Wasdale is the far west of the Lakes, and the road up the side of Wast Water ends at Wasdale Head, a hamlet with an inn, a shop and St Olaf's church, one of the smallest churches in England. Seventeen Wainwrights start in the valley, including Scafell Pike, the highest point in England, and Great Gable. Most are in the Southern Fells and Western Fells. Wikipedia calls Wasdale the home of British rock climbing. Walter Haskett Smith's climb of Napes Needle, on Great Gable, in 1886 is widely taken as the start of the sport in England.
There is no bus. That shapes every trip here, so read the parking section before you plan a route.
Wainwrights starting near Wasdale Head
| Rank | Fell | Height | Area | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scafell PikeSouthern Fells | 978 m | Southern Fells | Difficult |
| 2 | ScafellSouthern Fells | 964 m | Southern Fells | Difficult |
| 5 | Great EndSouthern Fells | 910 m | Southern Fells | Moderate |
| 7 | Great GableWestern Fells | 899 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 8 | PillarWestern Fells | 892 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| =22 | Scoat FellWestern Fells | 841 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 26 | Red Pike [Wasdale]Western Fells | 826 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 28 | SteepleWestern Fells | 819 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 29 | LingmellSouthern Fells | 807 m | Southern Fells | Moderate |
| =31 | Kirk FellWestern Fells | 802 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 36 | HaycockWestern Fells | 797 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| =42 | Allen CragsSouthern Fells | 785 m | Southern Fells | Difficult |
| 94 | SeatallanWestern Fells | 692 m | Western Fells | Moderate |
| 123 | YewbarrowWestern Fells | 627 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 128 | Illgill HeadSouthern Fells | 609 m | Southern Fells | Moderate |
| 135 | Middle FellWestern Fells | 582 m | Western Fells | Moderate |
Parking and getting there
Four places cover every fell in the valley. Using the right one saves a road walk.
- Brackenclose, the National Trust pay and display car park by the campsite at the head of Wast Water, sometimes called Lake Head. It has toilets. Use it for Scafell Pike, Scafell, Lingmell and Illgill Head.
- Wasdale Head village green, a little over a kilometre further up the road. Use it for Kirk Fell, Pillar and Great Gable.
- Overbeck Bridge, a small car park on the lake road, for Yewbarrow, Red Pike and the Mosedale Horseshoe.
- Greendale, a few cottages further down the lake, with informal parking for about ten cars on the grass. It is the start for Middle Fell, Seatallan and Buckbarrow. Driving to Lake Head for these means a long road walk back.
Haycock goes from Netherbeck Bridge, on the lake road, round the base of Middle Fell.
No route in the Stagecoach summer 2026 timetable comes into Wasdale. Without a car, you can walk in over Sty Head from Seathwaite in Borrowdale, which the 78 bus reaches at Seatoller, and stay the night. Wainwrights by bus has more on getting to the far west.
At Wasdale Head, WalkLakes lists the Wasdale Head hotel with its Ritsons Bar, and the Barn Door shop.
Shorter days
Nothing in Wasdale is small, but a few fells make a half day. The WalkLakes circuit of Yewbarrow from Overbeck Bridge is 6.7 km with about 590 m of ascent. It climbs the south ridge by Dropping Crag to Great Door, with a steep gully you can avoid on an informal path. The Greendale round over Middle Fell, Seatallan and Buckbarrow is 8.5 km with about 720 m of ascent. Middle Fell alone, straight up from Greendale, is the shortest and simplest of the three, with a view across the lake to the Screes. Lingmell leaves the Scafell Pike path a short way up Lingmell Gill and climbs its south-west ridge, and it has one of the best views of Great Gable anywhere. WalkLakes times are moving times, so add your stops.
Shorter days from Wasdale
| Rank | Fell | Height | Area | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | YewbarrowWestern Fells | 627 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 135 | Middle FellWestern Fells | 582 m | Western Fells | Moderate |
| =196 | BuckbarrowWestern Fells | 423 m | Western Fells | Moderate |
| 94 | SeatallanWestern Fells | 692 m | Western Fells | Moderate |
| 29 | LingmellSouthern Fells | 807 m | Southern Fells | Moderate |
Full days
Scafell Pike from Brackenclose goes up Lingmell Gill and the pitched steps of Brown Tongue into Hollow Stones. Up and down is about 9 km, and most people take five or six hours. Scafell is next door, but Broad Stand, the direct link from Mickledore, is a rock climb. Go by Foxes Tarn or Green How instead. The WalkLakes round of both by Foxes Tarn is 9.8 km with 1,143 m of ascent. Kirk Fell and Great Gable from the green, by Black Sail Pass, Beck Head and Sty Head, is 13.2 km and 1,082 m. Pillar goes up Mosedale to Black Sail Pass and along the east ridge. Illgill Head and Whin Rigg run along the top of the Wastwater Screes: the WalkLakes circuit from Brackenclose is 15.8 km with 674 m of ascent. Great End can be reached from Sty Head, though most people climb it from Borrowdale.
Full days from Wasdale
| Rank | Fell | Height | Area | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scafell PikeSouthern Fells | 978 m | Southern Fells | Difficult |
| 2 | ScafellSouthern Fells | 964 m | Southern Fells | Difficult |
| 7 | Great GableWestern Fells | 899 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| =31 | Kirk FellWestern Fells | 802 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 8 | PillarWestern Fells | 892 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 26 | Red Pike [Wasdale]Western Fells | 826 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| =22 | Scoat FellWestern Fells | 841 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 28 | SteepleWestern Fells | 819 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
| 128 | Illgill HeadSouthern Fells | 609 m | Southern Fells | Moderate |
| =154 | Whin RiggSouthern Fells | 537 m | Southern Fells | Easy |
| 5 | Great EndSouthern Fells | 910 m | Southern Fells | Moderate |
| 36 | HaycockWestern Fells | 797 m | Western Fells | Difficult |
Classic rounds from Wasdale
The Mosedale Horseshoe
From Overbeck Bridge, climb to Dore Head and go over Red Pike to Scoat Fell. Steeple is a short out and back from Scoat Fell along a narrow, loose ridge. Carry on to Pillar and come down to Black Sail Pass and the Wasdale Head Inn. WalkLakes gives its version from Lake Head as 17.4 km with 1,104 m of ascent, with some boulder clambering and loose scree. Strong walkers start over Yewbarrow, though the way off Stirrup Crag at its north end involves scrambling. Our Mosedale Horseshoe guide has the details.
Scafell Pike and Scafell
The WalkLakes route from Brackenclose goes up Brown Tongue to Scafell Pike, down to Mickledore, and up the Foxes Tarn gully to Scafell, then down the scree and grass of Green How. Lord's Rake, the old way up, has had rockfalls since 2002, and current guides steer walkers away from it.
Kirk Fell and Great Gable
The WalkLakes loop from the village green goes up Black Sail Pass, climbs Kirk Fell by a loose scree gully with chockstones, crosses both tops and Beck Head to Great Gable, and comes back down by Sty Head and Burnthwaite Farm. It is 13.2 km with 1,082 m of ascent, a minimum of 4 hours 26 minutes.
The Wasdale fells are big, rocky and a long way from help, and in cloud the top of Scafell Pike is a boulder field where one stretch looks like the next. Take a map and compass, and check the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) forecast before you go. Great Gable and Scafell Pike are also climbed from the other side, in Wainwrights from Borrowdale. Before a big day here, Wainwrights to avoid in bad weather is worth a read, and for the quieter fells by the lake, see quiet Wainwrights.