Mickle Fell
Mickle Fell is a
hill in the
Pennines, the range of hills and moors running down the middle of
Northern England. It is 788
m (2585
ft) high. It lies slightly off the main
watershed of the Pennines, about ten miles south of
Cross Fell. It is the highest point of both the administrative county of
County Durham and the
traditional county of
Yorkshire.
The fell lies in the middle of a large area of boggy
moor and requires a long
hike to get to it from any direction. It can be ascended from the western fringe or from
Teesdale. Mickle Fell's distinctive outline makes it a recognisable object in views from the
Lake District hills, particularly
Blencathra, the
Helvellyn range and
High Street. South of Mickle Fell the ridge descends to the
Stainmore Gap before going into the
Yorkshire Dales.
Marilyns are scarce in the North Pennines because of the relative flatness of the moors, but Mickle Fell is one such hill: it is separated from its neighbours by over 200 m of
relative height.
 |
High Cup Nick |
On the moor to the west of Mickle Fell is a remarkable natural formation known as
High Cup - a vast 'hole' in the
moorside, similar in form to an elongated
crater. A
waterfall at the head of the Cup is called High Cup Nick. The feature is well seen from the
A66 road. The
Pennine Way goes past High Cup on its cross-watershed trek from
Middleton-in-Teesdale to
Dufton.
