Sunday, 2 July 2000

Skiddaw Little Man

Skiddaw Little Man

Little Man viewed from the neighboring Carl Side

Skiddaw Little Man

Height865m (2,838ft)
Prominence61m (200ft)
RegionNorthern Fells
Climbed2 Times

Despite a diminutive name that makes it sound like a secondary bump on the shoulder of Skiddaw, Little Man is an exceptional mountain destination in its own right. Holding its own ground roughly 1.5 kilometers southeast of the parent peak, this lofty peak possesses a distinct personality and independent routes of ascent that reward walkers who diverge from the standard thoroughfares.

"Skiddaw's Little Man is situated fully one mile from its High Man and forms a distinctive peaked summit with independent routes of ascent, commanding the most magnificent panoramic view of the heart and soul of Lakeland and controlling a major watershed - and on these grounds is treated here as a separate fell and deserving of a separate chapter." — Wainwright 1962, Book Five

With a clean topographical prominence of 61 meters, Little Man qualifies comfortably as an independent Hewitt and Nuttall hill. The wider ridge system extends further down the slope; roughly half a kilometer to the southeast sits the lower subordinate top of Lesser Man (815m). This minor hummock is well worth the short detour, if only to inspect its highly unusual summit cairn—a jumbled, creative assemblage of local stones woven together with old iron fence posts.

Skiddaw Little Man Summit

The summit of Little Man looking back toward Lesser Man

The true crown of Little Man is marked by a modest, jumbled stone cairn. While it lacks the formal stone shelters of its towering neighbor, it holds a massive advantage in the scenery department. Because it stands unimpeded on the southern brink of the massif, the view from this summit is widely considered one of the finest panoramas in the entire national park. Without High Man blocking the view, the terrain drops away beautifully to showcase the deep valleys and lakes of northern Lakeland alongside a classic view across the central fells.

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