Shap Fells
The Shap Fells is a compact group of hills and high ground in the Lake District, in the middle of Westmorland, south-west of Shap village. It is to the west of the Shap Gap, through which run the A6 trunk road, the Carlisle Railway line and M6 motorway (following the dale of the Birk Beck).
The Shap Fells do not contain distinctive hills but are a single massif with crags and tops, including named tops such as:
- Great Yarlside (1,939 feet)
- High House Bank (1,624 feet)
- High House Fell (1,719 feet)
- Little Yarlside (1,693 feet)
- Robin Hood (1,617 feet)
- Ulthwaite Rigg (1,647 feet)
Quarrying and conservation
The fells are known for Shap granite, a pink rock rich in orthoclase, quartz and biotite; Shap Pink Quarry (NY557083) takes its name from this distinctive rock.
The Shap Fells Site of Special Scientific InterestSSSI listing and designation for Shap Fells falls within the wider 'Lake District High Fells Special Area of Conservation'.
Leisure
Robust walking routes around the fells include:[1]
- The Kentmere Horseshoe (12½ miles)
- The Greater Kentmere Horseshoe (14 miles)
- The Crookdale Horseshoe
- The Wasdale Horseshoe
The Shap Fells Hill Climb is a nine-mile cycle ride on roads through the fells with gradients modest for the Lake District (a maximum 8% gradient) climbing to 1,400 feet above sea level.[2]
Location
- Streetmap: NY536090
- Location map: 54°28’12"N, 2°42’36"W
References
- ↑ Get Outsdie: The Shap Fells (Ordnance Survey)
- ↑ Shap Fells Hill Climb on Cycling Uphill