Where is this walk?

Climbing Skiddaw from Keswick

January 21, 2018

Climbing Skiddaw from Keswick is the most popular route up the mountain. It is a straightforward walk on good tracks although I have varied the traditional descent here to make it a circular option.

The Walk

Climbing Skiddaw is in the family. My mother used to take this walk up Skiddaw (3,052′) as an evacuee during the war. It still remains very popular today. However she did have the advantage of being able to stop and refresh at the infamous half way hut (long since disappeared). Climbing Skiddaw from Keswick is certainly the most straight forward route up one of the Lake District 3,000 footers. This is mainly due to the wide path and a consistently steady gradient. It is not hard. The views are superb both down Borrowdale to the south and over in to the wilder land that are Back o’ Skidda.

The descent on this walk improves the day immeasurably. An awkward start (from the summit) down a slate path improves after dropping to a small, exquisite tarn on the col with Carl Side. From here the ridge down to Millbeck is excellent, a good quick track with views over the fells of Derwentwater spread out ahead.

The photos were taken on a winter walk with Mist which was superb!

Recommend

There are a number of smaller Wainwrights that dot around Skiddaw which are easy to tick off for any bagger on this walk. They are here: Little Man (2837′), Carl Side (2420′), Long Side (2405′), Lonscale Fell 2344′), Ullock Pike (2230′), Dodd (1612′),  and of course Latrigg (1203′).

Navigation Tips on Climbing Skiddaw from Keswick

The main difficulty is finding the path on the summit ridge that drops down towards the tarn. It is a quarter of a mile from the trig point and before you reach the south end of the summit ridge. Because it is on slate it is difficult to spot.

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