Illgill Head
Illgill Head | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 609 m (1,998 ft) |
Prominence | 314 m (1,030 ft) |
Parent peak | Scafell Pike |
Listing | Marilyn, Wainwright |
Coordinates | 54°25′58″N 3°16′57″W / 54.4327°N 3.28257°WCoordinates: 54°25′58″N 3°16′57″W / 54.4327°N 3.28257°W |
Geography | |
Illgill Head Location in the Lake District | |
Location | Cumbria, England |
Parent range | Lake District, Southern Fells |
OS grid | NY169049 |
Topo map | OS Landranger 89, Explorer OL6 |
Illgill Head is a fell in the English Lake District. It is known more commonly as the northern portion of the Wastwater Screes. The fell is 609 metres high and stands along the south-east shore of Wastwater, the deepest lake in England.
Topography[]
The panorama of the Wastwater Screes across Wastwater is one of the most famous and awe-inspiring views in England. Poet Norman Nicholson described the Screes as ‘like the inverted arches of a Gothic Cathedral’. The title Wastwater Screes applies to the scree-covered north-western fellside which plunges dramatically down into Wastwater. This also includes Illgill Head's neighbour Whin Rigg, the continuation of the ridge to the south-west. The scree slope continues beneath the lake to a depth of 79 metres (259 ft). The screes were formed as a result of ice and weathering erosion on the rocks. Geologically, Illgill Head and Whin Rigg are part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, typical for the southern-western area of the Lake District. In marked contrast to the north-western slope, the opposite flank of the fell, which descends to Burnmoor Tarn and Miterdale, is much gentler and covered in heather and bracken.
Geology[]
The summit area has outcropping tuff, lapilli-tuff and breccia of the Lingmell Formation amid the drift deposits. The crags atop the Screes reveal the plagioclase-phyric andesite lavas of the Birker Fell Formation.[1]
Summit[]
The summit is a flat sheepwalk, giving no clue to the drama of the Screes. North-west from the cairn the grassy plateau gradually tilts, until a few yards away it simply disappears over the brink. Illgill Head is a fine viewpoint for Wasdale Head, the surrounding fells all appearing as they soar up from the dalehead. Nearer views, with care, are possible down the Screes themselves.
Ascent[]
Illgill Head is commonly ascended from Wasdale Head over the north-eastern shoulder of the fell, skirting the edge of the Screes. There is also an ascent from Boot in Eskdale either over Whin Rigg or direct via Burnmoor Tarn. A lakeside path along the south-eastern shore of Wastwater starts at Wasdale Head Hall and continues through the boulder field with exhilarating close-up views of the Screes.
References[]
- A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, The Southern Fells, Alfred Wainwright, ISBN 0-7112-2230-4
- ^ British Geological Survey: 1:50,000 series maps, England & Wales Sheet 38: BGS (1998)
- Nuttalls
- Fells of the Lake District
- Marilyns of England
- Borough of Copeland