The formidable northern face of Dale Head

Dale Head

Height753m (2,470ft)

Prominence397m (1,302ft)

RegionNorth Western Fells

Climbed5 Times

Dale Head takes its clear and fitting name from its commanding position at the absolute head of the Newlands Valley. Interestingly, the true source of Newlands Beck doesn't trickle down from the apex of the mountain itself, as one might naturally assume; instead, the watercourse has its birth further down at the col spanning between the main summit and its easterly shoulder, High Scawdel. While much of the North Western Fells region is famously devoid of mountain pools, this massive hub boasts two: the scenic Dalehead Tarn nestled on the high northern slopes near the stream's source, and the small, quiet basin of Launchy Tarn tucked away near the crest of High Scawdel.

"Dale Head has much in common with Eel Crag in the Grasmoor group. Their summits are focal points of high country, the meeting place of ascending ridges. Both have craggy northern fronts, darkly shadowed, and easy southern approaches." — Wainwright 1957, Book Two

The true high point is uniquely spectacular, marked by a beautifully crafted, tall columnar stone cairn that sits perched right on the dramatic, sudden brink of the mountain's northern face. Standing at this architectural monument rewards walkers with a jaw-dropping, textbook end-on vista looking straight down the entire length of the green Newlands Valley to the north, perfectly framed and backed by the massive, distant wall of Skiddaw across the horizon.