Miller Moss had always been classed as a hill. But it has just become a mountain.

Miller Moss - also known as Little Lingy Hill - lies in the northern fells between Wigton and Keswick.

It was marked on Ordnance Survey maps as 609 metres high (1,998 feet).

The recognised threshold for when a hill becomes a mountain is 609.6 metres (2,000 feet).

Now two independent surveyors - John Barnard and Graham Jackson - have measured Miller Moss at 610.1 metres - 2,001.6 feet.

Those extra three feet have propelled it into the big league.

Ordnance Survey will have to alter its Land Ranger and Explorer maps to mark its new height.

Walkers and climbers hoping to tackle every mountain in the country have a new one for their list.

John and Graham have spent much of the past decade travelling the country checking the height of hills that are close to mountain status.

Their findings have led to several other hills in England and Wales being reclassified.

As Ordnance Survey acknowledges that there is a small margin for error in its figures, John and Graham knew Miller Moss might have been wrongly classified.

They climbed it on August 1, with fellow walkers Jim Bloomer and John and Anne Nuttall.

Their hike was a six-mile round trip which took about eight hours, including time for data collecting,

At the summit they set up their data receiver that collects information from orbiting GPS satellites.

They had to leave it in place for two hours to get an accurate reading.

Ordnance Survey measures hills by flying a plane over and taking photographs.

These can be used to make a 3D model from which heights are measured, but with an accuracy of plus or minus three metres.

John and Graham's data has already been accepted by Ordnance Survey.

A spokesman said: "We have been working with John and Graham for several years and have supported them in verifying their survey results for many summits across Great Britain.

"As the national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey maintains the geospatial database for Great Britain and it is our role to ensure that any changes are checked and verified.

"We can confirm that we will be updating our maps to show a spot height of 610 metres for Miller Moss.

"This magic figure of 610 metres will now give Miller Moss mountain status and becomes another Great British mountain summit for outdoor enthusiasts to reach this summer."

Writer and broadcaster Eric Robson is also chairman of Cumbria Tourism.

He does not expect Miller Moss's new status to attract legions of tourists to tackle it.

"New mountain it may be, but it's still a bit of a nondescript lump in the landscape," he says.

"I don't think Blencathra and Scafell have a lot to worry about."

Graham Allan is chairman of the Penrith Ramblers walking group.

He says that hills becoming mountains is rare but not unheard of.

"The only other one I know is Thack Moor in the Pennines. It's above Renwick."

Graham has never climbed Miller Moss and is not sure if its new status will persuade him to do so.

"When something gets changed to a mountain it does seem to get some enthusiasm going," he says.

"It can increase the attraction to a place.

"I think more people will take the time to go there if it means something to them for bagging.

"If you're coming to Cumbria from a distance you're more likely to go bagging.

"If you live locally you tend not to feel the need as much.

"The main thing we get in our group is people who are keen on doing Wainwrights [the 214 fells described in AW Wainwright's Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells ].

"He decided which ones to include, and Miller Moss wasn't one of them."

---------------

PANEL

The 10 highest mountains in England are all in the Lake District.

The only one of the highest 24 which is not in the Lakes is Cross Fell in the Northern Pennines, east of Penrith.

The highest mountain in Britain is Ben Nevis in Scotland, at 4,413 feet.

England's Top 10

1) Scafell Pike - 3,209ft

2) Scafell - 3,163ft

3) Helvellyn - 3,117ft

4) Ill Crag - 3,068ft

5) Broad Crag - 3,064ft

6) Skiddaw - 3,054ft

7) Lower Man - 3,035ft

8) Great End - 2,986ft

9) Bowfell - 2,959ft

10) Great Gable - 2,949ft