Lake District
Clints Crags (Wainwright summit)
245M
804FT
About Clints Crags (Wainwright summit)
Tucked away near the village of Blindcrake, this limestone outlier offers a rare geological contrast to the volcanic heart of the Lake District. Its summit is defined by weathered limestone pavements and provides an exceptional, low-level vantage point over the Skiddaw range to the south and the Solway Firth to the north.
Key Statistics
Rank
859th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Northern Fells
Prominence
?
10m
Nearest Town
Sunderland
Geology
You are walking across layers of solid limestone. These rock beds, including the Frizington and Eskett formations, provide the foundation for Clints Crags.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY159352
Latitude
54.7053°N
Longitude
3.3063°W
Did You Know?
- •The name 'Clints' is derived from the Old Norse word 'klintr', meaning a steep cliff or rocky outcrop. In local dialect, it refers specifically to the flat blocks of limestone that form the pavement, while the deep fissures between them are known as 'grykes.'
- •Alfred Wainwright featured this hill in his 1974 book, 'The Outlying Fells of Lakeland', where he praised the summit for providing one of the finest views of the Skiddaw massif from a distance.
- •The summit is notable for its Carboniferous limestone pavement, a rare feature in the Lake District which supports a specific micro-climate of ferns and flowers sheltered within the deep grykes.
- •From the highest point, walkers can see the clear blue stretch of Bassenthwaite Lake tucked beneath the fells, with the Scottish hills of Galloway often visible across the Solway Plain to the northwest.
- •While the elevation is modest, the limestone terrain demands a certain level of concentration; it is one of the few places in Cumbria where you can get a mountain-grade trip-hazard at the height of a suburban hill.