LIST OF LOCAL WORDS AND HILL NAMES

 

band

the ridge of a hill; from the Middle English bande

beck

a stream; from the Old Norse bekkr

bield

a shelter, protection; from the Old English beldo, courage

Blencathra

Probably from the Welsh blaen, summit, and cateir, chair, i.e. the chair-shaped mountain. Whilst it means much the same, I prefer it to the insipid Saddleback, the fell's other name, which hardly does justice to this magnificent eminence.

Brocken spectre

A shadow of the viewer cast by the sun onto cloud. It is often surrounded by coloured, rainbow-like lights (glories). Named after the highest of the Harz mountains where witches are said to gather on Walpurgis Night.

Cat Bells

the cat's den; from the Middle English belde a bield, or shelter

crag

a rough steep rock; derivation uncertain

dale

a valley; from the Old Norse dalr

fell

a mountain, or hill, or upland tract; from the Old Norse fjall, a rock

gill, or ghyll

a small ravine; from the Old Norse gil, a steep sided valley

how

a low hill; from the Old Norse haugr

knott

a craggy hill; from the Old Norse knutr

pike

a sharp-pointed hill; from the Old English pic, a spike

rake

a path up a hill or in a gully; from the Old Norse rak, a stripe

scar

a bare , craggy rock formation; from the Old Norse sker

scarth

a pass or gap in a ridge; from the Old Norse skarth

stickle

a sharp peak; from the Old Norse stikill

tarn

a small mountain lake; from the Old Norse tjorn

thwaite

a piece of land reclaimed from forest or wetlands; from the Old Norse thveit, a paddock

tup

an uncastrated ram; origin unknown

wether

a castrated ram; from the Old English wether

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