Silver How, Mountain summit in Lake District, England
Silver How is a fell summit in the Lake District, situated above the village of Grasmere in Cumbria, England, rising to about 395 meters. The top is grassy with a stone cairn, and the slopes on all sides offer open views across the surrounding valleys.
The land around Silver How was used for grazing for centuries before the area became part of the Lake District National Park in 1951. The poet William Wordsworth, who lived in Grasmere below, is known to have walked on these slopes regularly.
Silver How is one of the fells listed in Alfred Wainwright's famous walking guides to the Lake District, which many hikers still use today. Completing all the summits in his list is a personal goal for a large number of regular walkers in the region.
The most common starting point is Grasmere village, from where the path up is generally clear and easy to follow. Weather on the fell can change without much warning, so good footwear and an extra layer are worth bringing at any time of year.
The name Silver How comes from Old Norse, in which 'how' means a small hill or mound, reflecting the Viking-era settlement of this part of England. Many place names in the Lake District share this Norse origin, making the landscape itself a kind of map of early medieval history.
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