Lake District
Looking Steads (Glaramara)
775M
2541FT
About Looking Steads (Glaramara)
Located on the rugged, rocky spine of the Glaramara ridge, this high Birkett summit sits just south of the main peak. It offers a wilder feel than its more famous neighbour, featuring chaotic outcrops and small tarns that overlook the deep trench of Langstrath and the impressive north face of Great End.
Key Statistics
Rank
88th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Fells
Prominence
?
22.1m
Nearest Town
Seatoller
Geology
You are trekking across ancient layers of hardened volcanic ash and stony debris. This rugged ground was forged by explosive eruptions and cooling lava flows.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY245101
Latitude
54.4813°N
Longitude
3.1655°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Old English 'stede', meaning a place or site; when combined with 'looking', it identifies this high point as a natural lookout used by shepherds to monitor stock across the high fells.
- •While it was omitted from Alfred Wainwright’s primary list of fells, it is recognised as a Nuttall and a Synge, forming a significant high point on the complex three-mile ridge between Borrowdale and Esk Hause.
- •The summit provides a superb, close-quarters perspective of the Scafell massif, with the dark, shadowed cliffs of Great End and the distinctively symmetrical dome of Great Gable dominating the southern skyline.
- •Navigation between here and the main summit of Glaramara is notoriously difficult in mist, as the ridge is a chaotic jumble of rocky outcrops, hidden tarns, and false summits that can easily disorientate the unwary.
- •Despite being nearly 800 metres high, the summit plateau often hides pockets of standing water and deep mossy hags, proving that on the Glaramara ridge, altitude is no guarantee of dry feet.