Broom Fell’s impressive summit cairn. Grisedale Pike holding off the cloud in the background.
Height: 1670 feet above sea level.
Volume: Book 6 (The Northwestern Fells)
Date climbed: First visit: 1st March 2012 (walk 52). Second visit: 21st August 2018 (walk 151).
Bagged as number: First round: 161 out of 330. [ << Graystones (160) (162) Lord’s Seat >> ].
Second round: 160 of 330. [ << Beda Fell (159) (161) Graystones >> ]
Broom Fell from Dale Head.
This and Graystones come the closest of all the fells since Walla Crag to occupy the same position on both rounds.
Route of ascent and descent: First visit: Arrived on the ridge from Graystones, left along the ridge to Lord’s Seat.
Second visit: Ascended from Aiken Beck. Left for Graystones.
What Mr Wainwright says (from page 2 of his chapter): “Broom Fell is the geographical centre of the upland mass rising between Bassenthwaite Lake in the north and Whinlatter Pass in the south, but acknowledges the superiority of a near and higher neighbour, Lord’s Seat, to which it is connected by a high ridge. There is little of interest on this rounded grassy hill, and nothing to justify a special visit to the summit…”
Broom Fell from Sale Fell, with the Wythop valley below, and Skiddaw to the left.
What I say: Broom Fell was first reached by me in the middle of a walk, and was one of those cases where I did not feel I learnt much about it, effort and attention having been expended on the climbing of other fells. This sense of indifference was then compounded by reaching the summit in mist and not even getting a view. The only distinctive feature was its unexpectedly impressive summit cairn, which I assume has been made from bits of the old wall. My second visit was done in (slightly) better weather and I gave it a proper climb from the valley of Aiken Beck below — even then, it remains a rather undistinguished fell. The climb up is not a bad one in terms of difficulty, but in summer there will be rampant bracken and other vegetation to deal with.
[…] and like many of my walks have in recent weeks, bagged me a couple of the more obscure Wainwrights; Broom Fell and Graystones. I’m a few days late with the details (due to having gone to Berlin and back […]