High Street

This broad, grassy plateau is the undisputed king of the Far Eastern Fells. Its name derives from the Roman road that once traversed the summit, connecting Brougham to Ambleside. While the top is famously flat, the views down into Hayeswater and across to the Helvellyn range are truly spectacular.

• •The fell takes its name from the Roman road that crosses the summit. Part of the route from Brougham to Ambleside, it represents the highest Roman road in England, built on this high ground to avoid the densely forested and potentially dangerous valleys below.
• •Until 1835, the broad summit was the site of an annual summer fair held on July 10th. Shepherds from the surrounding valleys gathered here to return stray sheep, celebrating the occasion with horse racing, wrestling, and communal festivities. The racecourse, a flat half-mile stretch, is still discernible today.
• •Alfred Wainwright was fascinated by the fell’s historical utility, noting that while the summit itself is a featureless plateau, its eastern flanks are dramatically different. He particularly recommended the ascent via the long, curving spine of Riggindale, which offers a rugged, alpine approach to an otherwise gentle giant.
• •From the trig pillar, look east to see the dark, circular bowl of Blea Water. At 200 feet deep, it is the deepest tarn in the Lake District, sitting in a classic glacial cirque directly beneath the summit's precipitous crags.
• •The view to the north-east provides a clear perspective of the long, narrow reach of Haweswater. This valley was transformed in the 1930s when a dam was built, raising the water level by 95 feet and submerging the village of Mardale Green.
• •For a mountain of such stature, the summit is remarkably underwhelming to look at from a distance; it is less a peak and more a very high, very cold, and very large field that just happens to have been used as a highway.