Whin Rigg - a grassy top above green coastal lowlands, the sea stretching along the horizon under grey cloud

Wainwright — Southern FellsAlso a Birkett

Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Whin Rigg at 535m (1,755ft) is the southern end of the Wastwater Screes ridge, its summit giving outstanding views of Wastwater and south to the Cumbrian coast.

537 m

Height

~4–5 h

Typical time

Bonus Birketts

See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →

Home › Fells › Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Written and walked by Lee McCoy

537 mWainwright — Southern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+2 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 537 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Fri 11 Sep): 12° to 9°C, gusts to 23 mph, 1.0 mm of rain forecast.

Fri 11 Sep

🌦️

12° / 9°

💨 23 mph

🌧 1.0 mm (100%)

Sat 12 Sep

🌧️

14° / 10°

💨 42 mph

🌧 34.6 mm (100%)

Sun 13 Sep

🌦️

12° / 8°

💨 15 mph

🌧 0.3 mm (74%)

Mon 14 Sep

🌧️

14° / 7°

💨 30 mph

🌧 24.6 mm (96%)

Tue 15 Sep

🌧️

13° / 8°

💨 32 mph

🌧 14.2 mm (100%)

Wed 16 Sep

🌦️

11° / 9°

💨 31 mph

🌧 5.9 mm (96%)

Thu 17 Sep

🌦️

11° / 9°

💨 36 mph

🌧 10.6 mm (98%)

Forecast snapshot from 11 Sep 2026, 08:30 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 537 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Whin Rigg (Wasdale) at a glance

Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Whin Rigg at 535m (1,755ft) is the southern end of the Wastwater Screes ridge, its summit giving outstanding views of Wastwater and south to the Cumbrian coast. Wainwright noted the dramatic view from Whin Rigg looking north along the full length of the Screes to Illgill Head — one of the most striking fell panoramas in Lakeland. The ascent from Nether Wasdale is pleasant. Most naturally combined with Illgill Head for a circuit of the great Screes ridge.

Field notes

Whin Rigg is a fell that I really didn't like getting to. The drive over the from the M6 started off ok on the A595 but after Uplha got very annoying and stressful. As you traverse between Hesk Fell and Great Work Crag the roads deteriorated, there were more hazards everywhere. After more than three hours driving I really had enough. I just about missed the parking at the bottom of Irton Pike and had to make a hard stop. Then trying to bag that outlying fell I started walking the wrong way. I double-backed and wish I hadn't. I then had to climb up a steep forest route. The expectation was that there should have been a track, there wasn't. I was thinking that its only a 229m fell it can't go on forever. It didn't and when it did open up there were nice views over to the Isle of Mann. I then moved onto Irton Fell and it was all going south then - actually north east, but you get the message. My GPS wasn't working properly, I couldn't find the route and was navigating through boggy ground. I was disinterested in Whin Rigg when I got there and hardly smiled as I normally do bagging a fell and just proceeded to Illgill Head - where I walked around like a fool trying to find the summit.

Routes up Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Boat How, Great Bank & Wainwrights

20.7 km · ~6.1 hr

Boat How, Illgill Head and Whin Rigg above Wasdale — only three tops but 20.7 km and 1,170 m to reach them, severe for both length and steepness. Hard for exposure too — Illgill Head and Whin Rigg are the Screes tops above Wastwater. Around 6.1 hours.

Whin Rigg, Illgill Head & the Wastwater Screes

16.9 km · ~4.5 hr · Hard

The high, airy walk along the top of the Wastwater Screes — England’s most dramatic lakeshore, seen from directly above. A long Wasdale round over Whin Rigg and Illgill Head, the ground falling away in a single sweep to the deepest lake in the country. Big, wild and exposed, and best saved for a clear, dry day.

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright

Southern

Birkett

Fellranger

Synge

537 m

Height

1,762 ft

In feet

NY 1510 0353

Grid ref

The short answers

Is Whin Rigg (Wasdale) a Wainwright?

Whin Rigg (Wasdale) is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Where do you park for Whin Rigg (Wasdale)?

The nearest car park we hold is Whin Rigg, north (layby), about 1.3 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is Whin Rigg, north (layby 2), 1.6 km out. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

My hikes over Whin Rigg (Wasdale) (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Whin Rigg, Illgill Head and an Outlying fell. (opens in new tab) — 14.2 km · 684 m ascent · 3h 33m moving · 25 Jun 2025

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Parking & buses for Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Best parking to hike Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Whin Rigg, north (layby) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Whin Rigg (Wasdale) (1.3 km), Buckbarrow (1.8 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Whin Rigg, north (layby 2) — 1.6 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Whin Rigg (Wasdale) (1.6 km), Buckbarrow (1.7 km), Illgill Head (1.9 km). Paid parking (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Whin Rigg (layby) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Whin Rigg (Wasdale) (1.7 km), Buckbarrow (1.7 km), Illgill Head (1.9 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Buckbarrow, south-east (layby 2) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Buckbarrow (1.7 km), Whin Rigg (Wasdale) (1.7 km), Illgill Head (1.9 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Buckbarrow, south-east (layby 4) — 1.8 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Buckbarrow (1.7 km), Whin Rigg (Wasdale) (1.8 km), Illgill Head (1.9 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

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.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Whin Rigg (Wasdale) by bus

We don’t know yet. Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway (“La'al Ratty”) serves this area, but we don’t hold its stop positions, so we can’t measure the walk from it — and we won’t tell you to drive on the strength of a gap in our own data. Check the operator’s timetable.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Hazards on Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

No hazard card for this fell. The usual open-fell rules apply: check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected.

Navigating Whin Rigg (Wasdale) in cloud

Severe

A rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.

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 Whin Rigg (Wasdale) compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Whin Rigg, north (layby), about 1.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Whin Rigg (Wasdale) (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.

1.2 km SWIrton Fell395 m · Southern

1.7 km SSWGreat Bank329 m · Southern

Routes over Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Boat How, Great Bank & WainwrightsPlanned

20.67 km · ~1170 m ascent · loop · ~6–8 h

Summits: Boat How Illgill HeadWhin Rigg (Wasdale)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

✎️ 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. How to use this guide.

Whin Rigg, Illgill Head & the Wastwater ScreesPlanned

16.86 km · ~682 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6 h · Hard

Summits: Whin Rigg (Wasdale)Illgill Head

✎️ Whin Rigg and Illgill Head are the two fells that cap the Wastwater Screes, looking down England’s deepest lake. A magnificent but serious round — and the rule that matters most: resist any urge to drop down the Screes; the only safe way down is the walking route.

⬇️ Download GPX

Best season: Late spring to autumn, in clear and dry conditions. It’s a long, exposed day; near the edge in poor visibility is no place to be, and the tops are boggy in stretches.

⚠️ Warnings: Do not try to cut the walk short down the Screes to the lake. It looks like a shortcut and is a serious mistake — the Wastwater Screes are steep, loose and boulder-choked, and the shoreline beneath them is a notorious, hazardous boulder-scramble, not an escape. The only safe way off is to finish the route. A high, exposed edge above a huge drop to Wastwater — keep well back from the crumbling rim, especially in wind or poor visibility. A long day (nearly 17 km, 680 m of ascent) with boggy stretches — carry map, compass and enough food and water, and start early. Livestock on the lower fields; keep dogs under close control.

Full route guide ↗

✎️ 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. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Boat How, Great Bank & Wainwrights route:

🚌 Dalegarth Station (33 m)🚌 Beckfoot Bridge (439 m)🚌 Post Office (487 m)

On the Whin Rigg, Illgill Head & the Wastwater Screes route:

💧 possible water source (45 m)🛖 Camping Barn (86 m)🚺 map (53 m)🚌 Nether Wasdale Car Park (105 m)

💧 Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is usually a tap or public supply, but never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock or a carcass upstream and leave you seriously ill. Run it through a filter or purifier (a LifeStraw, Sawyer Squeeze or HydraPak) or bring it to a rolling boil first.

The view from Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

The 360° skyline from Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

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.

drag to pan · arrow keys

What you can see from Whin Rigg (Wasdale), by direction

North: Seatallan (5 km), Red Pike (7 km), Haycock (7 km), Little Gowder Crag (8 km), Scoat Fell (8 km), Pillar (9 km)
North-east: Yewbarrow (5 km), Scafell (6 km), Lingmell (8 km), Kirk Fell (8 km), Kirk Fell East Top (9 km), Looking Stead (9 km), Great Gable (9 km), Brandreth (10 km), Fleetwith Pike (12 km), Hindscarth (14 km), Skiddaw Little Man (27 km), Skiddaw South Top (27 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (28 km), Skiddaw (28 km)
East: Crinkle Crags (10 km), Stonesty Pike (10 km), Little Stand (10 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (10 km), Crinkle Crags (10 km), Crinkle Crags (10 km), Shelter Crags (10 km), Grey Friar (11 km), Hell Gill Pike (12 km), Little Carrs (12 km), Great Carrs (12 km), Swirl How (12 km), Wetherlam (14 km)
South-east: Harter Fell (8 km), Dow Crag (12 km), Buck Pike (13 km), Walna Scar (13 km), Brim Fell (13 km), Brown Pike (13 km), The Old Man of Coniston (13 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (159 km, Wales), Slieve Donard (172 km, Ireland), Carnedd Llewelyn (147 km, Wales), Merrick (109 km, Scotland), Aran Fawddwy (183 km, Wales), Snaefell (77 km, Isle of Man), Moel Siabod (155 km, Wales), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (110 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.

Sunrise and sunset on Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Whin Rigg (Wasdale) waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 August, when the sun is up for 32 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 05:57 against an almanac sunrise of 05:25. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the east-north-east from here (63.0°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 3.7°.

Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.

Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
	First light	Almanac sunrise	Difference
Midsummer	04:58 BST ±5.0 min	04:38	+20 min
Equinox	06:25 GMT ±5.0 min	06:16	+9 min
Midwinter	08:30 GMT ±5.0 min	08:33	-3 min

The northern horizon stands at about 1.06° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Whin Rigg (Wasdale) holds the light. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does the sun leave this summit before almanac sunset — the ground falls away westward rather than standing over you, and at midsummer it is still in the sun 3 minutes after the valley has lost it.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
	Last light	Almanac sunset	Difference
Midsummer	21:56 BST ±5.0 min	21:53	+3 min
Equinox	18:32 GMT ±5.0 min	18:27	+5 min
Midwinter	15:57 GMT ±5.0 min	15:50	+7 min

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Whin Rigg (Wasdale). Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes. These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

What you can see from Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.

30Wainwrights in view+3 marginal

159 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction

1Sea in viewIrish Sea

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Far horizons

Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 159 km clear
Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 144 km clear
Merrick ScotlandNW · 111 km clear
Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 77 km clear
Irish Sea open waterWSW · 33 km in view

All 30 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Buckbarrow, Middle Fell, Seatallan, Yewbarrow, Slight Side, Scafell, Red Pike (Wasdale), Haycock, Green Crag, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Kirk Fell, Hard Knott, Pillar, Great Gable, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Lank Rigg, Brandreth, Grey Friar, Fleetwith Pike, Great Carrs, Grike, Swirl How, Dow Crag, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Wetherlam, Hindscarth, Skiddaw Little Man, Skiddaw

How Whin Rigg (Wasdale)’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.

Places to stay near this fell

Church Stile Farm And Holiday Park (opens in new tab) campsite

about 0.6 km from the start, in a straight line

At 0.59 km it is three times closer to this start than anything else in the radius, and it is the only one of the six where a family can walk to the pitch, the shop and a pub without moving the car: swings and climbing frames on site, pods sized for two adults and two children, and Nether Wasdale's two inns a stated two minutes away. Reception is also the shop - bread, local milk and eggs, gas, and a compass if yours is at home - which matters at a valley head with no other retail.

Reception doubles as the farm shop, selling meat produced in Wasdale alongside bread, local milk and eggs - and a small rack of walking kit.

Family rooms “Our 3 Pods are recent additions. Sleeping up to 4 (2 adults + 2 children) they offer a warm and dry base from which to explore this wonderful part of England.”
Children “Including a children's play area with swings and climbing frames, picnic tables, washroom facilities.”

Worth knowing before you book

These places state on their own site that they do not take children.

YHA Wasdale Hall (opens in new tab) “Under 12s are not permitted in dorm rooms.”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Is Whin Rigg a hard walk?

The walking is straightforward — a grassy ridge with a gentle approach from the south, and nothing on the ordinary line that needs care with your hands.

Its whole character is the northern side, which falls in a vast sweep of scree and gullies straight into Wast Water. That edge is spectacular and it is unforgiving: the gullies bite back into the ridge, so the drop is closer to the path in places than it looks. Our round with Illgill Head is 16.9 km with 682 m of ascent, which we rate Hard — a grade earned by length and by that edge rather than by any climb.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Whin Rigg (Wasdale) at a glance

Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Field notes

Routes up Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Classifications & hill data

The short answers

Is Whin Rigg (Wasdale) a Wainwright?

Where do you park for Whin Rigg (Wasdale)?

My hikes over Whin Rigg (Wasdale) (Strava)

Parking & buses for Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Best parking to hike Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Getting to Whin Rigg (Wasdale) by bus

Hazards on Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Navigating Whin Rigg (Wasdale) in cloud

Map & nearby Birketts

Birketts near Whin Rigg (Wasdale) (within 3 km)

Routes over Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

On the hill: terrain and water on Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Water & shelter on the way up

The view from Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

The 360° skyline from Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Sunrise and sunset on Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Last light — when the sun leaves Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

What you can see from Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Places to stay near this fell

Church Stile Farm And Holiday Park (opens in new tab) campsite

Worth knowing before you book

Frequently asked questions about Whin Rigg (Wasdale)

Other fells near Whin Rigg (Wasdale)