| Fountains Fell | |
| Elevation M: | 668 |
| Prominence M: | 243 |
| Parent Peak: | Pen-y-ghent |
| Map: | United Kingdom Yorkshire Dales |
| Label Position: | right |
| Listing: | Marilyn |
| Location: | Yorkshire Dales |
| Range: | Pennines |
| Coordinates: | 54.1397°N -2.2094°W |
| Grid Ref Uk: | SD864716 |
| Topo: | OS Landranger 98 or OL 2 |
Fountains Fell[1] is a mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England. The main summit has a height of 668m (2,192feet) and a relative height or topographic prominence of 243m (797feet) and thus qualifies as a Marilyn.[2] Its subsidiary, Fountains Fell South Top reaches 662m (2,172feet) and qualifies as a Nuttall.[3] A third summit, further south at, reaches 610m (2,000feet) and is the most southerly 2,000 ft summit in the Pennines.[4]
The eastern slopes of the fell form part of the National Trust's Malham Tarn and Moor estate.[5]
The name Fountains derives from ownership of the land in the 13th century by the Cistercian monks of Fountains Abbey (25miles to the east, near Ripon), who used it for sheep grazing. Coal was mined on the summit from 1790 to 1860, and was used for lead smelting in the area. There are various pits and shafts on and near the summit, and the remains of a coke oven building.[6]
The Pennine Way crosses Fountains Fell about a third of a mile north of the summit. For the northbound walker this is 85miles from the start of the way at Edale, and is the first point where the way climbs higher than Kinder Scout's 636m (2,087feet) which was reached soon after the start. It is 8miles along the Pennine Way from Malham village to the summit of Fountains Fell, the route climbing up beside the dramatic cliffs of Malham Cove and passing Malham Tarn before climbing up the east side of the fell. The route continues down the western slopes of the fell and ascends the southern ridge of Pen-y-ghent, reached after 3.5miles: this summit of 694m (2,277feet) then supplants Fountains Fell as the highest point yet reached on the Pennine Way.[7]
There are several caves of interest to cavers on Fountains Fell, including Antler Hole, Dalehead Pot, Echo Hole, Fornagh Gill, Gingling Pot, Hammer Pot and Magnetometer Pot.[8]