Harter Fell (Mardale) Summit Cairn

Not to be confused with the Lake District’s other Harter Fell above Eskdale, Mardale’s Harter Fell is a grand mountain and the hub of three ridges overlooking the heads of a trio of gorgeous valleys. It’s the parent peak of the Kentmere Horseshoe’s eastern arm, its summit rising to an impressive 2,552 feet (778 m).

It’s a mountain that displays a different character depending on which valley you gaze up from. To Mardale it throws down a steep, craggy, wrinkled face, which drops for some 1,300 feet (400 m) to the valley floor. From Kentmere, it’s a graceful upland of sweeping green flanks, culminating in a table-top summit.

A broad, Lakeland giant overlooking the heads of three beautiful valleys

At the junction of three ridges and surrounded by lower Wainwrights, Harter Fell often forms the high point of a peak-bagging raid. Many approaches make use of the craggy and atmospheric Nan Bield Pass between Kentmere and Mardale, via the delightful Small Water, regarded by some as the finest tarn in the national park.

To the east of the summit is the Gatescarth Pass between Mardale and Longsleddale, yet another access point to the high fells. This would have once linked the communities of Longsleddale and the now submerged village of Mardale, which was purposefully condemned to its underwater fate by the creation of Haweswater Reservoir in 1935. The Haweswater Hotel is the ideal accommodation for ascents from Mardale.

Harter Fell’s summit is adorned by the odd sight of a cairn intermingled with iron fence posts and railings, which is almost frightening to behold in mist. The plateau is broad, which can rob the panorama of foreground interest. However, an exploration of its edges can bring things to life, such as a magnificent view down the full length of Haweswater.