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| Name: | Birch Fell |
| Hill number: | 3897 |
| Height: | 318m / 1043ft |
| Parent (Ma): | 2671 Gummer's How |
| RHB Section: | 34D: Southern Cumbria |
| Nuttall/Wainwright area: | Lake District - Far Eastern Fells |
| County/UA: | Westmorland and Furness |
| Catchment: | Kent, Catchment Boundaries, Leven (Ulverston) |
| Class: | Tump (300-399m), Birkett, Synge (Tu,3,B,Sy) |
| Grid ref: | SD 39528 89146 |
| Summit feature: | grassy mound by larch tree |
| Drop: | 46m |
| Col: | 272m SD 3923 8903  |
| OS map sheet(s): | (1:50k) 96 97 (1:25k) OL7N OL7S |
| Survey: | Abney level |
| GPS data: | show GPS entries for this hill |
N.B. Some hill summits are on private property or on land where there is no public right of way. Permission should be sought from the landowner where access to a hill summit is through private land.
Please report via the contact page any logs you see below which describe or encourage acts of trespass. Please quote the hill number and hill name.
| Logged Descriptions (logged by 232 users, only the latest 50 shown - Show all) | By | Date of Ascent |
| Gummer's How tourist path from the CP to the S. Nice path frequented by the local Laing cows who have walked along the path to Birch fell making the grassy paths to Birch Fell a bit of a quagmire. A wooden piece of fencing in the otherwise barbed wire fence gives access into the forest and a meander around the trees takes one to the summit mound. | matty1971b | 27/03/2024 |
| From the free Gummers how car park for Birketts Gummers how - East of Windermere walk, Two and half mile in One and half hours. | WAYNE ROWLETT | 28/01/2024 |
| Gummer's How tourist path from the CP to the S. Nice path ... lovely summit. Continued along narrower grassy paths to NW of Birch Fell. A wooden piece of fencing in the otherwise barbed wire fence gives access into the forest and a meander around the trees takes one to the summit mound. Returned N to a stone wall and paralleled this eastwards until picking up the ROW heading S to the road. Road Walk in the dusk back to CP. | summitter | 07/10/2023 |
| From Gummers How. | Andrew Pearson | 30/01/2023 |
| From Cartmell Fell Church. 9 km, 450 m asc. Over the summit of Raven's Barrow and then by Heights Cottage and Sow How to Gummer's How. N and NE to Birch Fell summit and back by Lightwood. Misty and messy on and around Birch Fell with fallen trees. https://www.flickr.com/photos/samandjo/albums/72177720305080891 | SalmonJoe | 07/01/2023 |
| Followed Isbjorn's excellent route description. Few fallen trees at the end to climb over but no bogs. | Claret | 27/12/2022 |
| Gummer's How from the FC car park, AW's Outlying Fells Walk 11. Extended to include Birch Fell, following the ridge, then up through the windblown larch trees to the not very obvious summit. 4.3km there and back, with 230m ascent, taking 1h 20m. | silveracorn_alan | 30/10/2022 |
| From the Gummers How car park on relentlessly muddy paths E of Gummers How, then - sadly - through a maze of storm-felled larches. Even the many-trunked summit larch is leaning on the summit knoll, though it will survive. Back via the reservoir and the forest track starting from there to avoid another mud bath. | Nick Down1 | 03/05/2022 |
| Parked in wide mouth of forest road gateway at SD402887. Steeply up forest road, then level, then L to become old dirt track heading WSW, passing two waymarker posts, to high point at SD396889, from where thin path heads N into woods - followed trees with red spots on them. Lemon squeezy. | Isbjorn | 15/02/2022 |
| Continuation of walk after Gummers How. The summit area looks like an enchanted forest and you would not be surprised to see goblins, elves and fairies. With J. | David Evans | 05/11/2021 |
| A return visit on a very slow Round 2 of The Birketts. Climbed the mounds and rock, as all similar heights. This is a lovely quiet place away from the hordes on Gummer’s How. Easy to access and summit area simple to find. With Alfie. | Dangerous Dave | 21/06/2021 |
| Interesting woodland hunting for the summit | CaralynR | 04/06/2021 |
| Gummer's How, Birch Fell, Raven's Barrow, Whin Brow, Newton Fell North, Saskills, Staveley Fell | keithouk | 03/05/2021 |
| Fairly clear access from NW side. Grass mound is summit marked on map but large stone also climbed as it looked similar height. | conanharrod | 21/09/2020 |
| 2/2 Gummer's How and then Birch Fell from the usual route. | nickywood1 | 19/01/2020 |
| Solo jaunt in the pouring rain. Even the cows were fed up. I wish I hadn't bothered with this one... I'm guessing that the big rock at the high ish point is the underwheming summit. | Shutterlag | 25/10/2019 |
| 2nd tump of three on a circuit from Fell Foot Wood where Lesley and i were staying in a basic Airbnb cabin. AFter Gummers How I descended on a track of sorts to the fenceline, over this and I followed the wall Ne to then climb in and out of the mature Larch, managing to avoid most of the windfall to come across the large boulder with a spruce tree growing in the centre. A geocache is hidden here!. I carried on to explore two more knolls each with larch trees on including the summit stated. Fairly atmospheric top as the trees have grown up in and amongst the knolls but main problem was the flies; they were incessant and followed me around everywhere. I headed to the edge of the forest pursued by the flies and descended ENE following the edge till reaching a stile and permissive path linking up with the road, heading for Staveley Fell... | Dazingdale | 12/08/2018 |
| From Gummer's How. Good paths initially soon deteriorated into rubbish; needed to carefully pick a way through wind fall and some brash near the top. GPS indicating a pine needle-covered mound was the HP, but the nearby large boulder-like outcrop seemed clearly higher. | jonglew | 09/07/2018 |
| Mmmm. Easy enough walk up a forest ride than a developing path. The summit is not clear - could be the big distinctive rock but the GPS suggested a hump about 30 feet away was the actual summit. Stood on both just to be sure - I am not returning to this one. | peterh | 05/06/2018 |
| All part of the fun, obvious rock summit - careful if ascending from Gummers How: that wire fence is electrified! | Papwilkinson | 09/11/2017 |
| Followed moorsman's excellent description of route. 8ins of rain in parts of Lakes yesterday, but path relatively dry; duckboards over wettest bits. Deer fencing going up so could hinder future access. Bracken would be a problem in summer. (PM CM) | gerrybowes | 12/10/2017 |
| Parked at 402887. Over the stile, go NNW and at the next fence and stile go left. Dont go over the stile. When things level out head south through the trees. Rock and larch tree. New deer fence being put up! With GB and CM and Marli | bolton | 12/10/2017 |
| With GB & PM. As per Bolton. Did all contenders for summit. | CJM | 12/10/2017 |
| MOORSMAN'S (REASONABLY) DRY ROUTE! Parking at the entrance to the forest ride on the road to the south east (alt 211m). 100m along the road travelling east a signposted footpath starts at a stile. Follow this through the woods until you come to a stile over a fence. Dont cross it but turn left. This takes you along a developing path close to the fence. When this crosses a fence turn to follow the fence you cossed which leads upwards to with 100m of the summit. Stride the fence then widely spaced trees to the top. Dry feet and no bogs! 2.75lm, 1 hour, 150m ascent. A large, prominent rock appeared to tower over everything. | moorsman | 20/09/2017 |
| What a crock off s..t | DARRENG | 01/09/2017 |
| WOs 77 and 78; Bs 64 and 65. Followed W's route from car park - very busy. Made the mistake of pushing on to the Birkett, Birch Fell - now forested and across foul bog. Only found summit with GPS after fighting my way up the hill through thick forest. Then drove round to do Staveley Fell from Sow How lane. Easy forest track in and out but W's return path untraceable and whole fell covered in deep brushwood from felling and thick heather. Another very unpleasant hill. | BURGESS | 07/08/2017 |
| very disappointing. With Sez | Littledave | 10/07/2017 |
| With Gummers how. Uninspiring | Longwojo | 01/07/2017 |
| Circuit from Gummers How car park | Ajm0310 | 22/05/2017 |
| Agree with ijpowell on route. Head north on high ground from top of Gummers how until wooden post with two red painted rings, then head east across bog (lot less than attempting a more direct route from Gummers How) through gap in collapsed wall, through metal gates, easy crawl under bared wire fence then not far to top. It's all larch and lots of mounds this side of the hill, but top is fairly obvious - but still did another couple of alternatives to be sure. Back same way then cream tea at excellent Sawrey House Hotel terrace on way to next hill. | Hillsidenick | 02/05/2017 |
| From GH Car Park, Gummers How and Birch Fell. | dgresty | 18/04/2017 |
| Gummer's How car park. Gummer's How, Birch Fell and return. Easy route to Birch Fell is descend north on informal path shown on 1:25,000 map, cross two collapsed walls then diagonal uphill to fence. Follow fence south to the brow with no trees. Cross low fence then straight line to summit. It's not quite a path but you can tell others have come this way and forest is moderately open and easy. If everyone went this way a path mighto develop. | ijpowell | 01/04/2017 |
| From Gummer's How and back. Trod just W of the wall that meets ruined wall pointing at the summit the remains of which will carry you over the bog. | Eddie | 02/12/2016 |
| A distinctive summit in woodland, nice to meet a fellow peak bagger, Ian150, had a chat then on to Gummers How | bardolph | 05/11/2016 |
| Over from Gummers How. Cross the bog in between on the broken wall then on reaching the wall around the summit bear right for about 25m to pass though an engineered gap in the wall. Ascend the vague ridge on mostly dry ground up to the wire fence. Then it's a jungle! | Nick Caunt | 10/08/2016 |
| Good thrash round in the rain,fog,trees and bracken | jocks1 | 15/07/2016 |
| From Gummers How. Kept to ridge as col was one massive bog. Birch Fell summit is a mass of tree, many of which have been blown over making progress hard. I think I found the top! I did ask if the effort was worthwhile for a top such as this! | trimarc2 | 09/03/2016 |
| Gummers How car park-Sow How Lane-Staveley Fell-Sow How Lane-Gummers How-Birch Fell-Gummers How car park. On own. | MorecambeMonkey | 11/02/2016 |
| From Gummers How car park. Very boggy col. Reached wall - 120m to summit. Then jumble of fallen trees - pretty horrible. Definite need GPS for correct summit. | destaylor | 10/02/2016 |
| Climbed with party of 10 adults and 11 Children celebrating last Birketts walk. Completed 541 on Gummer's How later. All thought trek through trees great fun | ALHEJ Wilkins | 23/01/2016 |
| Cu bw | chrisj1965 | 02/01/2016 |
| From Gummer's How car park. Gummer's How and Birch Fell | AlunRees31 | 28/12/2015 |
| From Gummer's How car park. Gummer's How and Birch Fell | Alunrees33 | 28/12/2015 |
| Gummer's How and Birch Fell from roadside parking. | rhalstead | 27/12/2015 |
| Not sure what all teh fuss is about. From Gummer's How a simple walk via the col and wall to gain the summit in larch trees. Sometimes the shortest route isn't the best. | nordicstar | 06/08/2015 |
| Glummer how, birch fell & staveley fell | Tobo1969 | 06/06/2015 |
| What fun! Not. | ngthack | 12/02/2015 |
| Not 100% sure we actually reached the top but will tick it off anyway, as we made the effort to find it! More like a Marilyn than a Birkett!! Spent afternoon in the Watermill at Ings which made up for Birch Fell. | Si's 2nd round | 02/01/2015 |
| Complete Lakeland Fells page 275 OUT 4. walked with Mary Paul and Nicola. Nice day. Difficult to locate summit with lots of fallen trees and no real path. | rwinrow | 28/07/2014 |
| Was it wort it. No. Maelstrom of wind blown trees and deep cattle pitted mud. Should be Struck off the list and left for the conservationists. Doing this summit puts the hill lover in deeply anal territory. | iredale | 11/06/2014 |