A belief that the roof beams came from a Viking longship may have lead to the dedication to St Olaf, the patron saint of Norway in 1974. One can imagine relatives of local climbers saying a silent prayer here; the inscriptions on the graves in the churchyard make for poignant reading.

On the south window is an etching of Napes Needle: Great Gables great rock pinnacle that played such a significant role in the birth of English rock climbing.

Stephen

August 10, 2022

Hiking

Lovely church with amazing views it's the smallest church next to the highest mountain

Ian Baines

March 14, 2023

Hiking

The Fell and Rock Climbing Club Memorial Window in a window on the south side is an engraving of Napes Needle with a slight misquote of the opening to Psalm 121 (strength instead of help). This should definitely be seen in your visit to St Olafs but also worth a read are the various documents on the walls about the history of the church. Do also look outside at some of the gravestones. many of these relate to famous climbers

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Elevation 80 m

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Monday 6 April

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Max wind speed: 24.0 km/h

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Location: Wasdale, Copeland, Cumbria, North West England, England, United Kingdom

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St Olaf's Church, Wasdale

#1.

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