Black Fell: Height, Walks and Views at 323 Metres

Black Fell is a low, wooded fell near Tarn Hows, with an open summit that gives far more outlook than its 323 metres might suggest. Its highest point, Black Crag, looks towards the Coniston fells, the Langdale Pikes and Windermere. This is a fell for walkers who enjoy the changing ground between woodland and rough pasture as much as the arrival at a summit.

Black Crag and the surrounding landscape

Black Fell occupies the lower country between Coniston and Windermere, north-east of Tarn Hows. Rather than a single steep-sided mass, it is an area of uneven ground, with rocky knolls, woodland and open grazing. Its summit is known as Black Crag, a name walkers will encounter on maps and in walking guides. The trig point marks the highest ground at 323 metres, or 1,060 feet, at grid reference NY340015.

The contrast between the wooded slopes and the open summit is central to its character. From the top, the view takes in much larger fells without requiring a climb into their higher terrain. The Coniston skyline and Langdale Pikes provide prominent landmarks, while Windermere brings a different scale to the eastern outlook. It is a useful place to see how the southern lakes, woods and fell groups fit together.

A small summit in The Southern Fells

Black Fell belongs to The Southern Fells, Book Four of Alfred Wainwright’s seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. It ranks 212th by height among the 214 Wainwrights, making it one of the lowest summits in the collection. Its inclusion offers a useful reminder that these books encompass more than the high ridges and celebrated climbing grounds of the central Lakes.

Within the same broad region lie Holme Fell, Wetherlam and Swirl How, while Lingmoor Fell stands towards Langdale. These nearby Wainwrights help place Black Fell in its wider setting, but they are separate walking objectives rather than parts of one continuous summit ridge. Black Fell’s appeal is its own: a modest ascent, varied lower-fell scenery and an unusually generous outlook for its height.

Walking country around Tarn Hows

Black Fell is closely associated with walks from the Tarn Hows area. The tarn’s wooded shores and the rougher, more open summit ground offer distinctly different experiences within the same outing. Tarn Hows is also a destination in its own right, so a walk in this area need not be organised solely around reaching the highest point.

For anyone planning an ascent, it is worth distinguishing the surfaced circuit of Tarn Hows from the fell paths beyond it. Low altitude does not mean uniformly easy footing: rough and wet ground still belongs to this landscape. A dedicated route guide and an appropriate map are better companions for choosing an approach than height alone.

Where Black Fell stands

Summit at grid reference NY340015 · open full map

The real Black Fell

Walking Black Fell

We make artwork, not route guides — these are the guides we'd point a friend to:

• Tarn Hows and Black Fell: an easy walk in the Lake District (walkmyworld.com)
• Tarn Hows to Black Crag | Lake District (nationaltrust.org.uk)
• Black Fell - Tarn Hows walk (andrewswalks.co.uk)

Weather on Black Fell

Conditions estimated at summit height (323 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Black Fell on your wall

A painting of Black Fell can recall more than the summit: the woodland below, the rough grass around Black Crag and the larger fells beyond. On a wall at home, that familiar landscape gives a favourite walk a lasting place in everyday life.

Own “Sunlit Ridge on Black Fell” — our painting of Black Fell → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Southern Fells

• Holme Fell 316 m
• Lingmoor Fell 470 m
• Wetherlam 763 m
• Swirl How 802 m

Part of our guide to all 214 Wainwrights — see the full index.