The Howgill Fells
If you have driven north on the M6 past Tebay, you have seen them: smooth, steep-sided, grassy whalebacks with almost no wall or fence on them, looking nothing like the rocky Lakeland fells a few miles west. People reach this site looking for them, so here is the short answer.
The Howgills are not in the Lake District. They lie east of the M6, between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, in the triangle of Sedbergh, Ravenstonedale and Tebay — inside the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and in Westmorland and Furness.
They are also not Wainwrights. None of the 214 fells in the Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells is a Howgill, and none appears in The Outlying Fells of Lakeland either. Wainwright wrote about them in a separate volume, Walks on the Howgill Fells (1972).
Getting there, and the M6 works from 2027
Almost everyone arrives at M6 junction 38 (Tebay) or drives in from Sedbergh. That junction sits at the north end of the Lune Gorge, where National Highways plans to replace the decks of seven bridges carrying the M6 between junctions 37 and 38. Main works are scheduled to run from spring 2027 to summer 2031, using contraflow on the motorway while the decks are replaced.
What is not yet decided. National Highways says it is still “reviewing how main works on the M6 Lune Gorge structures scheme will be delivered”, and that a non-statutory public consultation of at least six weeks has not yet launched. No closure of junction 38 during the main works has been announced, so if you are planning a Howgills day in 2027 or later, check the scheme page nearer the time rather than assuming either way. Nothing about the main works affects a visit today — the only work currently scheduled is maintenance to the undersides of the Tebay and Borrowbeck bridges from 7 September to the end of November 2026. Source: National Highways, M6 Lune Gorge structures (opens in new tab), checked 24 August 2026.
The main tops
The high ground is one broad, grassy massif rather than a chain of separate peaks. Heights and classifications below come from the same hill database that drives the rest of this site.
| Summit | Height | Also classed as |
|---|---|---|
| The Calf | 677 m | Ma, Sim, Hew, N |
| Calders | 675 m | Sim, Hew, N |
| Fell Head | 640 m | Sim, Hew, N |
| Yarlside | 639 m | Ma, Sim, Hew, N |
| Randygill Top | 624 m | Hu, Sim, Hew, N |
| Arant Haw | 605 m | Sim |
The highest is The Calf at 677 m (2,221 ft). For scale, that would place it about 99th of the 214 Wainwrights — between Sheffield Pike (676 m) and Loft Crag (682 m). A genuine hill day, even if the walking underfoot is far gentler than most of Lakeland.
They are on lists we publish — just not this site’s ones
Several Howgill tops are HuMPs, Marilyns and Nuttalls in their own right. Our pages for those lists cover the Lakeland members only, which is why the counts there read “so many of the national total” rather than claiming the lot. If you are working through a national list rather than a Lakeland one, the Howgills belong on your tally — they are simply outside what we walk and check.
Why we don’t cover them
This site is built on the Lakeland rounds — the Wainwrights, the Outlying Fells, the Birketts and the classifications that overlap them. Every fell page here carries conditions, parking, hazards and, where we have walked it, a route. We hold none of that for the Howgills.
We would rather say so than publish thirty thin pages to look comprehensive. If you want them properly, Wainwright’s own book is still the one to have, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park is the authority for access and conditions.
Common questions
Where are the Howgill Fells?
They lie east of the M6 between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, in the triangle formed by Sedbergh, Ravenstonedale and Tebay. Administratively they sit in Westmorland and Furness.
Are the Howgill Fells in the Lake District?
No. They are in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, not the Lake District National Park. They are close enough to be seen from the eastern Lakeland fells on a clear day, which is where most of the confusion comes from.
Did Wainwright write about the Howgill Fells?
Yes, but in a separate book. Walks on the Howgill Fells (1972) is its own volume - the Howgills are not among the 214 fells of the Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells (1955-66), and they are not in The Outlying Fells of Lakeland (1974) either.
Why are there no Howgill fell pages on this site?
Because this site covers the Lakeland rounds. Our fell pages are built from the Wainwright, Outlying and Birkett lists and the classifications that overlap them, and no Howgill summit carries any of those. Rather than publish thin pages for hills we do not walk or check, we would rather point you somewhere better.
Looking for the Lakeland fells instead? Start with the Wainwrights map — all 214 fells, or the Outlying Fells for the quieter fringes.