Hen Comb

Context

Hen Comb is a Wainwright in The Western Fells area of the Lake District National Park.

Route planning

Fells

Gavel Fell

3.1km

176m

53min

Great Borne

2.7km

254m

56min

Mellbreak

4.0km

290m

1hr 16min

Details

There are 3 viable routes from Hen Comb

The Wainwright guides indicate “ridge routes” from each fell and although this is useful, it doesn't always allow for effective route planning. The routes shown here are the Wainwright ridge routes (indicated with ) plus any other viable routes (indicated with ), not necessarily linked by a ridge. This list provides a more comprehensive network of potential routes that can be used when planning days out on the fells.

All routes have been plotted in the OS Maps app. The distance, ascent and time values are those given for the plotted routes. Time values are for moderately fit walkers without breaks. They should therefore be considered minimum values for the purposes of route planning.

Notes

Wainwright: “There are no ridges connecting with other fells. However, the ascent of Hen Comb is commonly combined with Mellbreak. Gavel Fell and Great Borne can both be easily visited, too.”

Classification

DoBIH No

2481

Local

Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Wainwright

Birkett

Lake District hills over 1,000ft listed in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells. There are 541 Birketts, 211 are also Wainwrights.

Fellranger

Lake District hills included in Mark Richards' Fellranger walking series, a set of eight volumes inspired by the Wainwright guides. There are 230 Fellrangers, 209 are also Wainwrights. This is a curated list, not based on height criteria.

Synge

Lake District hills over 300m listed in Tim Synge's The Lakeland Summits. The book aims to list every significant summit over 300m in height within the National Park, 646 in total. It includes all 214 fells in Wainwright's Pictorial Guides, including Castle Crag at 290m.

Wainwright

Lake District hills included in volumes 1-7 of Wainwright's A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. There are 214 Wainwrights in all. This is a curated list, not based on height criteria.

National

Dewey, Dodd, Hump, Submarilyn

Dewey

Hills in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man that are at least 500m high and less than 609.6m (2,000ft) with a drop of at least 30m on all sides. There are 31 Wainwrights in this class.

Dodd

Hills in Scotland, England, Wales, the Isle of Man, and Ireland between 500m and 599.9m high with a drop of at least 30m on all sides. There are 29 Wainwrights in this class.

Hump

British and Irish Hills of any height with a drop of at least 100m or more on all sides. The name Hump stands for Hundred Metre Prominence. There are 32 Wainwrights in this class.

Submarilyn

British and Irish hills of any height that fall short of a drop of 150m on all sides by up to 10m. There are 9 Wainwrights in this class.

Geology

Bedrock

Kirk Stile Formation

BGS code

KST

Type

Sedimentary (marine)

Age

458.4 – 477.7 Ma

Period

Ordovician

Parent

Skiddaw Group

Details

Members, formations and groups

Member

A smaller unit of rock that shares common charateristics and features, often used in geology to describe specific layers within a formation.

Formation

A larger unit of rock that is distinct from other formations above and below. A formation may include two or more members.

Group

A stratigraphic unit that includes two or more associated formations that are usually contiguous or contain significant features in common.

Suite

A geological unit containing intrusive, highly deformed, or metamorthic rocks of the same type, lacking discernable stratification.

Complex

A geological unit containing intrusive, highly deformed, or metamorthic rocks of different types, lacking discernable stratification.

Notes

These sedimentary rocks are marine in origin. They comprise coarse- to fine-grained slurries of debris from the continental shelf flowing into a deep-sea environment, forming distinctively graded beds. They form thinly laminated to very thinly bedded dark grey siltstones and mudstones. They are underlain by the Loweswater Formation and overlain by the Eycott Volcanic Group.

Daylight

Tuesday, 9th June 2026

Daylight

17 hours 12 minutes

Dawn

03:43

(3:43am)

Sunrise

04:36

(4:36am)

Midday

13:12

(1:12pm)

Sunset

21:49

(9:49pm)

Dusk

22:41

(10:41pm)

Details

Daylight, dawn, dusk and midday

Daylight

The period of Daylight begins at sunrise and ends at sunset.

Dawn and dusk

The given figures are for Civil Dawn and Civil Dusk. These mark the start and end of Civil Twilight, that period before sunrise and after sunset when there is still enough light in the sky to easily undertake most outdoor activities without artificial light. However, do bear in mind that light levels during twilight will vary depending on cloud cover. Before dawn and after dusk, a headtorch is recommended.

Midday

Midday is the point, half way between sunrise and sunset, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. Midday is also known as Transit or Solar Noon and may not be the same as noon in Civil Time (12 o'clock).

Notes

Aim to complete your walk before sunset, leaving the evening twilight period as a buffer in case the walk takes longer than expected. Always carry a headtorch.

Additional information

Links

• Wikipedia
• Hill Bagging
• Walk Lakes
• Lonewalker
• Geograph
• Streetmap
• Peak Finder
• Met Office