Walk The Wast Water Round from Wasdale Head, Wast Water
Testing hike around Lakeland's deepest lake
This 15¼ mile, Grade 9 (Very Hard), easy-to-follow, hand-crafted walk, complete with GPS Waypoints, starts at Wasdale Head in the Lake District & will take you about 10½ hrs to complete.
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Detailed walk route map PDF | |
Vital Statistics: | ||
| Walk No.: | c423 | |
| Length: | 15¼ miles (24.5km) | |
| Ascent: | 4841 ft (1475m) | |
| Time: | 10½ hours | |
| Grade: |  | |
| Start: | Wasdale Head* | |
| Walk Type: | High Mountains | |
| Gear Needed: | Full mountain gear including boots, warm layers, waterproofs, food & water, and good weather | |
Route outline for this walk:
Wasdale Head - (National Trust Campsite) - Wast Water - Lingmell Gill - Illgill Head - Whin Rigg - Greathall Gill - Low Wood - Lund Bridge - Woodhow Farm - Woodhow Tarn - Scale Farm - Tosh Tarn - Gill Farm - Gill Beck - Buckbarrow - Cold Well - Nether Wasdale Common - Seatallan - Windscale Hows - Middle Fell (Wasdale) - Greendale Farm - Nether Beck - Overbeck Bridge - Wasdale Head - Wast Water.
Points of Interest/Notes on this walk:
Wasdale Head is a tiny hamlet of agricultural fields and dwellings that claims to be home of the highest mountain in England (Scafell Pike), the deepest lake (Wast Water), the smallest church (Church of St Olaf) and the biggest liar (Will Ritson). There is an excellent National Trust Campsite and a fine pub - the Wasdale Inn - which claims to be the birthplace of British rock climbing. There is also a large free parking area for visitors.
Peaks, Summits and Tops reached on this walk:
 1 English Mountain |
 5 Wainwrights |
 1 English Nuttall |
 3 English Deweys |
 0 Wainwright Outlying Fells |
 2 Marilyns |
 0 Bridgets |
Peak Bagging Statistics for this walk:
The highest point of this walk is Seatallan at 692m (2271ft). Seatallan is classified as an English Mountain (Hewitt) (109th highest in England, 180th highest in England & Wales) and a Wainwright (No. 94).
Seatallan is also known as an English Nuttall (143rd highest in England, 234th highest in England & Wales) and an English Marilyn (34th highest in England, 611th highest in the UK).
The summit of Seatallan is marked by an Ordnance Survey Trig Point.
Completing this walk will also take you to the top of Illgill Head at 609m (1997ft). Illgill Head is classified as an Wainwright (No. 129).
Illgill Head is also known as an English Dewey (2nd highest in England, 4th in England & Wales) and an English Marilyn (52nd highest in England, 757th highest in the UK).
You will also reach the summit of Middle Fell (Wasdale) at 582m (1910ft). Middle Fell (Wasdale) is classified as an Wainwright (No. 135).
Middle Fell (Wasdale) is also known as an English Dewey (27th highest in England, 65th in England & Wales)
Along the way you will also bag and tick-off:
- Whin Rigg at 535m (1756ft). Whin Rigg is classified as a Wainwright (No. 156) and an English Dewey (103rd highest in England, 239th highest in England & Wales)
- Buckbarrow at 405m (1329ft). Buckbarrow is classified as a Wainwright (No. 200)
| Grid Ref: | NY182750 |
| Sat Nav (Dec): | 54.45609,-3.26320* |
| Sat Nav (DMS): | 54°27'21.912"N 3°15'47.515"W* |
| What3words: | spelling.cold.alongside |
| Postcode: | CA20 1EX† |
| Car Park Fee: | £7.00 to park for 2 hours £8.50 to park for 4 hours £10.00 to park all day Free for National Trust Members Note: The machine only accepts coins |
| Car Park: | Large gravelled car park with 100 spaces |
| Location: | At the north eastern end of Wast Water, along narrow roads about 5 miles east of the A595 at Gosforth |
| Local Bus: | The Wasdale Explorer is a free Shuttle Bus that operates on Weekends and Bank Holidays during the summer months, providing access to Wasdale Head from Ravenglass train station via Muncaster Castle, Gosforth and Nether Wasdale. There are designated stops, but drivers may stop elsewhere if safe to do so. Dogs are allowed on the bus, but not on the seats. For more details, see Wasdale Shuttlebus |
| Alternative Car Parks: | There is a smaller, grass car park further north near Lingmell House, beyond Down in the Dale Bridge. If both of these car parks are full you could try Overbeck Car Park |
| Alternative Car Parks: | The Wasdale Head Inn at the head of the valley serves food and drinks |
Other Walks from Wasdale Head
Be Adventure Smart
If walking in the Lake District (and anywhere else) please be adventure smart.
Ask yourself 5 questions before you set off:
- Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?
- Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?
- Do I have the right GEAR for the day?
- Do I have enough FOOD & DRINK for the day?
- Do I have all the ESSENTIAL ITEMS for the day?
Note that there is no mobile phone or WiFi coverage in many parts of the Lake District
A dedicated GPS Device can be a good navigational aid, but only if you know how to use it properly. See The Myths and Truths about GPS for Walking and Hiking
* Link opens in Google Maps so you can get directions from your location.
† A rural postcode like this is notoriously hit-or-miss because it covers a large area of ground instead of just a few houses.
For more information about What3Words, see What3Words
For more information on plus codes, see Google Plus Codes
You can find this walk and other nearby walks on these unique Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
(worth a look if you're new to go4awalk.com & have never seen one of these before.)
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (pink/magenta covers):
Some Photos and Pictures from Walk The Wast Water Round from Wasdale Head, Wast Water
In no particular order . . .
Lingmell, Scafell Pike, Mickledore and Sca Fell above Wast Water from near Middle Fell (Wasdale)
Wast Water, Yewbarrow (left), Kirk Fell (centre left), Great Gable (centre right) and Lingmell Fell (right) from Illgill Head
Yewbarrow, Great Gable, Lingmell, Scafell Pike and Sca Fell from Wast Water
Wasdale Head featuring Yewbarrow (left), Great Gable (centre), Lingmell (right) and the lower slopes of Scafell Pike (right) from across Wast Water
Yewbarrow (left), Great Gable (in cloud centre), Lingmell (centre right) and the Wast Water screes (right) reflected in Wast Water
. . . load all 94 pictures & photos from this walk
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