells The Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Centred on Great Gable they occupy a triangular area between Buttermere and Wasdale. The Western Fells are characterised by high ridges and an abundance of naked rock. Partitio ...

occupy a triangular sector of the Lake District, bordered by the River Cocker to the north-east and

Wasdale Wasdale () is a valley and civil parish in the western part of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. The River Irt flows through the valley to its estuary at Ravenglass. A large part of the main valley floor is occupied by Wastwa ...

to the south-east. Westwards the hills diminish toward the coastal plain of Cumberland. At the central hub of the high country are

and its satellites, while two principal ridges fan out on either flank of Ennerdale, the western fells in effect being a great horseshoe around this long wild valley.

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'', published ...

: ''A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Volume 7 The Western Fells'': Westmorland Gazette (1966): Yewbarrow is an outlier of the southern arm. The main watershed runs broadly westwards from Great Gable, dividing the headwaters of Ennerdale and

. Travelling in this direction the principal hills are

Kirk Fell Kirk Fell is a fell in the Western part of the English Lake District. It is situated between Great Gable and Pillar on the long ring of fells surrounding the valley of Ennerdale, and also stands over Wasdale to the south. However, it is sepa ...

Pillar A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

Scoat Fell Scoat Fell is a fell in the western part of the English Lake District. It stands at the head of the Mosedale Horseshoe with its back to Ennerdale. Paths lead to Scoat Fell from Ennerdale over Steeple, from Wasdale over Red Pike, and along ...

, Haycock and Caw Fell. Scoat Fell throws out a long southern ridge terminating in Yewbarrow, with Red Pike standing part way along. The southern end of Yewbarrow rises steeply from the shore of

Wastwater Wast Water or Wastwater () is a lake located in Wasdale, a valley in the western part of the Lake District National Park, England. The lake is almost long and more than wide. It is a glacial lake, formed in a glacially 'over-deepened' valley ...

, the crest of the fell running a little east of north for about two miles. Just beyond the second top, the ridge swings sharply to the west at the depression of Dore Head (475 m. / 1,560 ft) continuing then onto Red Pike. The strath of Wasdale Head forms the eastern boundary of the fell with the quiet valley of Over Beck to the west. The ridge-top is rimmed by crags, particularly above Over Beck, and at either end. Stirrup Crag lies below the north summit, sometimes lending its name to the top, while Dropping Crag and Bell Rib guard the southern end of the crest.

Geology

The summit is formed from the

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...

lapilli Lapilli is a size classification of tephra, which is material that falls out of the air during a volcanic eruption or during some meteorite impacts. ''Lapilli'' (singular: ''lapillus'') is Latin for "little stones". By definition lapilli range f ...

-tuff and

breccia Breccia () is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or rocks cemented together by a fine-grained matrix. The word has its origins in the Italian language, in which it means "rubble". A breccia may have a variety of di ...

of the Lingmell Formation. The eastern slopes display the

rhyolitic Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...

rocks of the Long Top Member and Crinkle Member. The crags on the western face are outcrops of the

plagioclase Plagioclase is a series of tectosilicate (framework silicate) minerals within the feldspar group. Rather than referring to a particular mineral with a specific chemical composition, plagioclase is a continuous solid solution series, more prope ...

-phyric

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomi ...

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

s of the Birker Fell Formation.

British Geological Survey The British Geological Survey (BGS) is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. The BGS h ...

: 1:50,000 series maps, ''England & Wales Sheet 38'': BGS (1998)

Ascents

The view from the cairn put up by the Westmorland Brothers to the SW of the summit of Great Gable, showing Yewbarrow in right centre. Although smaller than the other fells surrounding

Wasdale Head Wasdale Head is a scattered agricultural hamlet in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Wasdale Head claims to be home of the highest mountain (Scafell Pike), deepest lake (Wastwater), smallest church and biggest liar in E ...

—

Scafell Pike Scafell Pike () is the highest and the most prominent mountain in England, at an elevation of above sea level. It is located in the Lake District National Park, in Cumbria, and is part of the Southern Fells and the Scafell massif. Scafell Pi ...

Scafell Scafell ( or ; also spelled Sca Fell, previously Scawfell) is a mountain in the English Lake District, part of the Southern Fells. Its height of makes it the second-highest mountain in England after its neighbour Scafell Pike, from which i ...

and

— the ascent of Yewbarrow by the two traditional routes involves some scrambling. There are two primary ascents to Yewbarrow from Wasdale Head, via Overbeck Bridge and the Great Door (a cleft in the rocks providing thrilling views of Wast Water) or via Dore Head and Stirrup Crag. It is possible to circumvent almost all the scrambling on the route via Great Door by taking a path to the left of the major gully, and a cairned track without any scrambling runs up the west side from below Stirrup Crag to the minor col between the two tops of Yewbarrow. It can also be climbed as part of the Mosedale Horseshoe, which can start or end at Yewbarrow and also includes Red Pike,

Steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

and Pillar.Bill Birkett:''Complete Lakeland Fells'': Collins Willow (1994):

Summit

The summit bears a

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

set on grass, perhaps a surprise after the rough ascent. Yewbarrow is an excellent vantage point for the high fells in this part of the Lake District. Its unique location makes it the only place to enjoy uninterrupted views of the Scafells, Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Pillar.

References

{{Western Fells Fells of the Lake District Nuttalls Hewitts of England Borough of Copeland