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| prominence_m = 709
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| listing = [[Furth (mountain)|P600 Furth]], [[Marilyn (hill)|Marilyn]], [[Hewitt (hill)|Hewitt]], [[List of Wainwrights|Wainwright]], [[Nuttall (hill)|Nuttall]]
| location = {{center|[[Cumbria]], [[England]]}}
| range = [[Lake District]], [[Northern Fells]]
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{{End}}
'''Skiddaw''' is a [[mountain]] in the [[Lake District National Park]] in [[England]]. Its {{convert|931|m|ft|adj=on}} summit is traditionally considered to be the [[List of Wainwrights|fourth-highest peak]] but depending on what [[topographic prominence]] is thought to be significant is also variously ranked as the [[List of Marilyns in the British Isles|third-]] and the [[List of Furths#England|
The mountain lends its name to the surrounding areas of Skiddaw Forest and Back o' Skidda, and to the isolated Skiddaw House, situated to the east, formerly a shooting lodge and subsequently a [[youth hostel]]. It also provides the name for the slate derived from that region: [[Skiddaw slate]]. Skiddaw slate has been used to make tuned percussion musical instruments or [[lithophone]]s, such as the [[Musical Stones of Skiddaw]] held at the [[Keswick Museum and Art Gallery]].
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==Topography==
[[Image:Skiddaw sketch map.JPG|thumb|300px|Sketch map of the Skiddaw locality]]
The [[Northern Fells]] make up a roughly circular upland area approaching {{convert|10|mi|km|abbr=off}} in width. At the centre is the marshy depression of Skiddaw Forest, a treeless plateau, or valley, at an elevation of about {{convert|400|m|ft|-2|abbr=off}}; flowing outwards from here are the rivers that divide the area into three sectors. "Forest" is used here in its original sense, meaning land used for hunting, rather than a woodland. The south-western sector, between the [[Glenderaterra Beck]] and Dash Beck, contains Skiddaw and its satellites.<ref name="wainwright">[[Alfred Wainwright|Wainwright, Alfred]]: ''[[A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells]], Book 5 The Northern Fells'': {{ISBN|0-7112-2458-7}}</ref>
Skiddaw itself takes the form of a north–south ridge about {{convert|1/2|mi|m|abbr=off}} long, with steep slopes to east and west. The ridge continues northwards over Broad End to [[Bakestall]], a fell overlooking the Whitewater Dash waterfall. Further ridges fan out east and west from the southern end of Skiddaw. To the south-east are [[Skiddaw Little Man]], [[Lonscale Fell]] and [[Latrigg]], an easily accessible viewpoint for Keswick and [[Derwentwater]]. Beyond these fells are the [[Glenderaterra Beck]] and the [[Blencathra]] group. The south-western ridge curves round through 180 degrees to run north above the shore of [[Bassenthwaite Lake]]. This gives Skiddaw an 'outer wall', comprising [[Carl Side]], [[Long Side]] and [[Ullock Pike]], collectively referred to as Longside Edge. The final member of the Skiddaw Group is [[Dodd (Lake District)|Dodd]], a satellite of Carl Side.
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==Summit==
[[File:Skiddaw from derwentwater by Richard Corbould.jpg|thumb|300px|Skiddaw from Derwentwater, by [[Richard Corbould]] (1757
[[File:Skiddaw engraving by William Miller after Turner R513.jpg|thumb|300px|Skiddaw after [[J. M. W. Turner]] (1833)]]
[[File:Skiddaw Massif3.jpg|thumb|300px|Skiddaw Massif as seen from [[Outerside]] [[Fell]]]]
The summit ridge bears a number of tops, which from north to south are known<ref name="wainwright" /><ref name="birkett" /> as North Top, High Man (the summit), Middle Top and South Top. All now bear [[cairn]]s and a number of stone windshelters have been erected. Skiddaw has a subsidiary summit, [[Skiddaw Little Man|Little Man]], which lies about {{convert|1.5
The view is as panoramic as might be expected, given Skiddaw's [[topographic prominence]]. From High Man the north east quadrant is filled by the quiet fells of Back o'Skiddaw, with the Border hills, the [[The Cheviot|Cheviots]] and the North [[Pennines]] behind them. To the south east are Blencathra, the [[Far Eastern Fells]] and the [[Helvellyn range]]; behind these are vistas of the [[Yorkshire Dales]] and [[Forest of Bowland]]. The [[Coniston Fells]] are visible directly to the south. On the other side of South Top is a fine view of the [[Scafells]], [[Western Fells|Western]] and [[North Western Fells]], with a portion of [[Snowdonia]] visible between [[Kirk Fell]] and [[Pillar (Lake District)|Pillar]]. The [[Isle of Man]] is visible {{convert|60|mi|km|-1|abbr=off}} away, as are the [[Mourne Mountains]] {{convert|120|mi|km|round=5}} away (on exceptionally clear days). The final quarter is taken up by the coastal plain and the distant Solway Firth, backed by the hills of [[Galloway]] such as [[Merrick, Galloway|Merrick]] and [[Criffel]], and [[Broad Law]] in the [[Scottish Borders]]. [[Goat Fell]] on [[Isle of Arran|Arran]] can be seen at an angle of 313 degrees, {{convert|105|mi|km|round=5}} away.
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==Ascents==
[[File:Summit ridge of Skiddaw (geograph 2707510).jpg|thumb|Summit ridge]]
Many routes of ascent have been devised for Skiddaw; indeed, it is hard to devise a challenging approach in good conditions. The most popular tourist route starts from Keswick and first ascends behind Latrigg, before the climb continues over the slopes of Little Man to the summit. About {{convert|200
Another popular route (and the one recommended by Wainwright<ref name="wainwright" />) is to follow Longside Edge, first ascending Ullock Pike, Longside and Carl Side before making the steep climb up from Carlside Col. Also from the north, a somewhat tougher alternative is to walk up Buzzard Knott between Southerndale and Barkbethdale: after crossing to the southern edge of the shoulder above Randel Crag ascend due east to the summit. Rather easier than either of these is the compass-walk due south from Cock Up ({{convert|505
From the south-west at Millbeck, Carlside Col can be reached directly. A start from nearby Applethwaite can also be used to provide a variation to the tourist route. From the north-west a tough but picturesque ascent can be made to the northern end of Longside Edge before following the ridge route to the summit. Finally, ascents from due east are possible for the walker who first makes for Skiddaw House, a good distance from either Keswick, [[Threlkeld]] or Peter House. Once Skiddaw House is reached a fairly direct line is possible, climbing over either Sale How or Hare Crag.<ref name="wainwright" />
[[Image:Keswick and Skiddaw.jpg|thumb|Skiddaw with [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]] at its foot]]
From the north-east an unmarked but quite easy and fairly well-worn path starts at Whitewater Dash waterfall (on the [[Cumbria Way|Cumbrian Way]]) where the walker can follow the fence (along Birkett Edge just south of Dead Crags) past the Bakestall outcrop, and follow the fence until just before the unnamed top at
==Etymology==
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[[File:The Kitchen Range, Skiddaw House (geograph 4392542).jpg|thumb|Kitchen range]]
Built around 1829 by the [[George
Little is known of the house in the 19th century, but it was used by both gamekeepers and shepherds beyond 1860 and there were rooms for Egremont and the shooting parties.<ref name="shf">{{Cite web |title=History of Skiddaw House |url=https://www.skiddawhouse.co.uk/history-of-skiddaw-house |access-date=9 June 2017 |website=Skiddaw House |publisher=Skiddaw House Foundation}}</ref> [[Hardwicke Rawnsley|Canon Rawnsley]], a founder of the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]], visited in about 1900 and mentions in one of his books the hospitality of the shepherd's family at that time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Skiddaw House Bunkhouse |url=http://www.caldew.org.uk/places/skiddawhouse/index.cfm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012022645/http://www.caldew.org.uk/Places/SkiddawHouse/index.cfm |archive-date=12 October 2007 |website=www.caldew.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=31 May 1997 |title=Birthday party on the skiddaw fells |work=Cumberland and Westmorland Herald |url=http://www.cwherald.com/a/archive/birthday-party-on-the-skiddaw-fells.268831.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604172102/http://www.cwherald.com/a/archive/birthday-party-on-the-skiddaw-fells.268831.html |archive-date=4 June 2016}}</ref> [[Hugh Walpole|Sir Hugh Walpole]], author of the Lake District novel ''Rogue Herries'', was a visitor in the 1920s and 30s and used the house as the scene, set in 1854, of the murder by Uhland.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Bryan |date=4 November 2000 |title=Bryan Thompson gives a hint to the BBC … |work=Cumberland & Westmorland Herald |url=http://www.cwherald.com/a/archive/bryan-thompson-gives-a-hint-to-the-bbc.266558.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604185344/http://www.cwherald.com/a/archive/bryan-thompson-gives-a-hint-to-the-bbc.266558.html |archive-date=4 June 2016}}</ref>
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In 1986 the house was leased by John Bothamley, who had created the [[Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales)|YHA]] Carrock Fell Hostel a few miles away; and eventually the building was handed over to the YHA. It closed in 2002 following a disagreement over the lease. In 2007 it re-opened as an independent hostel run by the Skiddaw House Foundation, under the YHA's Enterprise franchising model.<ref name=shf />
==2024 purchase==
In 2024, {{convert|1200|ha|acre}} of Skiddaw Forest was purchased by the [[Cumbria Wildlife Trust]] for £6.25m, as part of a long-term rewilding project, which the trust says will see the re-introduction of hen harriers, black grouse, water voles, aspen and rare upland bumblebees. The plan includes planting 300,000 native trees over {{convert|250|ha|acre}} of the site (but specifically excluding the summit of Skiddaw). The peat bogs that cover one third of the site will be rewetted by blocking drains and holding back water so that the peat remains saturated. The purchase was partly funded by a £5m grant from [[Aviva]], with a public appeal being launched to raise the balance.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barkham |first1=Patrick |title=‘A 100-year vision’: Skiddaw’s barren peak to spring to life in ambitious rewilding |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/sep/05/skiddaw-forest-cumbria-rewilding-england-nature-reserve |work=The Guardian |date=5 September 2024 |access-date=5 September 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cumbria Wildlife Trust launches public appeal to help buy Skiddaw Forest and create England’s highest nature reserve {{!}} Cumbria Wildlife Trust |url=https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/news/cumbria-wildlife-trust-launches-public-appeal-help-buy-skiddaw-forest-and-create-englands |website=Cumbria Wildlife Trust |access-date=5 September 2024 |language=en |date=5 September 2024}}</ref>
== Civil parish ==
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==In literature==
In "A Stranger Minstrel" (published 1800), [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] remarks on Skiddaw's characteristic "helm of cloud", and observes atmospheric effects and the play of sunlight across the landscape: "yon small flaky mists that love to creep / Along the edges of those spots of light, / Those sunny islands on thy smooth green heights."<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.friendsofcoleridge.com/MembersOnly/Fulford_Robinson.html |title=Mary Robinson and the Abyssinian Maid: Coleridge’s Muses and Feminist Criticism |first=Tim |last=Fulford |website= |via=friendsofcoleridge.com |journal=Romanticism on the Net |volume=13 |date=February 1999 |access-date=2 November 2022 |doi=10.7202/005842ar}}</ref> Coleridge also mentioned Skiddaw in the valediction of his [[mnemonic]] poem "Metrical Feet," which he addressed to his son [[Derwent Coleridge|Derwent]], who had been born nearby; he wrote, "Could you stand upon Skiddaw, you would not from its whole ridge / See a man who so loves you as your fond S.T. Coleridge."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Coleridge |first1=Samuel Taylor |title=Metrical Feet |url=https://allpoetry.com/Metrical-Feet |website=allpoetry.com |access-date=5 March 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
Skiddaw is mentioned in the fourth book of [[John Keats]]'s poem ''[[Endymion (poem)|Endymion]]'':
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