Steel Fell

The main north to south watershed of the Lake District runs over Steel Fell. Its southern slopes drain to Morecambe Bay, and the north side drains through Thirlmere to the River Derwent.

The fell is a rough triangle with three ridges. The most popular way up is the south east ridge from Gill Foot, where the lane out of Grasmere crosses Green Burn, and Grasmere's pay and display car parks are the place to leave a car. From the head of Thirlmere, the United Utilities car park at Steel End puts you at the foot of the north ridge, a steep grassy trudge with Thirlmere opening out behind you. There are also direct lines up the eastern face from the top of Dunmail Raise.

The ridges are grass, steep in places, with no rock to deal with. The summit plateau, about half a mile across, is dotted with small tarns and wet hollows, and the ground west towards Calf Crag is very boggy in any season.

The summit, named Dead Pike, has a large cairn of reddish stone with bits of old fence post stuck in it. North, over Thirlmere, you see Blencathra and Skiddaw. East is the Helvellyn range with Dollywaggon Pike and Seat Sandal, and to the south west a line of mountains runs as far as the Coniston Fells. Across the Wyth Burn valley stand Ullscarf and Nab Crags.

Steel Fell is usually the first top of the Greenburn Horseshoe from Grasmere, which goes on over Calf Crag, Gibson Knott and Helm Crag and back into the village, about 14 km in all.