Eskdale Fell - Whinscales

About Eskdale Fell - Whinscales

Rising above the village of Boot, this rugged Birkett forms the high point of a sprawling, undulating plateau. It is a landscape of heather, granite outcrops, and hidden hollows. While often bypassed for higher peaks, the summit offers a superb perspective of the Scafells towering over the head of Eskdale.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Whinscales likely derives from the Old Norse 'hvin', meaning gorse or bent grass, and 'skali', a temporary hut or shieling, marking this as historic seasonal grazing land.
• •Bill Birkett included this summit in his 'Complete Lakeland Fells', identifying it as the true high point of the broad Eskdale Fell moorland, distinct from the lower but more prominent Boat How to the south.
• •The hill is located just off the ancient corpse road that connects Boot to Wasdale; this historic track was once the primary route for transporting the dead for burial at St Catherine’s Church in Eskdale.
• •The summit provides a grandstand view of the Scafell massif, showing the full vertical scale of the peaks from the valley floor of Upper Eskdale, alongside a clear look at the neighbouring granite cone of Harter Fell.
• •Due to the plateau’s undulating and pathless nature, Whinscales is the kind of summit where you can spend twenty minutes searching for the highest point, only to realize you have been standing on it for ten.