Lake District
Ill Crag
931M
3054FT
About Ill Crag
Often bypassed by those rushing toward Scafell Pike, this rugged, boulder-strewn summit is actually England’s fifth-highest point. Its distinctive, jagged profile stands in sharp contrast to the flatter plateau nearby, offering a vertiginous and spectacular lookout over the wild upper reaches of Eskdale and the Great Moss far below.
Key Statistics
Rank
6th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Fells
Prominence
?
48.6m
Nearest Town
Eskdale
Geology
You are walking on ancient layers of hardened volcanic ash, sandy stone fragments, and crystalline rock. This rugged landscape was forged by powerful volcanic activity.
Nearby Fells
Find It
Latitude
54.4556°N
Longitude
3.1997°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely derives from the Old Norse 'illr', meaning evil or difficult, a fitting description for the chaotic jumble of rhyolite boulders that makes finding a smooth path across the summit nearly impossible.
- •Despite its significant height and distinct character, Alfred Wainwright excluded it from his main 214 fells, classifying it instead as a subsidiary shoulder of Scafell Pike in his Pictorial Guides.
- •The summit provides one of the best vantage points in the Lake District for viewing the 'back' of the Scafell massif; from here, the sheer cliffs of Dow Crag and the massive bulk of Bowfell appear particularly imposing across the void of Eskdale.
- •The terrain is composed of Scafell Volcanics, and the summit is a classic example of a 'blockfield' created by thousands of years of freeze-thaw weathering breaking the bedrock into jagged chunks.
- •It is arguably the highest point in England that thousands of people stand within fifty yards of every year without ever actually visiting, lured away by the motorway-like path leading to the neighbouring Pike.