England · Yorkshire Dales National Park

Birks Fell

HewittNuttallMarilynHuMPSimm

3 classifications here — Marilyn, HuMP and Simm — belong to lists OpenFell holds only part of, so they have no list page. See how far the coverage goes.

Birks Fell, 610 m, North Yorkshire
Birks Fell, 610 m, North Yorkshire. Photo by Chris Heaton, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Height
610.4 m · 2,003 ft
Prominence
158.2 m
Grid reference
SD 91879 76368
Coordinates
54.18296, -2.12594
County / area
North Yorkshire
OS Landranger
98
OS Explorer
OL30S
Summit feature
cairn
Key col
SD 8364 7603 (452.2 m)

About Birks Fell

Birks Fell rises near Hubberholme in the Yorkshire Dales and only became a Marilyn in 2006, when a resurvey established its height as 610 m rather than the 608 m previously accepted. Late 19th and early 20th century books had listed it at 2,001 feet, and it appears the hill lost height in the metric conversion. The correction put it above neighbouring Horse Head Moor at 609 m, taking over its Marilyn status.

Birks Tarn lies between the summit and a trig point 1.6 km to the south-west, and is one of the largest tarns in the Dales, held in place by impermeable layers in the bedrock and by the peaty soil above. The top of the fell is a broad ridge with wide views.

Background written from facts in the Wikipedia article on Birks Fell (CC BY-SA 4.0). Heights, prominence and grid references come from the Database of British & Irish Hills, not from Wikipedia.

Access rights here

Conditional Right to roam: Right to roam only on mapped CRoW open access land.

Permission needed Wild camping: Needs the landowner's permission — the Dartmoor commons are the only exception in England.

General position for England — local byelaws, seasonal restrictions and closures can override it. Full details: access rights in England · check another location.

Daylight at this summit today

Sunrise
Sunset
Daylight
Civil twilight ends

Computed astronomically for 54.183, -2.126. Plan your finish with the daylight safety planner.

Summit weather live

Loading forecast for the summit (610 m)…

Forecast adjusted to summit altitude. Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0).

Finding the summit

Surveyor's note

ground on S side of wall at SD 9162 7638 (610m spot on 1:25k map) is 2m lower.

The recorded summit point is cairn. That distinction matters on broad or flat tops, where the obvious cairn is not always the true high point.

Survey method
Leica Runner 20
Record revised
05-Jan-20
Drop measured from
SD 8364 7603 · 452.2 m

Classification history: See Database Notes.

Survey notes are field observations recorded in the Database of British & Irish Hills (v18.3, CC BY 4.0) by the hill-surveying community.

Long-distance paths past this hill

2 waymarked long-distance routes run within 2.5 km of the summit — useful if you are linking this hill into a longer walk, or want a made path for the approach.

RouteTotal lengthFrom summit
Lady Anne's Way 155 km 2 km
Dales Way 129 km 2 km

Route lines © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); distance from the summit computed by OpenFell.

Nearest listed peaks

PeakHeightDistance
Buckden Pike 701.6 m 4.8 km
Yockenthwaite Moor 643 m 4.8 km
Darnbrook Fell 624 m 4.9 km
Plover Hill 679.9 m 7 km
Fountains Fell 667.8 m 7.2 km
Fountains Fell South Top 663.4 m 7.5 km