Whinlatter
Encyclopedia
Whinlatter is a small fell
in the north west of the English Lake District, just north of the Whinlatter Pass
. It is easily climbed from the top of the Whinlatter Pass, through the Forestry Commission
plantations. The Whinlatter Visitor's Centre, a popular tourist attraction, is on the south side of the fell. The hill is part of a horseshoe around the valley of Aiken Beck. The fells name originates from a combination of the Old Norse
and Gaelic languages. With the Old Norse word 'hvin' meaning gorse
or furze and the Gaelic word 'lettir' meaning slope, Therefore the name translates as "The Gorse or furze-covered slope.".
occupy the area between the rivers Derwent and Cocker, a broadly oval swathe of hilly country, elongated on a north-south axis. Two roads cross from east to west, dividing the fells into three convenient groups. Whinlatter is in the most northerly sector, rising between Whinlatter Pass
and the Vale of Embleton.
The hub of this group of fells is Lord's Seat
, the highest point north of Whinlatter Pass. The main line of high ground runs east to west, taking in Barf
, Lord's Seat, Broom Fell
and Graystones
, before petering out in the direction of Cockermouth. Lord's Seat however sends out a substantial additional ridge which starts southward, curves west and finally turns back north. This is Whinlatter, and the valley enclosed between it and the main ridge is that of Aiken Beck.
The descending ridge from Lord's Seat has a number of tops along its length. First is Ullister Hill (1,722 ft) which is normally reckoned part of the parent fell. The ridge then narrows at Tarbarrel Moss (1,617 ft), before rising again as it turns westward to arrive at Whinlatter Top, the summit. A final top, Brown How (1,696 ft) stands above the terminal descent to Aiken Beck.
From Ullister Hill to Tarbarrel Moss the ridge line and both flanks fall within Thornthwaite Forest. All sides of the lower slopes of Brown How also form part of the Forestry Commission holdings. Depending on the stage in the planting cycle large parts of the fellside will therefore be clad in conifers at any one time. Access problems have now been resolved and the landowner welcomes walkers, many marked trails being available through the woodland.
The southern boundary of the fell is formed by the Whinlatter Pass road. The summit of the pass lies south east of Whinlatter Top, marking the line of the Derwent-Cocker watershed. This falls from Tarbarrel Moss to the road, bypassing the highest point of the fell so that all of its waters flow to the Cocker. From the road summit Whinlatter Beck runs westward beneath the steepest face of the fell, Whinlatter Crag being a little below the highest point. To the north of Whinlatter is the quiet valley of Aiken Beck, its entrance neatly hidden in the woods between Brown How and Graystones. Its tributaries Willybrag Gill and Drycloff Gill drain the slopes of the fell. One wonders at the derivation of the former name. Aiken Beck and Whinlatter Gill combine to form Blaze Beck, a sizeable stream flowing into the Cocker at Low Lorton.
in his influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
noted that Ordnance Survey
maps of his time showed Brown How to be the summit, a statement he discussed at some length and proved to be incorrect by his own amateur surveying. Modern maps of the Ordnance Survey appear to have conceded the point.
sandstone
turbidities.
. The view is poor, except for the close-ups of Hopegill Head
and Grisedale Pike
across the pass, showing their full craggy glory on this side. Through Whinlatter Pass there is also a sight of the Helvellyn range
and Skiddaw
group.
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
in the north west of the English Lake District, just north of the Whinlatter Pass
Whinlatter Pass
The Whinlatter Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District. It is located on the B5292 road linking Braithwaite, to the west of Keswick, with High Lorton to the south of Cockermouth....
. It is easily climbed from the top of the Whinlatter Pass, through the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
plantations. The Whinlatter Visitor's Centre, a popular tourist attraction, is on the south side of the fell. The hill is part of a horseshoe around the valley of Aiken Beck. The fells name originates from a combination of the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
and Gaelic languages. With the Old Norse word 'hvin' meaning gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
or furze and the Gaelic word 'lettir' meaning slope, Therefore the name translates as "The Gorse or furze-covered slope.".
Attractions
Whinlatter Forest has several attractions for the visitor. The main visitor centre has a cafe, gift shop and children's play area and is the home of live camera feeds from the nearby Osprey's nest. There is also a 'Go Ape' ropes course allowing adventurers to slide and climb through the treetops. Finally the Altura Trail, Quercus Trail and Cyclewise Whinlatter cater for mountain bikers with a fully equipped bike hire centre and shop along with several mountain bike trails. The red graded 'Altura Trail' is 19 km of flowing, mountain singletrack, the Quercus Trail is an easier 7.5 km blue graded trail which is still great fun to ride, even for advanced riders. More details and 3D Virtual Tours of the Altura and Quercus Trails may be found at Virtual Tours on Greattrails.co.ukTopography
The North Western FellsNorth Western Fells
The North Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Including such favourites as Catbells and Grisedale Pike, they occupy an oval area beneath the Buttermere and Borrowdale valley systems...
occupy the area between the rivers Derwent and Cocker, a broadly oval swathe of hilly country, elongated on a north-south axis. Two roads cross from east to west, dividing the fells into three convenient groups. Whinlatter is in the most northerly sector, rising between Whinlatter Pass
Whinlatter Pass
The Whinlatter Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District. It is located on the B5292 road linking Braithwaite, to the west of Keswick, with High Lorton to the south of Cockermouth....
and the Vale of Embleton.
The hub of this group of fells is Lord's Seat
Lord's Seat
Lord's Seat is a fell in the English Lake District. It is the highest of the group of hills north of Whinlatter Pass in the North Western Fells. The slopes of Lord's Seat are extensively forested.-Topography:...
, the highest point north of Whinlatter Pass. The main line of high ground runs east to west, taking in Barf
Barf (Lake District)
Barf is a fell in the north-western Lake District in Cumbria, UK. It stands on the south-western shore of Bassenthwaite Lake. Barf is well known for a whitewashed pillar of rock on the lower slopes, the so-called "Bishop's Rock" or "Bishop of Barf"....
, Lord's Seat, Broom Fell
Broom Fell
Broom Fell is a small hill in the English Lake District. It lies on a ridge connecting Lord's Seat and Graystones, but is rarely climbed. Alfred Wainwright did however accord it the status of a separate fell in his influential guidebook series, the Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland...
and Graystones
Graystones
Graystones is a fell in the English Lake District. It lies in the North Western Fells region and is one of the peaks on the ridge which encircles the valley of Aiken Beck.-Name:...
, before petering out in the direction of Cockermouth. Lord's Seat however sends out a substantial additional ridge which starts southward, curves west and finally turns back north. This is Whinlatter, and the valley enclosed between it and the main ridge is that of Aiken Beck.
The descending ridge from Lord's Seat has a number of tops along its length. First is Ullister Hill (1,722 ft) which is normally reckoned part of the parent fell. The ridge then narrows at Tarbarrel Moss (1,617 ft), before rising again as it turns westward to arrive at Whinlatter Top, the summit. A final top, Brown How (1,696 ft) stands above the terminal descent to Aiken Beck.
From Ullister Hill to Tarbarrel Moss the ridge line and both flanks fall within Thornthwaite Forest. All sides of the lower slopes of Brown How also form part of the Forestry Commission holdings. Depending on the stage in the planting cycle large parts of the fellside will therefore be clad in conifers at any one time. Access problems have now been resolved and the landowner welcomes walkers, many marked trails being available through the woodland.
The southern boundary of the fell is formed by the Whinlatter Pass road. The summit of the pass lies south east of Whinlatter Top, marking the line of the Derwent-Cocker watershed. This falls from Tarbarrel Moss to the road, bypassing the highest point of the fell so that all of its waters flow to the Cocker. From the road summit Whinlatter Beck runs westward beneath the steepest face of the fell, Whinlatter Crag being a little below the highest point. To the north of Whinlatter is the quiet valley of Aiken Beck, its entrance neatly hidden in the woods between Brown How and Graystones. Its tributaries Willybrag Gill and Drycloff Gill drain the slopes of the fell. One wonders at the derivation of the former name. Aiken Beck and Whinlatter Gill combine to form Blaze Beck, a sizeable stream flowing into the Cocker at Low Lorton.
Position of Summit
Alfred WainwrightAlfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
in his influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells of the Lake District in northwest England...
noted that Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps of his time showed Brown How to be the summit, a statement he discussed at some length and proved to be incorrect by his own amateur surveying. Modern maps of the Ordnance Survey appear to have conceded the point.
Geology
In the summit areas of Whinlatter are rocks of the Loweswater Formation. This is composed of GreywackeGreywacke
Greywacke or Graywacke is a variety of sandstone generally characterized by its hardness, dark color, and poorly sorted angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or lithic fragments set in a compact, clay-fine matrix. It is a texturally immature sedimentary rock generally found...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
turbidities.
Summit and View
Brown How bears a large circular hide or windshelter, whilst Whinlatter Top itself has only a modest cairnCairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
. The view is poor, except for the close-ups of Hopegill Head
Hopegill Head
Hopegill Head is a fell in the English Lake District in Cumbria. It is located nine kilometres west of the town of Keswick and is well seen from the B5292 road which crosses the Whinlatter Pass.-Topography:...
and Grisedale Pike
Grisedale Pike
Grisedale Pike is a fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England situated west of the town of Keswick in the north-western sector of the national park. At a height of 791 m it is the 40th highest Wainwright in the Lake District; it also qualifies as a Hewitt, Marilyn and Nuttall...
across the pass, showing their full craggy glory on this side. Through Whinlatter Pass there is also a sight of the Helvellyn range
Helvellyn range
Helvellyn range is the name given to a part of the Eastern Fells in the English Lake District, fell being the local word for hill. The name comes from Helvellyn, the highest point of the group....
and Skiddaw
Skiddaw
Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake District National Park in England. With a summit at 931 m above sea level it is the fourth highest mountain in England. It lies just north of the town of Keswick, Cumbria, and dominates the skyline in this part of the northern lakes...
group.
Ascents
The easiest line is direct from the top of the pass, either up the side of the forest fence or snaking through the woodland along the forest roads. Brown How can be reached from Aiken, allowing a start from Scawgill Bridge on the western side of the pass. The full circuit of Aiken Beck, taking in Graystones, Broom Fell, Lord's Seat and Whinlatter is also a possibility.External links
- http://www.cyclewisewhinlatter.co.uk
- http://www.goape.co.uk/
- http://www.greattrails.co.uk/