Ill Bell

With Yoke to the south and Froswick to the north, Ill Bell makes a switchback ridge between the Kentmere and Troutbeck valleys. The name probably comes from its bell shape. The summit is small and pointed, and much stonier than most Far Eastern tops. Several tall, well built cairns stand on and around it, which makes the fell easy to recognise from a distance.

The top is a good viewpoint. Windermere lies to the south, the Scafells are on the western skyline, and you can trace the whole of the Kentmere Horseshoe. Look over Nan Bield Pass and you can see Cross Fell and the Dun Fells in the Pennines.

On the Kentmere Horseshoe, Ill Bell comes early in the day. The start is the village hall in Kentmere, north of Staveley, with parking for fewer than half a dozen cars and an honesty box. Farmers sometimes open a field for parking, but you can't count on it, and the Kentmere Rambler bus has stopped running. Walk Lakes goes up the Garburn Pass, a very rough track, to Yoke. From there a good path runs north along the ridge to Ill Bell. The full horseshoe is about 20.7 km with 1,085 m of ascent. Allow a long day.

From Troutbeck you can climb to the ridge by the Garburn Road. Another line goes directly up from Hagg Gill through the northernmost quarry. From the Kentmere side, you can strike up from Kentmere Reservoir over Lead Howes.

The west flank drops steeply to Hagg Gill. On the east, Over Cove and Rainsborrow Cove have cut into the fell and left only narrow ridges linking it to its neighbours, with rough ground and scree running down towards the reservoir.