Part of the Defence Training Estate, the area consists of approximately 24,000 acres (9,700 ha) of MoD freehold land.

[3] On 19 October 1944 a Short Stirling bomber (LK 488), crashed on Mickle Fell whilst on a training flight from its base at RAF Wratting Common in Cambridgeshire; of the seven crew, only one survived.

[4] On 22 April 1999 a soldier died when a grenade exploded in his pocket.

[5] On 4 June 2014, one soldier died and two others were injured in a training accident when a military vehicle rolled over.

[8] Most of the training area is in Cumbria but a portion is County Durham.