Mardale Ill Bell
760m (2494ft)
Mardale Ill Bell is in The Far Eastern Fells, The Lake District, Cumbria, England
You can walk to the top of Mardale Ill Bell by using any of these 5 route maps:
Walk c276 High Street and Harter Fell from Mardale Head
An easy scramble to unsurpassed views
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 7.25ml (11.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 2,745ft (837m) |
| Time: | 5½ hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Mardale Head - Haweswater Reservoir - The Rigg - Dudderwick - Swine Crag (Riggindale) - Heron Crag (Riggindale) - Rough Crag (Riggindale) - Caspel Gate - Riggindale Crag - Long Stile - High Street - Mardale Ill Bell - Nan Bield Pass - Harter Fell (Mardale) - Adam Seat - Gatescarth Pass - Mardale Head
Walk c362 Branstree and High Street from Mardale Head
Stunning Haweswater
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 11.25ml (18km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,436ft (1,047m) |
| Time: | 7½ hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Mardale Head - Haweswater Reservoir - Rowantreethwaite Beck - Old Corpse Road - Selside Pike - Branstree (North East Top) - Branstree (Artlecrag Pike) - Gatescarth Pass - Adam Seat - Harter Fell (Mardale) - Nan Bield Pass - Mardale Ill Bell - High Street - Riggindale Crag - Caspel Gate - Rough Crag (Riggindale) - Eagle Crag (Riggindale) - Heron Crag (Riggindale) - Swine Crag (Riggindale) - Dudderwick - The Rigg - Mardale Head
Walk c257 The Kentmere Skyline from Kentmere
A classic lakeland horseshoe walk
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 11.5ml (18.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,378ft (1,030m) |
| Time: | 7½ hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Kentmere - Garburn Pass - Yoke - Ill Bell - Froswick - Thornthwaite Crag - Mardale Ill Bell - Nan Bield Pass - Harter Fell (Mardale) - Kentmere Pike - Brookstones - Kentmere
Walk c251 The Mardale Head Horizon from Mardale Head
Stunning Haweswater
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 12.5ml (20km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,814ft (1,162m) |
| Time: | 8½ hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Mardale Head - Haweswater - Rowantreethwaite Beck - Old Corpse Road - Selside Pike - Branstree (North East Top) - Branstree (Artlecrag Pike) - Gatescarth Pass - Adam Seat - Harter Fell (Mardale) - Nan Bield Pass - Mardale Ill Bell - High Street - Riggindale - Rampsgill Head - Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk - Kidsty Pike - Kidsty Howes - Bowderthaite Bridge - The Rigg - Mardale Head
Walk c114 High Street from Mardale Head
Superb high level route with great views
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 14.5ml (23km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,364ft (1,025m) |
| Time: | 8½ hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Mardale Head (Haweswater Reservoir) - Small Water - Nan Bield Pass - Mardale Ill Bell - High Street - Straits of Riggindale - The Knott - Rampsgill Head - Kidsty Pike - High Raise (Mardale) - Raven Howe - Red Crag - Keasgill Head - Wether Hill (South Top) - Wether Hill - Bampton Common - Low Kop - Measand Beck - Haweswater Reservoir - Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk - Bowderthwaite Bridge - The Rigg - Mardale Head
Interactive Walking Maps
See Mardale Ill Bell and the surrounding tops on our unique, downloadable, PDF Peak Bagging Maps:
NB: Whether you print off a copy or download it to your phone, these PDF Peak Baggers' Maps might prove incredibly useful when your are up there on the tops and you cannot get a phone signal.
*This version is marked with the walk routes you need to follow to Walk all 214 Wainwrights in just 59 walks.
See Mardale Ill Bell and the surrounding tops on our free-to-access 'Google Style' Peak Bagging Maps:
The Far Eastern Fells of The Lake District National Park
Less data - quicker to download
The Whole of The Lake District National Park
More data - might take a little longer to download
You can find Mardale Ill Bell & all the walks that climb it on these unique free-to-access Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Maps (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (pink/magenta covers):
Fellow go4awalkers who have already walked, climbed, scaled, summited, hiked & bagged Mardale Ill Bell
Pete George walked up Mardale Ill Bell on September 27th, 2025 [from/via/route] Mardale [with] Roco [weather] Chilly & foggy on tops, pleasant down below
James Hughes climbed it on September 18th, 2024 [from/via/route] c251 The Mardale Head Horizon from Mardale Head [weather] Beautiful clear warm day. - Walked in reverse. Climbed from Kidsty Pike. Tired after walk preceding day. Included Adam's Seat. Descent from Selside Pike boggy on Old Corpse Road. Poor expensive pint of Mary Jane at Haweswater Hotel.
Christine Shepherd bagged it during August, 2004 [from/via/route] Kentmere [with] Rebecca and Will [weather] Dull & Damp with rain on the descent. - Visited the summit again with Garry & Jonathan on 8.2.08 from Mardale Head. Then on my own on 24.5.10 in glorious sunshine as part of the Mardale Head Horizon walk c251 & 24.2.11 with my daughter Hannah in very misty conditions from Kentmere. Bagged again with Jenny 07-09-2019. Did The Kentmere Horseshoe solo on 6.3.22.
Steve Cookson hiked Mardale Ill Bell on March 23rd, 2022 [with] Gillie [weather] Misty
Martyn Howarth summited on August 15th, 2023 [from/via/route] From Kentmere Institute, as part of the Kentmere Horseshoe. [with] Tilly Howarth. [weather] Gorgeous August day, after some dreadful weather the days before! - Tough 14.5 mile walk - 3600ft of ascent! Brilliant effort by 14 yr old Tilly!
To add (or remove) your name and experiences on this page - Log On and edit your Personal Mountain Bagging Record
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Photographs & Pictures of views from, on, or of, Mardale Ill Bell
Rough Crag beyond Blea Water from above Blea Water Crag between High Street and Mardale Ill Bell
Mardale Ill Bell, High Street and Rough Crag (Riggindale) above Blea Tarn from Nan Bield Pass
Mardale Ill Bell (left) Nan Bield Pass and Harter Fell (Mardale)(right) with Kentmere Reservoir below from the summit of Yoke
Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick and the shoulder of Lingmell End (Mardale Ill Bell) above Kentmere Reservoir from Harter Fell (Mardale)
Harter Fell (left) and Mardale Ill Bell (in cloud) seen from above Haweswater Reservoir near Rowantreethwaite Beck
. . . see all 10 walk photographs & pictures of views from, on, or of, Mardale Ill Bell
Send us your photographs and pictures on, of, or from Mardale Ill Bell
If you would like to add your walk photographs and pictures to this page, please send them as email attachments (configured for any computer) along with your name to:
and we shall do our best to publish them.
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