The impressive high profile of Hindscarth

Hindscarth

Height727m (2,385ft)

Prominence71m (233ft)

RegionNorth Western Fells

Climbed5 Times

Standing tall over the high divides of the North Western Fells, Hindscarth bridges the scenic landscapes of the Buttermere and Newlands valleys. The mountain's distinctive title is inherited from ancient Old Norse roots, combining "Hind" and "Skarth" to translate quite poetically to the pass utilized by the red deer. Down at the absolute base of its steep northern ridge, at the prominent toe of Scope End, rests one of the single most historically significant former industrial networks in the Lake District: the Goldscope Mine.

"Hindscarth is a twin of Robinson. Both were created in the same upheaval and sculptured in the same mould. They turn broad backs to the Buttermere valley and go hand-in-hand together down Newlands." — Wainwright 1957, Book Two

First established in 1564, the mine was originally developed by specialized German engineers who extracted exceptionally rich veins of copper and lead ore. Its yield was so immensely valuable to the Tudor economy that Queen Elizabeth I famously requisitioned the entire operation for the Crown from its private owner, the Earl of Northumberland. Extensive spoil heaps still drape the Newlands Beck slopes today, though the primary shafts inside the mountain were eventually sunk to such extreme depths that pumping out incoming water became completely uneconomical, triggering its final closure at the close of the 19th century.

The rugged, untidy stone windbreak marking the true high point of Hindscarth

Gaining the true summit reveals an extensive, rocky high crest adorned with an untidy, tumbled stone shelter structure embedded straight into the native bedrock. While the immediately surrounding plateau feels vast and exposed, walking to the northern perimeter reveals an incredibly direct, textbook vista tracking the green contours of the Newlands Valley as it sweeps toward the distant lowlands.