Skiddaw: Difference between revisions

|Height= {{convert|666|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}

'''Skiddaw''' is a [[mountain]] in the [[Lake District National Park]] in [[England]]. Its {{convert|931|m|ft|adj=on}} summit is [[List of Furths#England|the sixth-highest in England]]. It lies just north of the town of [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]], [[Cumbria]], and dominates the skyline in this part of the northern lakes. It is the simplest of the Lake District mountains of this height to ascend (as there is a well-trodden tourist track from a car park to the north-east of Keswick, near the summit of [[Latrigg]]) and, as such, many walking guides recommend it to the occasional walker wishing to climb a mountain. This is the first summit of the [[fell running]] challenge known as the [[Bob Graham Round]] when undertaken in a clockwise direction.

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 altitudeelevation of about {{convert|400|m|ft|-2|abbr=off}}; flowing outwards from here are the rivers that divide the area into three sectors. 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 half a mile{{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.

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]], [[Criffel]] and [[Broad Law]]. [[Goat Fell]] on [[Isle of Arran|Arran]] can be seen at an angle of 313 degrees, {{convert|105|mi|km|round=5}} away.

The most distant view is of [[Slieve Meelmore]] in the [[Mountains of Mourne]] in [[County Down]], Northern Ireland, {{convert|120|mi|km|round=5}} distant.