of the 'fence' are actually stone walls, that running over the top of Kirk Fell is only a remnant, marked by occasional posts. The Ennerdale face of Kirk Fell has more features to offer, but due to the remoteness of the dalehead is much less familiar. A wall of rock rims the summit plateau, Boat How Crags to the east and Kirkfell Crags to the west. Between the two is the hollow of Baysoar Slack, the birthplace of Sail Beck. Below the crags the gradient is not quite as severe as on the Wasdale side, slopes running down to the bank of the River Liza. Kirk Fell does not have such a prominent position in Ennerdale, Great Gable standing at the head of the valley. To the east of Kirk Fell is Beck Head (2,020 ft), the col connecting to Great Gable. A small rocky spur, Rib End, runs down from the summit plateau to the tarns at the depression. Although prominently named on Ordnance Survey maps, Beckhead Tarn is a small shallow pool with a bed of peat and submerged flags. A second smaller pool forms after heavy rain. The summit plateau of Kirk Fell assumes a 'figure of eight' shape in plan, the narrow waist squeezed between Illgill Head and Baysoar Slack. The highest ground is to the west, while a subsidiary top occupies the other section. Kirk Fell East Top has sufficient prominence (34 m, 112 ft) to qualify as a Hewitt in its own right. Between the summits is Kirkfell Tarn, actually two small tarns. The deeper pool is an oval, while the other has an indented outline, reminiscent of Sprinkling Tarn on Seathwaite Fell in miniature. Geology The summit area consists of drift deposits overlying the plagioclase-phyric andesite lavas and subordinate sills of the Birker Fell Formation. The northern crags expose some granophyric granite of the Ennerdale Intrusion, together with the bedded breccias, sandstones and tuffs of the Round How Member. Summit The main top is marked by a cairn set amid an area of stones. The east top has a cairn set on a rocky outcrop. Some remains of the old fence can be found on the watershed, crossing both tops. Great Gable fills the eastern view, Gable Crag and the Napes seen in fascinating profile. Across Wasdale rise the Scafells, while the High Stile and Grasmoor ranges are well seen in the other