Carl Side: Height, Walks and Views near Skiddaw

Carl Side is the rounded fell beneath Skiddaw’s south-western slopes, where the ridge from Ullock Pike and Long Side meets the higher mountain. At 746.8m, it is a substantial summit in its own right, though Skiddaw commands much of the attention. Its appeal lies in that contrast: a broad, grassy top, a close view of Skiddaw’s stony flank, and an open outlook south towards Derwentwater and the surrounding fells.

A rounded summit beneath Skiddaw

Carl Side stands immediately south-west of Skiddaw, forming part of the mountain’s western group of subsidiary fells. Its broad summit contrasts with the more sharply defined ridge of Long Side and Ullock Pike to the north-west. From a distance, the fell can seem absorbed into Skiddaw’s much larger outline; on the ground, its separate summit and connecting ridges give it a clear identity.

The top is predominantly grassy, but the surrounding slopes are not uniformly gentle. Steep ground falls away from the summit area, while the approach to Skiddaw is dominated by loose, stony slopes. Between the two summits lies the col containing Carlside Tarn, a small upland tarn beneath Skiddaw’s south-western face. That meeting of grass, scree and open fell is central to Carl Side’s character.

Views over Keswick and Derwentwater

The southward outlook is one of Carl Side’s strongest attractions. Keswick and Derwentwater lie below, with the Borrowdale fells beyond. The view places the town and lake within their wider mountain setting rather than isolating either as a distant detail. Visibility makes a considerable difference here: clear air brings definition to the overlapping ridges south of the lake.

Look towards Skiddaw and the scale changes. Its broad, steep flank rises close above the connecting col, making Carl Side a useful place to appreciate the structure of the larger mountain. To the north-west, Long Side and Ullock Pike provide a contrasting ridge profile. Carl Side’s interest is not simply the distance of its views, but the way it brings neighbouring summits and the lower country around Keswick into the same outing.

Carl Side among the Northern Fells

Carl Side appears in Alfred Wainwright’s The Northern Fells, the fifth volume of his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. Its surveyed height is 746.8 metres, or 2,450 feet, placing it 64th by height among the 214 Wainwrights. The summit grid reference is NY254280.

Its neighbouring Wainwrights are Long Side, Skiddaw, Dodd and Ullock Pike. Walks commonly combine Carl Side with Long Side and Ullock Pike, and some continue onto Skiddaw. Those connections explain its familiar role in longer ridge days, but its own summit provides a distinct pause between the narrower western ridge and Skiddaw’s higher, more exposed ground.

Where Carl Side stands

Summit at grid reference NY254280 · open full map

The real Carl Side

Walking Carl Side

We make artwork, not route guides — these are the guides we'd point a friend to:

• 10 Best trails near Ullock Pike (alltrails.com)
• carl side - summit and camp (summitandcamp.com)
• Ullock Pike, Long Side, Carl Side, Skiddaw & Lonscale Fell (masarnenramblers.com)

Weather on Carl Side

Conditions estimated at summit height (747 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Carl Side on your wall

A painting of Carl Side can recall more than the summit itself: the sweep above Derwentwater, the ridge towards Long Side, or Skiddaw rising close behind. As a print or canvas at home, that familiar outline keeps a particular part of the Northern Fells in view.

Own “Vibrant Carl Side Ridge Path” — our painting of Carl Side → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Northern Fells

• Long Side 734 m
• Skiddaw 930 m
• Dodd 502 m
• Ullock Pike 690 m

Part of our guide to all 214 Wainwrights — see the full index.