'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 (2,585
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 name comes from the Old Norse word ''Mikill'' meaning Great and ''Fell'' (or fjäll) meaning mountain or hill.
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. 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 rising again into the
Yorkshire Dales.
Mickle Fell and surrounding moorland forms part of the Warcop Training Area, a
Ministry of Defence firing range. As a result, access to the fell is limited.
[1] It can be ascended from the
Eden Valley to the west, or from
Teesdale to the east.
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

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.
References
1. Access Opportunities on the Defence Estate: Warcop Training Area