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| The mighty Skiddaw |
Prominence: 709m (2,326ft)
Region: Northern Fells
Classifications: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall, Wainwright, Birkett
Summit feature: Trig pillar
Times climbed: 4
Related trip reports:
Skiddaw via Ullock Pike & Longside - 07/04/2018
Sale How, Skiddaw & Little Man - 11/11/2017
Ullock Pike, Long Side, Carl Side, Skiddaw & Bakestall - 28/02/2016
Skiddaw via Ullock Pike & Longside - 31/10/2013
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| The trig pillar and summit shelter atop Skiddaw |
"Make no mistake about Skiddaw. Heed not the disparaging criticisms that have been written from time to time about this grand old mountain. It is an easy climb, yes; its slopes are smooth and grassy, yes; it has no frightful precipices, no rugged outcrops, agreed; it offers nothing of interest to rock-gymnasts, agreed. If these are failings, they must be conceded. But are they not quite minor failings? Are they failings at all?"
Skiddaw, the 4th highest mountain in England, dominates the northern skyline of the Lake District though is one of the simplest mountains to climb thanks to the tourist track from Gale Lane car park, north of Latrigg.
Skiddaw, meaning 'shoulders' in Old Cumbric is an apt description for the sloping profile of the mountain. This can be quite deceptive though as Skiddaw is very steep, rising over 800m from Keswick to the summit in a very short distance.
There are four marked summits on top of Skiddaw, three described by Birkett (North Top, Middle Top and South Top) and the highest (High Man) which is marked by an OS pillar, a toposcope and a much-needed wind shelter. Thanks to its prominent location and height, views from Skiddaw on a clear day are extensive stretching as far as Slieve Meelmore (120 miles) in Northern Ireland and Goat Fell on the Isle of Arran (105 miles).
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