Illgill Head: Height, Walks and Wast Water Views

Illgill Head has two very different faces: a broad, grassy upland above Eskdale and a steep western flank falling towards Wast Water in the famous Screes. At 608.8 metres, it is the higher of the two Wainwrights on the ridge, paired naturally with Whin Rigg. Walkers come for that contrast, and for the close company of the Scafell massif across the head of the dale.

The fell above the Wast Water Screes

Illgill Head stands at the north-eastern end of the ridge running along Wast Water’s south-eastern shore. Whin Rigg occupies its south-western end. Seen from across the lake, the ridge presents one of Wasdale’s most recognisable features: the Wast Water Screes, where great expanses of loose rock fall steeply towards the water. Wast Water is England’s deepest lake, and the abrupt meeting of rock and water gives this side of the fell its distinctive character.

The upper fell is a marked contrast. Its rounded, grassy ground feels very different from the broken slopes below the western edge. The Screes are not simply a scenic detail: they are steep, loose terrain, and the rough passage along their foot should not be mistaken for an easy lakeside stroll. The ridge above offers a different experience from the shoreline below.

Summit, outlook and neighbouring fells

The summit reaches 608.8 metres, or 1,997 feet, at grid reference NY168049. Its position provides a useful perspective on the western side of the Scafell massif. Scafell is a substantial presence nearby, while the wider outlook takes in the high fells around Wasdale. The attraction is not height alone, but the relationship between the open ridge, the lake below and the much higher ground beyond.

On the Eskdale side, Burnmoor Tarn lies between Illgill Head and Scafell. This quieter upland landscape helps explain the fell’s appeal: the dramatic lake-facing slopes are only part of its character. Whin Rigg is its immediate ridge companion, while Scafell, Slight Side and Lingmell belong to the surrounding group of Wainwright fells rather than the same continuous ridge.

Illgill Head in the Southern Fells

Illgill Head appears in The Southern Fells, Book Four of Alfred Wainwright’s seven-volume guide to the Lakeland fells. It ranks 129th by height among the 214 Wainwrights. Within a region containing England’s highest summits, it is comparatively modest, but its position above Wast Water gives it a prominence that the height table cannot convey.

Walkers commonly combine it with Whin Rigg, making the ridge itself the focus of a day out. For anyone getting to know the Southern Fells, the pairing offers something distinct from the higher crags of the Scafell range: open grassy walking above a steep and unmistakable lakeside escarpment.

Where Illgill Head stands

Summit at grid reference NY168049 · open full map

The real Illgill Head

Walking Illgill Head

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

• Lake District Walk: Illgill Head and Whin Rigg (walklakes.co.uk)
• Whin Rigg and Illgill Head - Wasdale Screes walk (andrewswalks.co.uk)
• A walk up Whin Rigg and Illgill Head from Eskdale (jimearl6.com)

Weather on Illgill Head

Conditions estimated at summit height (609 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Illgill Head on your wall

A painting of Illgill Head brings home the contrast that makes this ridge memorable: open grass above, dark scree below, and Wast Water at its foot. A print or canvas can recall a day on the fell without needing to tell the whole story.

Own “Sunlit Screes of Illgill Head” — our painting of Illgill Head → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Southern Fells

• Whin Rigg 537 m
• Scafell 964 m
• Slight Side 762 m
• Lingmell 807 m

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