Place Fell: 657m Height, Walks and Ullswater Views

Place Fell rises above the eastern side of Ullswater, its broad, rocky upland contrasting with the long water below. At 657m, it is not among the district’s highest fells, but its position gives it an outlook that taller neighbours cannot quite repeat. Walkers come for the summit views towards Helvellyn, the open ground above Patterdale and the chance to combine a fell walk with Ullswater’s shore.

A rocky fell above Ullswater

Place Fell occupies a broad tract of high ground north-east of Patterdale, with Ullswater along its western and northern flanks and Boredale to the east. From the head of the lake, it forms a substantial barrier: steep lower slopes rise towards an uneven skyline rather than a single sharp peak. Higher up, the fell opens into a mixture of grass, rock outcrops and subsidiary tops.

The summit stands at 657m, or 2,156ft, at grid reference NY405169. A triangulation pillar marks the rocky top. The character of the view owes much to the fell’s position beside Ullswater: water, wooded lower slopes and the higher ridges beyond can all be read together. Across the valley, the Helvellyn range provides a strong western skyline, while the High Street fells occupy the country to the east and south-east.

Place Fell in the Far Eastern Fells

Place Fell appears in The Far Eastern Fells, Book Two of Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. It ranks 108th in height among the 214 Wainwrights. Its place in that group is particularly clear on a map: it stands on the Ullswater side of the region, distinct from the longer high ridges around High Street.

Boredale Hause is the important saddle at its southern end, separating Place Fell from the rising ground towards Angletarn Pikes. Beda Fell lies across Boredale, while Brock Crags and Hartsop Dodd belong to the wider neighbouring fell country. These relationships help explain why Place Fell works both as a day’s objective in its own right and as part of a broader exploration of the fells around Patterdale.

Summit walks and the Ullswater shore

Patterdale is a familiar starting point for Place Fell, with Boredale Hause featuring in a well-used approach. Walks also reach the fell from the Howtown and Sandwick side. The summit ground is open and rocky, so its moderate height should not be mistaken for shelter from wind or poor visibility.

One of the fell’s best-known associations is the lakeside path between Howtown and Patterdale, which passes beneath its Ullswater-facing slopes. This is a separate attraction from the summit, offering a lower-level perspective on the same landscape. Combining shore and fell gives a particularly clear sense of Place Fell’s scale, though the lakeside path is undulating rather than a flat promenade.

Where Place Fell stands

Summit at grid reference NY405169 · open full map

The real Place Fell

Walking Place Fell

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

• Hiking: Place Fell, Cumbria - OS Maps (explore.osmaps.com)
• Place Fell Walk (happyhiker.co.uk)
• Place Fell (another.place)

Weather on Place Fell

Conditions estimated at summit height (657 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Place Fell on your wall

A painting of Place Fell can bring back the shape of a familiar day: rock underfoot, Ullswater below and the Helvellyn skyline beyond. As a print or canvas at home, it offers a lasting connection to this distinctive corner of the Lakes.

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

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Far Eastern Fells

• Angletarn Pikes 566 m
• Brock Crags 561 m
• Beda Fell 509 m
• Hartsop Dodd 619 m

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