Lake District
High Scarth
487M
1598FT
About High Scarth
Tucked between the dramatic Wasdale Screes and the boggy expanse of Burnmoor Tarn, this grassy Birkett provides a tranquil vantage point. It offers an intimate look at the Scafell massif’s rugged western flanks, away from the crowds flocking to the higher summits. It is a quiet, essential link for those traversing the Miterdale skyline.
Key Statistics
Rank
446th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Fells
Prominence
?
25m
Nearest Town
Eskdale
Geology
High Scarth is built from layers of ancient lava, hardened volcanic ash, and stony debris. These rocks are the remnants of powerful eruptions from a long-lost volcanic landscape.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY215043
Latitude
54.4289°N
Longitude
3.2110°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is derived from the Old Norse word 'skarð', meaning a mountain pass, notch, or cleft. In the Lake District, a 'scarth' usually denotes a breach in a ridge; here, it marks the high ground overlooking the historic transit routes between the Wasdale and Eskdale valleys.
- •While omitted from Alfred Wainwright’s pictorial guides, the fell is a recognized Birkett and Synge. It occupies a strategic position on the high ground that connects the popular Whin Rigg and Illgill Head ridge to the higher fells of the Scafell range.
- •The summit offers a particularly imposing perspective of Scafell Crag, which appears as a massive, vertical wall of rock to the northeast. Looking southwest, the view follows the quiet length of Miterdale toward the Cumbrian coast and the Irish Sea.
- •Most walkers visit High Scarth as a detour from the ancient bridleway connecting Wasdale Head to Boot in Eskdale, a route historically used by locals for trade and travel between the two remote valleys.
- •It is the kind of summit that rewards the walker with absolute silence, largely because the rest of the national park is two miles away standing in a queue for a photo on Scafell Pike.