The main road into Low Fell is the A167. According to the 2001 UK census, Low Fell had a population of 8,643, falling marginally to 8,636 at the 2011 census. For centuries little more than part of a windswept, barren and treacherous heath, the settlement at Low Fell was initially established by a moderate influx of tinkers and miners in the 18th century. Gateshead Fell was initially incorporated into the Municipal Borough of Gateshead in 1835 and then the County Borough of Gateshead in 1889. More recently, it was formally incorporated into the newly formed Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead by the Local Government Act 1972 which took effect on 1 April 1974.
