Illgill Head

The Wastwater Screes fall from Illgill Head straight into England's deepest lake, and the loose rock carries on for 79 metres under the water. Norman Nicholson compared the gullies to the inverted arches of a Gothic cathedral. The other side of the fell is gentle heather and bracken running down to Burnmoor Tarn and Miterdale.

Park at the National Trust car park at Brackenclose, at the head of Wast Water. A path climbs the north-east shoulder of the fell, skirts the top of the Screes and follows the ridge on to Whin Rigg. Come back down steeply beside Greathall Gill and along the lake road. Walk Lakes makes that circuit 15.8 km with 674 metres of ascent. From Eskdale you can come up over Whin Rigg or by Burnmoor Tarn, starting from Boot, Eskdale Green or the Miterdale Forestry car park.

Paths are rough grass, steep in places, with two step stiles that are awkward for dogs. A lakeshore path runs through the boulder field at the foot of the Screes, but it is slippery in the wet, with loose rocks and gaps between the boulders, and is best avoided.

The summit is a flat grassy sheepwalk at 609 metres with a cairn and a windbreak. It tilts gently towards the lake and then drops sharply at the brink, and from there you look straight up to Wasdale Head, with Scafell close by. Between Illgill Head and Whin Rigg, a dip holds several small tarns, and the edge path gives the best views down the gullies.