High Tove

High Tove is a fell in the English Lake District close to the geographical centre of the Cumbrian hills. It forms part of the watershed between the Derwentwater and Thirlmere catchments, a ridge running broadly north-south.

High Tove is an outlier of High Seat, separated from its taller northern neighbour by the Peewits, an extremely boggy depression. The summit is a shallow rounded dome of marginally drier ground, marked by a cairn. The ridge passes on south across further upland marsh towards Ullscarf, passing over the three rocky (and dry) outcrops of Middle Crag, Shivery Knott and Watendlath Fell (summit unnamed on Ordnance Survey maps). Armboth Fell lies to the south east of High Tove, connected to the ridge by a broad heathery saddle.

High Tove covers around one and a half miles of the north-south ridge, which is approximately a mile in width. It is bounded on the west by Blea Tarn Gill/ Watendlath Gill and their respective tarns. Fisher and Launchy Gills provide the eastern boundary, flowing north and south around Armboth Fell respectively. Both are feeders of Thirlmere.

A bridleway from Watendlath to Armboth crosses the ridge. Unusually it keeps to the summit rather than a depression, in an attempt to avoid wet ground. A further path runs along the watershed, accompanied by a wire fence. This can prove useful for crossing the worst of the bogs.

The views are good to the east and west, although obstructed by higher fells on the north-south ridge.