UK Mountain Classifications and Rambling, Walking and Hiking in the UK

UK Mountain Classifications

Common Mountain Classifications | What is a Mountain?
Peak Bagging - How to get started | Peak Bagging - Maps & Lists

Walkers and Hikers have been classifying UK mountains ever since Sir Hugh Munro first created his list of 'Munros' in 1871 - usually with the intention of climbing or 'bagging' them all.

There are a surprisingly large number of systems for classifying UK mountains and it is not our intention to comment of the relative merits of each list (other than to say all are quite worthy).

We are far more interested in trying to encourage you to pick one and start 'fell bagging' for yourself.

Working your way through a list of UK mountains will give added purpose to your walking. It offers measurable results (i.e. mountains 'bagged') - whilst always suggesting new places to walk and explore that you may not have otherwise considered (i.e. mountains to be 'bagged').

In any event if it gets you out and into the UK mountains - that is reward in itself.

As always, we do welcome and value your comments. If you have anything to contribute or add (or spot any omissions, typos or mistakes) please email the

A Mountain is a Mountain - isn't it?

Well yes and no. Like all these things, it is all a matter of definition.

Most UK mountains do not rise majestically to a single (snow capped) point before gliding smoothly back to the valley floor. More often than not, they stumble up in a series of lumps and bumps, follow an undulating ridge in a series of peaks and troughs before returning untidily to the valley floor.

For example, the Helvellyn ridge in the Eastern Lake District starts (or ends) at Rydal, just North of Ambleside, where it rises first onto Nab Scar and then up onto Heron Pike. It descends briefly before rising again to Great Rigg, where it descends briefly again before rising again to the summit of Fairfield. A more pronounced descent drops to Grisedale Tarn (which itself is at some 1800ft above sea level) before rising again to cross Dollywaggon Pike and Nethermost Pike before finally reaching the summit of Helvellyn - the highest point on the whole ridge. Then it crosses White Side, Raise, Stybarrow Dodd, Watson's Dodd, Great Dodd and finally Clough Head before descending to the valley floor near Threlkeld. A linear distance of some 18km (approx. 11 miles).

Now is the whole ridge one single mountain (called Helvellyn)? The descent at Grisedale Tarn is quite pronounced so perhaps it is two mountains - Helvellyn and Fairfield? But when does one mountain stop and the next one start? What about the mountains that branch off the main ridge - like St Sunday Crag or Hart Crag?

For this reason, most mountains are classified using two factors:

the height of the summit above sea level - in the UK mountains must be over 610m (approx 2000ft) to be called 'mountains', and
the amount of re-ascent required on all sides from a neighbouring mountain to reach that summit - usually 30m (approx 100ft) or 150m (approx 500ft) depending on the system adopted.

There are some exceptions to this basic rule - Donalds for example use a complicated formula that includes the linear distance between any two summits and Alfred Wainwright simply included a top if he thought it would make a pleasing chapter in one of his books.

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