Slight Side

Slight Side only just counts as a separate fell. It rises a mere 14 metres above the col that joins it to Scafell, 2 km to the north, and it misses out on the Nuttall and Hewitt lists. Wainwright still gave it a chapter of its own.

In Eskdale, walkers set off from Boot. A path climbs past Eel Tarn and Stony Tarn, then crosses bouldery ground onto the broad ridge up to the summit. Many carry on to Scafell and Scafell Pike, or take in Slight Side on the way down from Scafell. From Wasdale Head, the old Corpse Road, once used to carry the dead over to Eskdale for burial, leads past Brackenclose and across Quagrigg Moss to the Terrace Route, which climbs to the col between the summit and Horn Crag. That line is about 4.7 miles with 2,650 feet of ascent.

Apart from the north, where the ridge joins Scafell, every side of the fell is steep and craggy. From the col, a cairned path goes up a gangway between the crags to a rock groove that needs a short, steep scramble. An easier scree slope lies to its right.

The top is a knot of rock at 762 metres. The view runs west towards the Irish Sea and across to Scafell, Bowfell and Crinkle Crags. Horn Crag stands just south, above Eskdale. Seen from a distance, Long Green, a shoulder on the ridge towards Scafell, is easily mistaken for Slight Side itself.