Hiking Highlight
Recommended by 34 hikers
This Highlight is in a protected area
Please check local regulations for: Lake District National Park
Whin Rigg is one of two Wainwrights on a wonderful linear ridge above Wast Water, England’s deepest and, arguably, most spectacular lake. The fell is most famous for the dramatic Wastwater Screes, which tumble abruptly down from the ridge’s northwestern flanks to the shores of the lake. Incredibly, one of the Screes’ near-vertical gullies contain the remains of a crashed airplane.
Adventures to Whin Rigg feature some of the most celebrated vistas in the entire country. The view of Yewbarrow, Great Gable and Lingmell above Wast Water from the lake’s southwestern end is often cited as England’s finest and this is where the most direct hikes to Whin Rigg start from.
The fell can also be linked with Illgill Head, the higher summit at the northeast end of the ridge. Routes that traverse from here typically begin from Wasdale Head, where there are a number of accommodation options. The panorama from the summit is superb, with the shapely mountains around Wasdale Head stealing the limelight.
Location: Wasdale, Copeland, Cumbria, North West England, England, United Kingdom
Whin Rigg is a 1,755-foot (537m) fell in the South Western Lake District. It forms part of a stretch of high ground that hugs the south-eastern edge of Wast Water which is the deepest body of water in the Lake District. Walking the full ridge to Illgill Head in both directions is recommended so you can fully appreciate the jutting cliffs that curve in and out from the main ridge. Spectacular!
June 11, 2021
Set out from the National Trust car park at 7.30am in the morning on a blue sky day and by 8.30am we were on the top and couldn't see 50m in front....bummer!
June 30, 2021
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