Skiddaw
Skiddaw at 931m (3,054ft) is the fourth highest fell in England and one of Wainwright's great favourites for its distinctive character — a mountain of broad, smooth ridges and sweeping, slate-grey slopes quite unlike the rocky Central and Western Fells.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 930 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 13° to 11°C, gusts to 34 mph, 5.8 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 930 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
About the walk
Skiddaw
- Height
- 930 m (3,051 ft)
- How long
- ~4.5–5.5 h
- How hard
- Scafell Pike is the harder mountain — but Skiddaw is not the easy day its reputation suggests.
- Weather today
- 🌧️ 13°/11°C, gusts 34 mph
- Parking
- Dodd Wood (paid)
Short version: Scafell Pike is the harder mountain — but Skiddaw is not the easy day its reputation suggests. This is the question people actually ask about Skiddaw, and on our own field-checked gradings the answer is clear: Scafell Pike is higher (978 m to 930 m), longer (about 5½ hours round against 4½), and harder on the axes that decide a day — terrain Hard against Moderate and navigation Severe against Hard. Skiddaw’s great advantage is its path: a broad, graded track most of the way, where Scafell gives you boulder-field.
So can a beginner climb Skiddaw? Yes — it is one of the most achievable of the high fells for someone reasonably fit, and the path does the route-finding for you in clear weather. Allow about 4½ hours round from Keswick on the tourist path (our route, walked by Lee July 2026). It is a long, steady, unrelenting pull rather than anything technical: no scrambling, no exposure to speak of, no hands out of pockets.
The catch is the weather, not the ground. Skiddaw’s difficulty is entirely conditions-shaped, and that is where its incidents come from. The ridge from Jenkin Hill to the summit is fully exposed with no shelter anywhere — gusts have knocked walkers off the path. The grassy upper slopes freeze hard and hold ice long after lower ground has cleared, and without an axe and crampons a slip there can turn into a long slide. And in cloud the featureless upper ridge is easy to follow confidently in the wrong direction — we rate navigation here Hard even on the tourist path. A graded track is not the same as a safe mountain: check the forecast, and treat a windy or frozen day on Skiddaw as seriously as you would a rougher fell.
Routes up Skiddaw
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Dodd Wood (paid), about 3.1 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Skiddaw (within 3 km)
These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.
Routes over Skiddaw
✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
✎️ Start from the pay-and-display forestry car park at Dodd Wood (Mirehouse), on the A591 by the east shore of Bassenthwaite Lake — the path heads up through the trees, over a brook, and north past Sand Beds.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
The View from Skiddaw
A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.
What you can see from Skiddaw, by direction
- East: Blencathra (6 km)
- South-east: Great Dodd (12 km), Stybarrow Dodd (13 km), Raise (14 km), White Side (15 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (16 km), Catstye Cam (16 km), Helvellyn (16 km), High Crag (18 km), High Raise (24 km), High Street (26 km)
- South: Skiddaw Middle Top (0 km), Great Gable (19 km), Kirk Fell (20 km), Great End (21 km), Esk Pike (22 km), Broad Crag (22 km), Ill Crag (22 km), Scafell Pike (22 km), Bowfell (23 km), Scafell (23 km), Shelter Crags (24 km), Crinkle Crags (24 km), Crinkle Crags (24 km), Crinkle Crags (24 km), Crinkle Crags (24 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (24 km), Swirl How (29 km), Brim Fell (30 km), The Old Man of Coniston (31 km)
- South-west: Eel Crag (11 km), Crag Hill (11 km), Grasmoor (12 km), High Stile (17 km), High Stile (17 km), Pillar (19 km), Black Crag (20 km), Steeple (20 km), Scoat Fell (20 km), Haycock (22 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Goatfell [Goat Fell] (170 km, Scotland), Slieve Donard (188 km, Ireland), Merrick (101 km, Scotland), Broad Law (95 km, Scotland), Snaefell (96 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (96 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (112 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (85 km, Scotland).
Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.
Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.
What you can see from Skiddaw
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland and the Isle of Man.
- Merrick Scotland
- Snaefell Isle of Man
- Ingleborough Yorkshire Dales
- Criffel Scotland
- Great Dun Fell North Pennines
- Cross Fell North Pennines
- Solway Firth bay/estuary
- Irish Sea open water
All 120 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
Carl Side, Long Side, Skiddaw Little Man, Ullock Pike, Bakestall, Lonscale Fell, Great Calva, Great Cockup, Mungrisdale Common, Barf, Meal Fell, Knott, Great Sca Fell, Lord's Seat, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Longlands Fell, Sale Fell, Brae Fell, Broom Fell, Bowscale Fell, Binsey, Bannerdale Crags, Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter), Barrow, Ling Fell, High Pike (Caldbeck), High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Graystones (Graystones North Top), Grisedale Pike, Outerside, Causey Pike, Carrock Fell, Cat Bells (Catbells), Clough Head, Bleaberry Fell, Scar Crags, Hopegill Head, Ard Crags, Sail, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Maiden Moor, Raven Crag, High Seat, Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), Great Dodd, Watson's Dodd, High Spy, Hindscarth, Robinson, Hart Side, Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Low Fell, Raise, Dale Head, White Side, Catstye Cam, Helvellyn, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Red Pike (Buttermere), High Stile, Eagle Crag, High Crag (Buttermere), Grey Knotts, Burnbank Fell, Haystacks (Buttermere), Blake Fell, Sergeant's Crag, Gavel Fell, Base Brown, Glaramara, Green Gable, Place Fell, Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Pillar, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Great Gable, Seat Sandal, Hallin Fell, Kirk Fell, High Raise (High White Stones), Steeple, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Sergeant Man, Beda Fell (Beda Head), Allen Crags, Great End, Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts), Thunacar Knott, Bonscale Pike, Lingmell, Esk Pike, Haycock, Arthur's Pike, Harrison Stickle, Pike of Stickle, Caw Fell, The Nab, Scafell Pike, Yewbarrow, Bowfell, Rest Dodd, Wether Hill, Grike, Scafell, The Knott (High Street), Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), High Raise (High Street), Rampsgill Head, Pike of Blisco, Cold Pike, Loughrigg Fell, Froswick, Whin Rigg (Wasdale), Wetherlam, Great Carrs, Swirl How, Black Fell, Grey Friar, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Dow Crag
How Skiddaw’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.
Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.
Best parking to hike Skiddaw
Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).
Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.
Water & shelter on the way up
On the Birketts North of Skiddaw route:
On the Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw Lesser Man, Skiddaw and Bakestall in the sun! route:
On the Skiddaw via Ullock Pike and Dodd route:
On the Up to Skiddaw Round Trip route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
Buses to Skiddaw from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere
No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
My hikes over Skiddaw (Strava)
2 logged hikes pass over this summit:
- Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw Lesser Man, Skiddaw and Bakestall in the sun! (opens in new tab) — 19.2 km · 980 m ascent · 4h 56m moving · 29 Jun 2025
- 102nd Wainwright including Ullock and Skiddaw (opens in new tab) — 13.7 km · 1152 m ascent · 3h 43m moving · 15 Jun 2025
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Hazard & Incident Information for Skiddaw
Skiddaw is one of the most accessible of the high fells, with broad graded paths and a relatively gentle gradient on the main southern approach. Its high footfall keeps it firmly on Keswick MRT's radar, but the nature of incidents reflects its character — exposure and weather rather than technical difficulty. The long open ridge above 700 m is fully exposed to north-westerly gales, and a walker was blown off the path on the descent in poor visibility in 2017. In winter the upper slopes carry hard snow and ice that catches unprepared walkers.
- Upper ridge in high wind: The ridge from Jenkin Hill to the summit is fully exposed and offers no shelter. Gusts have knocked walkers off the path. Check the forecast before setting out and turn back early if wind strengthens significantly — the descent is long.
- Winter snow and ice on upper slopes: The grassy upper slopes freeze hard and hold ice long after lower ground has cleared. Without ice axe and crampons, a slip here can lead to a long slide. The northern face in particular stays icy into spring.
- Navigation on the long ridge in cloud: In poor visibility the featureless upper ridge is easy to follow in the wrong direction. Navigation errors have left walkers uncertain of their position — in 2017 a walker separated from his group in cloud was unable to locate himself until an SARLOC text confirmed he was near Carlside Col. Always carry a compass.
Most common causes: Exposure and exhaustion on the long open ridge · Slips on hard snow and ice in winter · Being blown off the path in strong wind · Navigation errors in mist separating walkers from their group
Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Keswick MRT — Skiddaw incident reports (opens in new tab) · Reviewed 13 Jun 2026
Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.
Navigating Skiddaw in cloud
StraightforwardA broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.
In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.
How Skiddaw compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Frequently asked questions about Skiddaw
Is Skiddaw hard to climb?
For its size, Skiddaw is one of the easier big mountains in the Lakes. At 931 m (3,054 ft) it's among the highest in England, yet the usual route is a wide, clear, well-graded track with no scrambling — just a long, steady uphill pull.
The difficulty is the sustained climb (around 650–900 m of ascent depending on the start) and the very exposed summit, which catches fierce wind and clouds over fast. It's straightforward in good weather but a serious place in bad.
What is the easiest route up Skiddaw?
The standard tourist route climbs via Jenkin Hill from the Gale Road car park (behind Latrigg), the highest and shortest start — about 5 km to the summit with around 650 m of ascent. It's a broad, easy-to-follow track all the way.
Starting from Keswick itself adds distance and climb (roughly 8.7 km and 900 m of ascent). Quieter, rougher routes exist (e.g. over Ullock Pike), but the Jenkin Hill path is by far the simplest.
Sources: Mud and Routes — routes up Skiddaw (opens in new tab)
How long does it take to climb Skiddaw?
Allow about 2.5–3 hours up and 4–5 hours for the round trip from the Gale Road car park at a steady pace. From Keswick town it's nearer 3.5 hours up and a 6–7 hour day.
Add time for the exposed final ridge and for stops, and always leave a margin for the descent and the weather.
Sources: Mud and Routes — routes up Skiddaw (opens in new tab)
Is Skiddaw a good first mountain for beginners?
Yes — it's one of the best first big mountains in the Lakes. The wide, clear path and lack of scrambling make it manageable for fit beginners and older children, and reaching a 931 m summit is a real achievement.
Choose a settled, clear day, start from Gale Road to keep it shorter, carry warm and waterproof layers, and be ready to turn back: the long summit ridge is bleak and featureless, and navigation in cloud is the main pitfall.
Can you take a dog up Skiddaw?
Yes — it's a popular dog walk on a good track, but it's a long, high, exposed outing, so your dog should be fit and used to hill days, and there's little water and no shade near the top. Carry water for them.
Keep dogs on a lead around the grazing sheep on the lower slopes and in poor visibility near the steep north-eastern edge of the summit.
What should I wear and take up Skiddaw?
Wear walking boots or sturdy trainers with good grip, and take plenty of warm and windproof/waterproof layers — the summit is exposed and can be many degrees colder and far windier than Keswick, in any season.
Carry a map and compass and know how to use them: the broad, featureless summit ridge is a notorious navigation challenge in cloud. Take food, water and a charged phone, and check the mountain forecast first. In winter it becomes full snow-and-ice mountaineering needing axe and crampons.
How high is Skiddaw and where does it rank?
Skiddaw is 931 m (3,054 ft), making it the fourth-highest mountain in the Lake District (and England), after Scafell Pike, Scafell and Helvellyn. It's the highest of the Northern Fells and one of only a handful of English summits over 900 m.
Sources: Database of British and Irish Hills (opens in new tab)
Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-06-14 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)
Other fells near Skiddaw
Maps & guidebooks for Skiddaw
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