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761 m · Wainwright — Far Eastern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Mardale Ill Bell - a snow-streaked rocky summit and cairn, the winter sun behind cloud over hazy distant fells
Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Mardale Ill Bell

Mardale Ill Bell at 760m (2,495ft) is the southern end of the High Street massif above Mardale Head, a rocky summit with fine views of Haweswater and the Kentmere Horseshoe.

761 m
Height
~3.5–4.5 h
Typical time
+3
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Mardale Ill Bell

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

761 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+3 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 761 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 13°C, gusts to 38 mph, 15.1 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
14° / 13°
💨 38 mph
🌧 15.1 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.8 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
12° / 4°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 1°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 2°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
15° / 3°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 5°
💨 12 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (24%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 761 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Mardale Ill Bell

Mardale Ill Bell - a snow-streaked rocky summit and cairn, the winter sun behind cloud over hazy distant fells
© Lee McCoy

Mardale Ill Bell at 760m (2,495ft) is the southern end of the High Street massif above Mardale Head, a rocky summit with fine views of Haweswater and the Kentmere Horseshoe. Wainwright noted its excellent position at the junction of the High Street and Ill Bell ridges, with outstanding views south to the Ill Bell range and across to the Troutbeck valley. 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.

Routes up Mardale Ill Bell

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Kentmere Horseshoe
20.1 km · ~5.7 hr
The classic round of the Kentmere valley — a 20 km, ~1,030 m horseshoe over eight Wainwrights: up over Yoke and the shapely Ill Bell ridge to Thornthwaite Crag, then back over Mardale Ill Bell, Harter Fell, Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts. A long, high, broad-ridged day in the Far Eastern fells.
Mardale circuit
17.5 km · ~5.3 hr
Mardale Horseshoe
15.3 km · ~4.6 hr
Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty Pike
13.7 km · ~4.2 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
761 m
Height
2,497 ft
In feet
NY 4476 1012
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Mardale Head, Haweswater (free), about 2.1 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Mardale Ill Bell (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

1.3 km NNERough Crag (Riggindale)628 m · Far Eastern
2.2 km ESELittle Harter Fell681 m · Far Eastern
2.6 km ESEAdam Seat666 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Mardale Ill Bell

Kentmere HorseshoeRevised
20.14 km · ~1029 m ascent · loop · ~5.5–7.5 h
Summits: YokeIll BellFroswickThornthwaite CragMardale Ill BellHarter Fell (Mardale)Kentmere PikeShipman Knotts

✎️ Walked and described first-hand by Lee — a big mountain day (≈13 miles / ~3,700 ft, 6–8 hours). 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 GPX

⚠️ 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.

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Mardale circuitRevised
17.48 km · ~1099 m ascent · loop · ~5–7 h
Summits: Rough Crag (Riggindale)High StreetMardale Ill BellHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter FellBranstreeSelside Pike

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Mardale HorseshoeRevised
15.33 km · ~900 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6 h
Summits: Kidsty PikeRampsgill HeadThe Knott (High Street)High StreetMardale Ill BellHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter Fell

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty PikeRevised
13.7 km · ~862 m ascent · loop · ~4–5.5 h
Summits: Mardale Ill BellHigh StreetThe Knott (High Street)Rampsgill HeadHigh Raise (High Street)Kidsty Pike

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

The View 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
Computed 360-degree skyline from Mardale Ill Bell33 labelled tops shown (6 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 23 kmPillar · 28 kmFairfield · 9 kmCrinkle Crags · 21 kmHigh Street · 1 kmHigh Raise · 3 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 21 kmSwirl How · 20 kmRampsgill Head · 3 kmKidsty Pike · 2 kmHarter Fell · 1 kmIll Bell · 3 kmLow Raise · 4 kmCross Fell · 34 km · clear daysFroswick · 2 kmBranstree · 3 kmYoke · 4 kmBranstree NE Top · 4 kmSelside Pike · 4 kmHorsehow Crags · 24 kmRough Crag · 1 kmWard's Stone · 53 km · clear daysWasdale Pike · 9 kmBrown Howe · 4 kmBrunt Knott · 10 kmHarper Hills · 7 kmFour Stones Hill · 8 kmnameless · 11 kmMickle Fell · 39 km · clear daysHigh Knott · 10 kmCold Fell · 48 km · clear daysGrandsire · 13 kmWhitbarrow · 23 kmBowfell · 21 kmLittle Stand · 21 kmLittle Carrs · 20 kmBlack Combe · 40 km · clear daysThornthwaite Crag · 2 kmSeat Robert · 8 kmWansfell Pike · 8 kmPowleys Hill · 7 kmNaddle Low Forest · 7 kmBlake Rigg · 17 kmnameless · 6 kmKnipescar Common · 12 kmHugill Fell · 11 kmNine Standards Rigg · 38 km · clear daysNewton Fell North · 26 kmScout Scar · 19 kmSnowdon · 177 km · a handful of days a yearAran Fawddwy · 197 km · a handful of days a yearPendle Hill · 77 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 166 km · a handful of days a yearBoulsworth Hill · 89 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 109 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Mardale Ill Bell, 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)
  • West: Thornthwaite Crag (2 km), Red Screes (5 km), Hart Crag (8 km), Fairfield (9 km), Pike of Blisco (19 km), Cold Pike (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags (20 km), Shelter Crags (20 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (20 km), Bowfell (21 km), Crinkle Crags (21 km), Little Stand (21 km), Ill Crag (23 km), Broad Crag (23 km), Scafell Pike (23 km), Scafell (24 km), Pillar (28 km)
  • North-west: High Street (1 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).

Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

What you can see from Mardale Ill Bell

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
21Wainwrights in view+16 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.

Far horizons
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 177 km clear
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 161 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterSW · 69 km in view
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 47 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSW · 38 km in view
  • Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 34 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesNE · 34 km clear
All 21 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

High Street, Harter Fell (Mardale), Froswick, Kidsty Pike, Ill Bell, Rampsgill Head, Branstree, High Raise (High Street), Yoke, Selside Pike, Black Fell, Holme Fell, Wetherlam, Pike of Blisco, Cold Pike, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Dow Crag, Harter Fell (Eskdale)

How Mardale Ill Bell’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), 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.

Best parking to hike Mardale Ill Bell

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — 2.1 km from summit (straight line)
Free but small and fills very early — High Street, Harter Fell, Kidsty Pike, Branstree.
Directions
Hartsop village (free, donation) — 4.7 km from summit (straight line)
For Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, High Street via Hayeswater, Brock Crags.
Directions

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty Pike route:

🛖 map (6 m)🛖 map (6 m)🛖 map (6 m)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

Buses to Mardale Ill Bell from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Mardale Ill Bell (Strava)

2 logged hikes pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Hazard & Incident Information for Mardale Ill Bell

Hazard: Moderate

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. Patterdale 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.

Most common causes: 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

Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. 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.

Report incorrect information

Navigating Mardale Ill Bell in cloud

Straightforward

A rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.

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: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Mardale Ill Bell

Maps & guidebooks for Mardale Ill Bell

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