Watch Hill (Cockermouth)

Watch Hill is a small hill lying on the north-western fringe of the Lake District in England. The name Setmurthy Common is sometimes used (including by Alfred Wainwright in his book The Outlying Fells of Lakeland) to refer to the area including the highest point, with "Watch Hill" describing the area to the west of the summit. It should not be confused with another Watch Hill some 19 km to the south-west, near Whitehaven, which is only 172 m (564 ft) high. The name "The Hay" is also used when referring to the area west of the summit.

Despite its low height (just 833 feet) it is a Marilyn because of the large height separation from its neighbours. This 'detachedness' means that it is an excellent viewpoint. Skiddaw, Blencathra, the Lord's Seat group and Grisedale Pike are all seen, and there is a first-class view of the Cockermouth area and the Solway Coast AONB.

The hill is a popular climb with Cockermouth folk, along with its lower neighbour Slate Fell.

Wainwright's The Outlying Fells of Lakeland
Chapters named
for single summits
  • Beacon Fell
  • Bigland Barrow
  • Black Combe
  • Blawith Knott
  • Boat How
  • Brant Fell
  • Burney
  • Caermote Hill
  • Carron Crag
  • Cartmel Fell
  • Caw
  • Claife Heights
  • Clints Crags
  • Cold Fell
  • Dunmallet
  • Dunnerdale Fells
  • Faulds Brow
  • Finsthwaite Heights
  • Hampsfell
  • Great Worm Crag
  • Green Quarter Fell
  • Gummer's How
  • Hesk Fell
  • Heughscar Hill
  • High Knott
  • Howes
  • Hugill Fell
  • Humphrey Head
  • Irton Pike
  • Knipescar Common
  • Latterbarrow
  • Muncaster Fell
  • Newton Fell
  • Orrest Head
  • Ponsonby Fell
  • Potter Fell
  • Reston Scar
  • School Knott
  • Scout Scar
  • Seat Robert
  • Stainton Pike
  • Staveley Fell
  • Stickle Pike
  • Top o'Selside
  • Walna Scar
  • Watch Hill
  • Whitbarrow
  • Whit Fell
  • Woodland Fell
Chapters named
for circuits, groups
and horseshoes
  • Bannisdale Horseshoe
  • Crookdale Horseshoe
  • Devoke Water, Circuit of
  • Flat Fell and Dent
  • Naddle Horseshoe
  • Wasdale Horseshoe
  • Wet Sleddale Horseshoe
Full list of Wainwrights by area
Marilyns of Northern England
1. Northumberland
  • The Cheviot
  • Housedon Hill
  • Long Crag
  • Peel Fell
  • Ros Hill
  • Shillhope Law
  • Sighty Crag
  • Tosson Hill
2. Northern Lakeland
  • Binsey
  • Blencathra
  • Knott
  • Skiddaw
3. Western Lakeland
  • Blake Fell
  • Dale Head
  • Dent
  • Grasmoor
  • Great Gable
  • Grisedale Pike
  • High Stile
  • Kirk Fell
  • Lord's Seat
  • Low Fell
  • Mellbreak
  • Pillar
  • Robinson
  • Seatallan
  • Swinside
  • Watch Hill
4. Central and
Southern Lakeland
  • Black Combe
  • Claife Heights
  • Coniston Old Man
  • Hard Knott
  • Harter Fell
  • High Raise
  • High Rigg
  • Holme Fell
  • Illgill Head
  • Kirkby Moor
  • Lingmoor Fell
  • Loughrigg Fell
  • Muncaster Fell
  • Pike of Blisco
  • Scafell Pike
  • Top o' Selside
  • Whitfell
5. Eastern Lakeland
  • Arnside Knott
  • Fairfield
  • Grayrigg Forest
  • Great Mell Fell
  • Gummer's How
  • Hallin Fell
  • Helvellyn
  • High Street
  • Hutton Roof Crags
  • Lambrigg Fell
  • Little Mell Fell
  • Place Fell
  • Red Screes
  • St Sunday Crag
  • Seat Sandal
  • Stony Cove Pike
  • Tarn Crag
  • Wansfell
  • Whitbarrow
6. North Pennines
and Durham
  • Burnhope Seat
  • Cold Fell
  • Cross Fell
  • Dufton Pike
  • Mickle Fell
7. Northern Yorkshire Dales
  • Baugh Fell
  • The Calf
  • Great Shunner Fell
  • Hoove
  • Kisdon
  • Nine Standards Rigg
  • Rogan's Seat
  • Wild Boar Fell
  • Yarlside
8. Southern Yorkshire Dales
  • Aye Gill Pike
  • Birks Fell
  • Buckden Pike
  • Calf Top
  • Cracoe Fell
  • Dodd Fell Hill
  • Fountains Fell
  • Great Coum
  • Great Knoutberry Hill
  • Great Whernside
  • Ingleborough
  • Pen-y-ghent
  • Rombald's Moor
  • Sharp Haw
  • Whernside
9. North York Moors
to the Humber
  • Bishop Wilton Wold
  • Cringle Moor
  • Gisborough Moor
  • Urra Moor
10. Forest of Bowland
  • Easington Fell
  • Fair Snape Fell
  • Longridge Fell
  • Ward's Stone
  • White Hill


Famous quotes containing the words watch and/or hill:

    He will watch you while you work, and always has a good word to say or a quip to snap at you to keep you cheered up, but when it comes to taking off his coat and lending a hand,... he is an Oriental incense-holder on the guest-room mantle.
    Robert Benchley (1889–1945)

    John Anderson my jo, John,
    We clamb the hill the gither;
    And mony a canty day, John,
    We’ve had wi’ ane anither:
    Now we maun totter down, John,
    And hand in hand we’ll go;
    And sleep the gither at the foot,
    John Anderson my Jo.
    Robert Burns (1759–1796)