Brim Fell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brim Fell |
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Brim Fell summit
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 796 m (2,612 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 25 m |
| Parent peak | The Old Man of Coniston |
| Listing | Wainwright, Nuttall |
| Geography | |
 Brim Fell
Location in Lake District
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| Location | Cumbria, England |
| Parent range | Lake District, Southern Fells |
| OS grid | SD271986 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 89,90, Explorer OL6 |
Brim Fell is a mountain in the Lake District in England. It's located west of the village of Coniston. This mountain is part of the Southern Fells area of the Lake District.
Contents
About Brim Fell
The mountains in the Coniston area are often called the Coniston Fells. They separate Coniston Water from the Duddon valley to the west. This mountain range starts in the north at Wrynose Pass. It then stretches south for about 16 kilometers (10 miles). It ends near Broughton-in-Furness on the Duddon Estuary.
Alfred Wainwright was a famous guidebook writer. He wrote Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. In his books, he included Brim Fell as one of the 214 main mountains. These are known as Wainwrights.
Where is Brim Fell?
Brim Fell is in the northern part of the Coniston mountain range. Think of the higher northern part of this range like an upside-down 'Y' shape. Brim Fell sits right at the center where the three arms meet.
- To the north, you'll find Swirl How, Great Carrs, and Grey Friar.
- To the southeast, there's a short path leading to The Old Man of Coniston.
- To the southwest, the range continues over Dow Crag to smaller hills.
Brim Fell is special because its base doesn't reach the valley floor. On the east side, its streams meet at 244 meters (800 feet) high. The slopes of Coniston Old Man and Wetherlam continue down to the lake. On the Duddon side, Dow Crag and Grey Friar cut off Brim Fell at an even higher point. This means the mountain itself covers a small area. But it's full of interesting features.
Western Slopes and Tarns
The western side of Brim Fell is quite smooth. It slopes down to Tarn Head Beck. This stream flows next to the mountain ridge. It's the main water source for Seathwaite Tarn. This tarn is a reservoir located in a side valley of the Duddon river system.
Seathwaite Tarn used to be much smaller. But in the early 1900s, a dam was built. This dam helped provide drinking water for the Barrow-in-Furness area. The dam is nearly 366 meters (400 yards) long. It has a concrete core with slate supports. The tarn is now about 24 meters (80 feet) deep. Water isn't taken directly from the tarn. Instead, it flows some distance downriver to a special water intake point.
Above the reservoir, on the slopes of Brim Fell, you can see the remains of Seathwaite Tarn Mine. This mine was used for copper in the mid-1800s. It also appears as a place in the book The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams.
Mountain Paths
The path north from Brim Fell gets narrower. It leads to a dip called Levers Hawse, which is 686 meters (2,250 feet) high. From there, the path climbs again over rough ground to the top of Swirl How.
To the south, there's a wide, flat area leading to The Old Man of Coniston. The climb up to The Old Man from Brim Fell is very gentle. About halfway between Brim Fell and The Old Man, another path branches off to the west. It drops steeply to Goat's Hawse, which is 649 meters (2,130 feet) high. Then it curves south around Goat's Water to Dow Crag.
Eastern Crags and Tarns
The eastern side of Brim Fell is very different. It's covered in steep cliffs. A short path sticks out from the summit, ending in the broken cliffs of Raven Tor. On either side of this rocky point, there's a mountain lake, called a corrie tarn. Low Water is to the south, and Levers Water is to the north.
Low Water is the smaller of the two. Its depth was increased by a stone dam. This dam was built by nearby slate quarries. The water from Low Water flows down a beautiful waterfall. It joins Levers Water Beck about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) downstream.
Levers Water was also dammed in the past for industrial use. It supplied water to the Coniston Coppermines. Now, it provides drinking water for Coniston village. Its stone dam has made it about 38 meters (125 feet) deep. Below Low Water, there's a unique valley. It's called "Boulder Valley" on maps. This is because of the many large rocks scattered on its floor.
Rocks and Mines
The top of Brim Fell is made of layered tuff and andesite rock. These rocks are part of the Duddon Hall Formation. As you go north along the ridge, you'll see different types of volcanic rocks.
The valley below Brim Fell, where Levers Water Beck flows, is home to the Coniston Coppermines. This was a huge network of tunnels and shafts. It covered more than 2.5 square kilometers (1 square mile). The mine produced the most copper in the 1850s. Its output then decreased until it closed in 1915. There have been a few attempts to reopen it since then, but now tourism is the main activity in the valley.
The mines dug for different minerals. The main one was chalcopyrite, which contains copper. They also found some nickel, cobalt, and lead. The Paddy End part of the mine, on the lower slopes of Brim Fell, was the most productive. Its tunnels went even under Levers Water. Simons Nick is a large and dangerous opening with many shafts above the dam. It's one of the most noticeable remains of the mine today.
The Summit
The very top of Brim Fell has a nice cairn (a pile of stones) made of slate. There's also another large cairn to the northeast. From the summit, you can see far and wide. However, the long, rounded shape of the mountain ridge can block some of the closer views.
How to Climb Brim Fell
Most people don't climb Brim Fell directly. Instead, they usually walk across it when going from The Old Man of Coniston to Swirl How. But it's definitely possible to climb it on its own.
The easiest way to reach Brim Fell is from Coniston village. You can climb up past Levers Water to Levers Hawse. You can also climb the cliffs of Raven Tor from either side. This offers a more adventurous way to reach the top.
The Walna Scar Road is a path that's open to all types of traffic. It gives access to Goat's Hawse from either side of the mountain ridge. This is the easiest way to reach Brim Fell from the Duddon valley. Be aware that a path shown on some maps, going west from Levers Hawse to Seathwaite Tarn, doesn't actually exist on the ground.
