by the gentle curvature of the grassy summit. The view extends east over the Eden Valley to the Pennine Hills, north to the Southern Uplands of Scotland, west and south to the fells of the Lake District, including the Northern, Eastern and Far Eastern Fells. Nearer at hand may be seen the lower reach of Ullswater, and it is a good viewpoint for Martindale. Ascents Only the southern parts of the fell are Open Access land. Access to it may be gained from four points. From the east access is possible from a narrow lane alongside the fell near the Cove camping park. From the south access can be gained from The Hause, which is crossed by a minor road, and where some parking is available. From Lowthwaite Farm a public right of way runs along the south side of the fell, to The Hause. From the west a tractor track gives access to the fell from a point 400 m north of Lowthwaite Farm. Three used paths approach the summit: from the west ridge, from the south directly from The Hause, and from the east. Geology Both Great and Little Mell Fells are unique among the fells of the Lake District by being composed of the Mell Fell Conglomerate, a sedimentary rock formed from deposits of sand and gravel in alluvial fans and braided river channels in a desert environment. The rock contains no fossils. The stones in the conglomerate came from the erosion of both the Borrowdale Volcanic Group and the Windermere Supergroup. The reddish-coloured rock appears to date from the late Devonian Period, sometime around 375 million years ago. The erosion of this conglomerate has formed the smooth and rounded outlines that are distinctive of the two Mell Fells. Rocks of the Devonian Period are also referred to as the Old Red Sandstone. These should not be confused with the younger New Red Sandstone of the Permian Period, found nearby in Penrith and the Eden Valley. Name Mell Fell is found in the earlier form Melfel (1279) and is probably derived from the Brittonic (Cumbric) word męl (c.f. Welsh moel), a bare hill, with Fell as a later addition. Fell is a local dialect word with several meanings, from either Old Norse fell, 'hill, mountain', or Old Norse fjall, 'mountainous country'. Fell is very common in Lake District place-names, some of which, like Mell Fell, are ancient,