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Illgill Head and Whin Rigg

Illgill Head and Whin Rigg form a wide grassy ridge along the eastern shore of Wast Water. Crumbling crags high above send great rivers of rock and boulders the size of small houses down to the water's edge, and far below. Dramatic and spectacular, this is the Wastwater Screes. This walk takes you from Brackenclose at the head of Wast Water, along the ridge where you can look down on the screes from above. Dropping off the ridge beside the impressive Greathall Gill it returns along the road for another look at the Screes across the water.

When planning this walk we deliberated about returning along the lake shore path, through the Screes. Awesome as it is from a distance walking it is a different matter. The rock of the Screes becomes slippery in the wet. Some of the boulders are loose and the gaps between them make for excellent foot and leg traps which regularly cause injuries to dogs and humans alike. Even in good conditions it is a tough walk taking a lot longer in practise than a look at the map may suggest. If you do decide to walk it, allow 2 - 3 hours just for the scree section. Here we recommend returning along the relative safety of the road!

The walk starts at the National Trust P&D car park at Brackenclose which is over the temporary bailey bridge, and just beyond the entrance to the campsite.