761 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells+3 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud
Mardale Ill Bell at 761m (2,497ft) is the southern end of the High Street massif above Mardale Head, a rocky summit with fine views of Haweswater and the Kentmere Horseshoe.
Summit conditions on Mardale Ill Bell
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 4°C, gusts to 57 mph, 11.2 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.
Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.
Wind on the top
Past the line
57mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour
The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 46 mph times our exposure factor of 1.24. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 57 mph, before any exposure factor.
under 25
25–35
35–45
45–55
55+
The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS (opens in new tab) describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.
Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.
Rain, and the becks
Past the line
11.2mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight
The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.
The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.
Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.
Also checkedcold: feels like −1 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 22 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.
Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.
Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data
Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →
Choose the way up before the car park: these four routes start from two places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.
Hands for a few steps: the climb up Kidsty Howes (km 0.0–4.4).
Hands for a few steps: Rough Crag and the Riggindale ridge (km 1.6–3.1).
Hands for a few steps: the first drop off Ill Bell towards Froswick (km 6.2–6.6). The initial drop off Ill Bell toward Froswick is steep and rough — you may need hands; it eases quickly.
Exposure
Hard
Hard
Hard
Not assessed
Navigation
Hard
Hard
Moderate
Hard
Steepest stretch
Descent of about 32% at 11.2 km (Hard)
Climb of about 34% at 2.6 km (Hard)
Climb of about 36% at 4.2 km (Severe)
Climb of about 23% at 11.8 km (Moderate)
After the summit
Over High Street, The Knott (High Street), Rampsgill Head, High Raise (High Street) and Kidsty Pike
Over Harter Fell (Mardale) and Little Harter Fell
Over Harter Fell (Mardale), Little Harter Fell, Branstree and Selside Pike
Over Harter Fell (Mardale), Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts
Walked or planned
Walked by Lee, July 2025
Walked in part; km 11.0–15.1 from the map
Walked by Lee, February 2025
Walked in part; km 0.0–2.2, km 7.6–10.0, km 17.5–20.2 from the map
Car park at the start
Mardale Head, Haweswater (free)
Mardale Head, Haweswater (free)
Mardale Head, Haweswater (free)
Kentmere Institute (donation, very limited)
Bus to the start
Nearest stop 8.7 km on foot
Nearest stop 8.6 km on foot
Nearest stop 8.7 km on foot
Nearest stop 5.4 km on foot
Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.
Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →
Is Mardale Ill Bell hard?
Approached along the High Street ridge it is barely a climb; from Mardale Head it is a steep pull up to Nan Bield Pass and a rocky one from there. The ridge between the summit and the pass is steep and rocky with awkward steps, so take it carefully, above all when it is wet or iced.
Its eastern side is what makes it worth care: the fell is ringed by the crag-bound hollows holding Blea Water and Small Water, and the ground drops abruptly into them from close to the ridge. Our round over it is 13.7 km with 904 m of ascent; the Mardale Horseshoe is 15.3 km and 929 m. Both are graded hard for navigation — the plateau up here gives you very little to steer by.
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — at the start of Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty Pike, Mardale Horseshoe and Mardale circuit
Free but small and fills very early — High Street, Harter Fell, Kidsty Pike, Branstree. Five routes on this site start here, among them the 'Mardale Horseshoe' and the 'Mardale circuit'. Fees: Free parking; donation cairn with suggested £2 contribution (cash only - no mobile signal) plus a Mountain Rescue donation cairn (wildhaweswater.co.uk) (United Utilities, checked August 2026). Staying overnight in a vehicle or tent is banned here without the landowner's written consent (Westmorland and Furness Council, Public Spaces Protection Order 2026 No. 008, in force 18 March 2026). Open 24/7 (United Utilities, checked August 2026).
If it is full: Branstree (layby) (0.2 km)a few spaces only; Branstree, north (layby) (0.8 km)a few spaces only
Kentmere Institute (donation, very limited) — at the start of Kentmere Horseshoe
Tiny: about eight spaces, so arrive early, and do not assume the verges are allowed. Kentmere Horseshoe: Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick, Kentmere Pike. The box is a donation box, not a machine (OpenStreetMap, 2026-07-24 extract).
Branstree (layby) — 2.4 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Rough Crag (Riggindale), High Street, Mardale Ill Bell and Harter Fell (Mardale) — the 'Mardale circuit' route starts 166 m away. Also serves 'Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty Pike'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.
Buses
The nearest bus stop we hold is the 508 at Troutbeck, opposite Limefitt Park, 5.4 km of walking from the start — no bus route we hold serves it.
A fell on the High Street massif above Mardale Head, ringed on its eastern side by the crag-bound craters of Blea Water and Small Water and dropping to the steep, rocky Nan Bield Pass. The broad summit links into the featureless High Street plateau, so navigation matters, and the connecting ridges and pass are rocky and exposed. Penrith Mountain Rescue Team covers this Haweswater ground.
Crags above Blea Water & Small Water: The eastern side falls to the Mardale Waters — Blea Water and Small Water sit in crater coves ringed by crags. Keep back from the edges above them, especially in cloud or wind where the broad ground gives little warning before the drop.
Nan Bield Pass (steep rocky ridge): The narrowing ridge down to Nan Bield Pass and up toward Harter Fell is steep and rocky with awkward steps; the path is rough underfoot. Take care with footing, and note the stone shelter at the pass is only a last-resort refuge. Exposed in wind.
Broad summit & High Street plateau navigation: The top merges into the wide, featureless High Street plateau, a classic place to lose your bearings in mist. Take a compass bearing before moving between Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, Nan Bield and the Mardale descent.
Who should attempt this fell: Mardale Ill Bell is straightforward in clear weather but sits among serious ground — keep well back from the crags above the Mardale Waters, take the rocky Nan Bield ridge carefully, and navigate by compass where it meets the featureless High Street plateau. It is a fair way in from Mardale Head, so allow time, and treat the pass and edges as full winter terrain when there is snow or ice.
What to watch for: Walkers straying toward the crags above Blea Water / Small Water in poor visibility · Slips on the steep, rocky Nan Bield Pass ridge and steps · Navigation errors on the broad summit and adjoining High Street plateau in cloud · Exposure on the pass and plateau in strong wind or winter
Safety: Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.
A small rocky top on the edge of the broad High Street plateau, with crags above Blea Water and Small Water on its eastern side; take a bearing before leaving it in mist. Take care in poor visibility — carry map and compass, and know how to use them.
In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.
How Mardale Ill Bell compares with all 214: the Clag Index (experimental).
If you need Mountain Rescue
Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.
Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.
Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.
If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.
Walked and described first-hand by Lee — a big mountain day (≈12½ miles / ~3,500 ft, 5¾–7¾ hours of walking). Start early, carry OS Explorer OL7 and a compass (the eastern ridge walls and fences are vital handrails in mist), and know the escape options.
Download GPXWalked in part, May 2026 · km 0.0–2.2, km 7.6–10.0, km 17.5–20.2 from the map
Warnings: The left-hand ladder stile between Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts has a big, almost-vertical drop on the far side — take care, and lift or handle dogs, which often refuse it. Wray Crag on the final descent has a grooved sloping slab: an easy step in the dry, slippery when wet. The initial drop off Ill Bell toward Froswick is steep and rough — you may need hands; it eases quickly. Keep clear of Ill Bell's craggy eastern edge above Kentmere Reservoir — stay on the broad ridge by the cairns. Parking at Kentmere (village hall / St Cuthbert's church) is very limited — only a handful of spaces — so arrive early. Harter Fell (Mardale): The ridge from Nan Bield Pass to the top is narrow, with steep drops on both sides, particularly along the lip of Black John Hole. Take it steadily, keep to the path, and it is best avoided in strong wind or when iced. The eastern and western slopes are both too steep to be used by walkers, and the Kentmere side falls in fans of scree to the River Kent. Don't be tempted to drop off the ridge in either direction; keep to the crest, and leave it only by an established path such as Scot Rake from the col north of Froswick, which our Troutbeck route uses. Harter Fell (Mardale): Crags ring the fell and overlook Small Water and Mardale; they block any direct ascent for good reason. Keep back from the edges near the summit, especially in cloud or wind where the broad top hides the drop. Mardale Ill Bell: The eastern side falls to the Mardale Waters — Blea Water and Small Water sit in crater coves ringed by crags. Keep back from the edges above them, especially in cloud or wind where the broad ground gives little warning before the drop. Ill Bell: The ridge turns north-west at the summit, so it is not safe to simply head north off the top — that leads toward steep ground. Among the several tall cairns it's easy to take the wrong line in mist. Take a compass bearing and follow the correct ridge.
Warnings:High Street: In winter the plateau holds snow and offers no shelter or reference points, and cornices and ice form along the crag edges above Blea Water. Whiteout navigation here is genuinely serious — full winter skills, ice axe and crampons needed, and extra margin kept from the corniced edge. Harter Fell (Mardale): Crags ring the fell and overlook Small Water and Mardale; they block any direct ascent for good reason. Keep back from the edges near the summit, especially in cloud or wind where the broad top hides the drop. Mardale Ill Bell: The eastern side falls to the Mardale Waters — Blea Water and Small Water sit in crater coves ringed by crags. Keep back from the edges above them, especially in cloud or wind where the broad ground gives little warning before the drop. High Street: Broad, flat and almost featureless, with few landmarks to fix on. In cloud it is very easy to walk off on the wrong bearing and end up above crags or descending into the wrong valley. Take a compass bearing before you leave the summit and trust it — don't navigate by the vague feel of the slope. High Street: The eastern rim drops in steep crags to Blea Water, the deepest tarn in the Lakes. The Long Stile ridge is the narrow, craggy crest along this edge. Keep well back from the lip in wind or mist; the ground that looks like a continuation of the plateau ends abruptly in cliffs. Harter Fell (Mardale): The ridge from Nan Bield Pass to the top is narrow, with steep drops on both sides, particularly along the lip of Black John Hole. Take it steadily, keep to the path, and it is best avoided in strong wind or when iced.
Download GPXWalked in part, July 2025 · km 11.0–15.1 from the map
Warnings:High Street: In winter the plateau holds snow and offers no shelter or reference points, and cornices and ice form along the crag edges above Blea Water. Whiteout navigation here is genuinely serious — full winter skills, ice axe and crampons needed, and extra margin kept from the corniced edge. Harter Fell (Mardale): Crags ring the fell and overlook Small Water and Mardale; they block any direct ascent for good reason. Keep back from the edges near the summit, especially in cloud or wind where the broad top hides the drop. High Street: Broad, flat and almost featureless, with few landmarks to fix on. In cloud it is very easy to walk off on the wrong bearing and end up above crags or descending into the wrong valley. Take a compass bearing before you leave the summit and trust it — don't navigate by the vague feel of the slope. Mardale Ill Bell: The eastern side falls to the Mardale Waters — Blea Water and Small Water sit in crater coves ringed by crags. Keep back from the edges above them, especially in cloud or wind where the broad ground gives little warning before the drop. Harter Fell (Mardale): The ridge from Nan Bield Pass to the top is narrow, with steep drops on both sides, particularly along the lip of Black John Hole. Take it steadily, keep to the path, and it is best avoided in strong wind or when iced. Rampsgill Head: Ridges to The Knott/Rest Dodd, High Raise, High Street and the Straits of Riggindale all meet here over pathless, boggy ground. In mist it is easy to take the wrong arm. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the summit. High Street: The eastern rim drops in steep crags to Blea Water, the deepest tarn in the Lakes. The Long Stile ridge is the narrow, craggy crest along this edge. Keep well back from the lip in wind or mist; the ground that looks like a continuation of the plateau ends abruptly in cliffs.
Warnings:High Street: In winter the plateau holds snow and offers no shelter or reference points, and cornices and ice form along the crag edges above Blea Water. Whiteout navigation here is genuinely serious — full winter skills, ice axe and crampons needed, and extra margin kept from the corniced edge. Rampsgill Head: Ridges to The Knott/Rest Dodd, High Raise, High Street and the Straits of Riggindale all meet here over pathless, boggy ground. In mist it is easy to take the wrong arm. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the summit. High Street: The eastern rim drops in steep crags to Blea Water, the deepest tarn in the Lakes. The Long Stile ridge is the narrow, craggy crest along this edge. Keep well back from the lip in wind or mist; the ground that looks like a continuation of the plateau ends abruptly in cliffs. High Street: Broad, flat and almost featureless, with few landmarks to fix on. In cloud it is very easy to walk off on the wrong bearing and end up above crags or descending into the wrong valley. Take a compass bearing before you leave the summit and trust it — don't navigate by the vague feel of the slope. Kidsty Pike: The southern edge falls over crag and scree about 1,500 ft into Riggindale, and the summit crest steepens through a turret of rock and broken ground. Keep back from the southern edge, take the rocky steps carefully, and don't drift toward the drop in cloud or wind. Mardale Ill Bell: The eastern side falls to the Mardale Waters — Blea Water and Small Water sit in crater coves ringed by crags. Keep back from the edges above them, especially in cloud or wind where the broad ground gives little warning before the drop.
The Ill Bell ridge is reached over Thornthwaite Crag, 1.6 km to the west; from the summit Froswick and Ill Bell are 2 to 3 km away to the south-west. The Nan Bield Pass below is one of the great Lakeland mountain passes, connecting Mardale and Kentmere. Most naturally combined with Ill Bell and Froswick for the superb Kentmere Horseshoe.
Field notes
If I had to think of an archetypal Wainwright summit it would be this: great views to a couple of tarns; the meeting point for a few different walks; a small craggy summit with the typical pile of stones; somewhere to sit and take it all in. I don't know who placed the sharp rock at the top pointing to the sky, but it gives this peak a very distinctive character.
This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.
The summit is also a Birkett.
Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →
The view from Mardale Ill Bell
The 360° skyline from Mardale Ill Bell
A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.
drag to pan · arrow keys
The skyline as a list, by direction
North: Kidsty Pike (2 km), Rampsgill Head (3 km), High Raise (3 km), Low Raise (4 km)
North-east: Cross Fell (34 km)
South-east: Harter Fell (1 km)
South-west: Froswick (2 km), Ill Bell (3 km), Wetherlam (18 km), Little Carrs (20 km), Swirl How (20 km), Great Carrs (20 km), Great How (20 km), Brim Fell (21 km), The Old Man of Coniston (21 km), White Maiden (24 km), Demming Crag (25 km), Harter Fell (25 km), Black Combe (40 km), Black Combe South Top (40 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (177 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (165 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (197 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (184 km, Wales), Yr Eifl (198 km, Wales), Craig Cwm Silyn (184 km, Wales), Pendle Hill (77 km, England), Gyrn Ddu (194 km, Wales).
Mardale Ill Bell sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 February) first light is only 3 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.
Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.
Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
First light
Almanac sunrise
Difference
Midsummer
04:36 BST ±5.0 min
04:36
—
Equinox
06:11 GMT ±5.0 min
06:14
-3 min
Midwinter
08:33 GMT ±5.0 min
08:32
+1 min
The northern horizon stands at about 0.77° from here.
Last light — when the sun leaves Mardale Ill Bell
Mardale Ill Bell loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls at midsummer, when last light is 28 minutes before almanac sunset — 21:23 against 21:51. The sun goes down to the north-west from here (309.2°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.79°.
The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last light
Almanac sunset
Difference
Midsummer
21:23 BST ±5.0 min
21:51
-28 min
Equinox
18:21 GMT ±5.0 min
18:25
-4 min
Midwinter
15:56 GMT ±5.0 min
15:48
+8 min
These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.
What you can see from Mardale Ill Bell
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
20Wainwrights in view+17 marginal
177 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Morecambe Bay
On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.
How the view from Mardale Ill Bell compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.
How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed
Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Mardale Ill Bell. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes.
Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. Corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.
We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).
