Combe Head

About Combe Head

Rising from the rugged ridge between Glaramara and Allen Crags, this high Southern Fell summit is defined by its dramatic position above the glacial hanging valley of The Combe. It offers a stony, wilderness character, rewarding those who leave the main path with a breathtaking, vertiginous perspective straight down into the depths of Borrowdale.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Old English 'cumb', describing a deep, bowl-shaped valley; the hill sits directly at the head of the impressive glacial cirque known as The Combe.
• •While not granted an individual chapter in Wainwright’s Pictorial Guides, it is a significant Birkett and Synge, representing a distinct high point on the complex, rocky plateau south of Rosthwaite.
• •The summit provides a perfectly framed view of the northern fells, where the long trench of Borrowdale leads the eye directly toward the massive bulk of Skiddaw and the jagged edges of Blencathra.
• •Its eastern flanks drop precipitously into the valley below, exposing the ancient, grey-green crags of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group that characterize this rugged part of the Lake District.
• •Navigating this summit in thick mist is a classic Lake District test; the plateau is so cluttered with similar-looking rocky outcrops that many walkers 'bag' the wrong pile of stones and continue toward Allen Crags entirely satisfied with their mistake.