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Name:Birks Fell
Hill number:2799
Height:610.4m / 2003ft
RHB Section:35B: The Central Pennines
Nuttall/Wainwright area:Yorkshire Dales - Southern Fells
County/UA:North Yorkshire
Catchment:Wharfe
Class:Marilyn, Hump, Simm, Hewitt, Nuttall,
Buxton & Lewis, Bridge, Clem
(Ma,Hu,Tu,Sim,Hew,N,BL,Bg,Cm)
Grid ref:SD 91879 76368
Summit feature:cairn
Drop:158.2m
Col:452.2m  SD 8364 7603  
OS map sheet(s):(1:50k) 98
(1:25k) OL30S
Observations:ground on S side of wall at SD 9162 7638 (610m spot on 1:25k map) is 2m lower
Survey:Leica Runner 20
Surveying Horse Head Moor and Birks Fell Jun 2006.doc
Surveying Birks Fell and Horsehead Moor 10-09-06 Final.doc
Comments:See Database Notes
Change log:show changes for this hill entry
GPS data:show GPS entries for this hill

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Logged Descriptions  (logged by 521 users, only the latest 50 shown - Show all)ByDate of Ascent
Buckden-Birks Fell-Beckermonds-Ribblehead linear walk; large icy patches made moving at any pace impossible. Clear day, great views.JOHNS07/02/2024
Nuttall Walk: EN 12.7 Yockenthwaite Moor, Horse Head Moor, and Birks Fell from Buckden. A beautiful sunny day, with extensive views. Ground very wet underfoot. 23km with 850m ascent taking 7 hours.silverwolf_alan11/12/2023
Horse Head Moor and Birks Fell from Halton Gill.RobB17/07/2023
From Hubberholme village: Yockenthwaite, Horse Head Moor and Birks Fell. Glorious summer day, warm and sunny throughout. Virtually all boggy areas were dry, despite how early in the year it was.Lazylizzie20/05/2023
First Nuttall of 2023.simocity05/02/2023
Parked outside the The Queens Arms in Litton and took the bridleway to Buckden. At its high point we turned right to the Trig then NW along the snowy path to Birks Fell. On to Horse Head Moor then down the Pennine Journey track to Halton Gill. Delightful sun and snow road walk back to the Queens Arms for lunch.summitter13/12/2022
Ascended from Litton with my black lab Marley. Lovely conditions. No bogs due to the drought. Tarn much reduced in size due to dry conditions. Also wandered over to Firth Fell trig before heading to the cairn to tick iff Birks Fell summit.pearsj2001/09/2022
Perfect dry underfoot conditions.conanharrod17/07/2022
LDWA Ulfkil Stride Challenge. Buckden - Horse Head Moor - Pen Y Ghent - Birk's Fell - Buckden. Tough 24 mile circuit.dazedemon02/07/2022
Bit of a bog fest but easier going down.colinfielding12/05/2022
Buckden - Birks Fell - Horse Head - Yockenthwaite. Path better than expected between Birks Fell and Horse Head with only one bog detour needed.squeegs25/03/2022
With Tony and John. Dales 30 number 17LANGDALE21/03/2022
From Halton Gill up the very good track to the ridge then ridge path is good to Horse Head, becomes rather boggy in laces after that for much of way to Birks Fell with its large cairn. Because of bog and having plenty of time decided to continue east on much better path to the track down to Litton and the road back. If I had brought any money I could have stopped off for a pint in the pub.dickscroop27/01/2022
Circular route up onto ridge from Arncliffe and down to Litton. Broken cloud and sun, very pleasant for the end of September and largely dry underfootRockdoctor26/09/2021
Climbed on the last day of mine and issy’s holiday to the dales. Overcast and almost windless. Steady assent from Buckden, with only relative incline near the top at about 600m. Top very flat and pretty bleak. View across to Buckden pike and down to village of Buckden lovely. Followed path to birks tarn where Issy sat on a stone whilst I ran to the top. Only person there. Rejoining Izzy, it took at 55mins to get to the bottom where we both enjoyed a beer at the buck inn in Buckden.John9227/08/2021
From Litton via the steep Ackerley Moor. Visited the trig on Frith Fell then along suprisingly good path to the summit. Visited both cairns just in case it changes again. Thick mist and steady drizzle so returned the way we came for a much needed pint in the Queens Arms.Jake99417/08/2021
21 miles 2219ft walk. Start at Kettlewell, to Old Cote Moor Top, Birk Fell, Horse Head Moor, Horse Head and High Green Field Knott, back to Kettlewell.stephenbuda16/08/2021
Buckden, up Litton track to ridge and followed path by wall past some tasty cloud berries, with short diversion to summit before continuing to Horsehead.Flatfield13/07/2021
With Trefor. From Buckden. Path to ridge. On to TP then along ridge to summit. Fine but strong cold wind. Good underfoot.mike.hoult14/06/2021
Great Whernside, Buckden pike and Birks FellRuth10/04/2021
3hours - awesome little cave up the tarnNCurtis06/03/2021
Parked at Buckden (pay machine not working) then along Dubb's Lane and L up bridleway to SD92634 75282 at which point turned N past Birks Tarn to summit. Then followed fp through bog to Horse Head Moor, down Horse Head to Yockenthwaite. To Buckden along river Wharfe. Very pleasant. With MartJohn Eley28/11/2020
Started from carpark in Buckden doing circuit to Yockenthwaite Moor.justin99926/09/2020
From Buckden for a round of Birks Fell,Horse Head Moor, Woldside and Yockenthwaite Moor.rhalstead18/09/2020
dubious claim! reached height but not cairn due to lack of desire for bog snorkelling! P and Ksenrab27/08/2020
Litton, Blaydike Moss, High Green Field Knott, Horse Head Moor, Birks FellIWC23/08/2020
Short afternoon ascent from Redmire.NormanW17/08/2020
From Yockenthwaite over Horse Head and Birks Fell, down to Buckden and back along the Dales Way. With Chris, Christine, Eric, Geoff & Steve. 18km with 450m ascent in 6 hours.silveracorn_alan06/08/2020
with sue, along crest HardenC30/07/2020
From Horse Head Moor. Followed wall then fence down to the marshy col, then up east by the wall. Took a short path from the wall to the cairned summit. Then skirted Birks Tarn and down to Redmire by the bridleway and back to Buckden. Solo.Man of Kernow124/07/2020
Up the bridleway from Hubberholme, along the ridge over Birks Fell and via the trig points, down the Pennine Way and back along the river path.Eggletina25/06/2020
From Yockenthwaite over Horse Head and Birks Fell, down to Buckden and back along the Dales Way. With Annette. 18km with 450m ascent in 5h 40m.silveracorn_alan28/05/2020
Halton Gill -> Horse Head Moor -> Birks Fell -> Litton -> Halton Gillbriandiggle25/05/2020
Ascent of Firth Fell from Litton via Ackerley Moor. On to Birks Fell via Birks Tarn. On to Horse Head following wall line to ‘Pennine Journey’ path and descent to Halton Gill. On to Foxup via road. Ascent of Plover Hill using (Foxup Road) bridleway via Low Bergh, Far Bergh and Foxup Moor. On to Pen y Ghent following mountain wall. Descent to Dale Head and road via Pennine Way footpath. Along road to Blishmeire Close and ascent of Fountains Fell via Pennine Way. Followed wall line to summit. Return to Pennine Way and following to Darnbrook Fell. Descent via Cow Close to footpath and return to Litton.raymooremanx25/05/2020
from Yockenthwaite roadside, via Pennine Journey routejef20/05/2020
A grand day from Halton Gill at the head of Littondale. To Foxup then up Blaydike Moss, cross country to High Green Field Knott. Then south along the dividing ridge between Littondale and Upper Wharfedale taking in the highest Dewey of Horse Head Moor before revisiting (Marilyn/Nuttall) Birks Fell. Down to Litton and back up the dale in the dark to Halton Gill. A great start to 2020. 24km with 570m ascent in 7h20m. (S)silveracorn_alan01/01/2020
A walk on the Horse Head captured my imagination (look at the OS map!) and also my Great Grandfather Willian Neesam (a Railway Clerk I think) wrote poems about this area. Parked in Littondale just south of Litton - Lane to village and bridleway (signed to Buckton) takes up onto the Birks Fell ridge - bagged trig at 607m then mad dash for Birks Fell summit (610m) as mist curtains in - we walk on along the ridge path in our diminished world to the Horsehead summit and trig 605m. Brhhh a sudden blast of cold and then as we start to drop to Halton Gill the clouds clear from the valley and tops (Plover Hill, Pen-y-Ghent and Fountains Fell suddenly reappear). Over Halton brige we follow path alongside the River Skirefare past the old barns back to Litton.briandavies31/12/2019
From Litton, up Middle Moor and onto main ridge then down via Adderley Moor. Stayed below the banking clouds that were on almost all nearby summits. An attempted short cut led into some long heather and uneven ground.Topographer5702/12/2019
From Litton, parking by the phone box, via Ackerley Moor and the Firth Fell trig pillar. Visited the 610m spot height before progressing on to Horse Head Moor and High Green Field Knott, finishing the ridge on the Cosh Outside trig pillar before descending to Foxup Bridge and a 5k trudge back along the road... relieved by some benchmarking in the dark - 26km round trip.jonglew02/12/2019
SoloVin08/10/2019
Nuttalls route after bagging Yockenthwaite Moor. Damp underfoot but at least the hill fog cleared on this one to leave some viewsGary Heath20/08/2019
Hubberholme > Yokenthwaite Moor > Horse Head Trig point > Horse Head Moor > Birks Fell Summit> Birks Fell Trig > Redmire Farm > HubberholmeLongwojo14/07/2019
Hubberholme > Dales Way > Yokenthwaite > Horse Head Gate > Horse Head Trig point > Horse Head Moor > Birks Fell > Birks Tarn > Redmire Farm > Hubberholme. Just me and H. Beautiful spring day but really quite warm. Good going most of the way with just a few bogs still wet.johnkaysleftleg15/05/2019
From Redmire up the bridal path, then path along wall at high point. Dry but cloud skimming summit spoiling viewsN.Morters21/08/2018
Horse Head Moor and Birks Fell [re-visit] from YockenthwaiteCrib Goch31/07/2018
Loop from Litton on very hot day with breeze. Came down bad heather section. Rounsfell24/06/2018
Circular route from Hubberholme, up through Redmires Farm, down Horsehead Pass to Yockenthwaite and along the river. Dry underfoot, didnt see anyone apart fromin the valleys, which were heaving on a bank holiday weekend. Birks Tarn looked wondeful.Clive G26/05/2018
From Buckden via Redmire. The bridleway is stony from the farm until it peters out and becomes boggy though clearly marked by posts. There is a good path north west beside the wall leading to the summit. Birks Fell Tarn is wild and desolate.peter4lc03/05/2018
Horse Head Moor and Birks Fell from Halton Gill and did the Horse Head trig too. 8.6 miles. 3 hours.clivevilla20/09/2017
From Redmire, up the bridleway, which seems to be inexplicably popular with ramblers given that it's a bit of a boggy mess. The faint path along the wall to Birks Fell summit is much better, and gives reasonably dry going with splendid views. A very pleasant surprise, given the proximity to the monstrously vegetated and somewhat minging Dodd Fell.Gill04/08/2017