Nab Scar

Standing as the steep, southern prow of the Fairfield Horseshoe, this Wainwright offers a sudden and rewarding climb from Grasmere. Its terrain is characterized by craggy outcrops and a well-trodden stone path, providing an exceptional vantage point over the shimmering waters of Rydal Water and Grasmere lake.

• •The name derives from the Old Norse 'nabbi', meaning a projecting point or peak, and 'sker', referring to a steep cliff or stony outcrop, perfectly describing its profile above the Vale of Grasmere.
• •Alfred Wainwright included it as a distinct fell despite it being a shoulder of Heron Pike, largely because the steep 1,000-foot climb from the valley floor gives it a sense of independent stature.
• •The summit offers a unique perspective on the central fells, with a particularly clear sightline across the valley to the famous 'Lion and the Lamb' rock formation on Helm Crag.
• •On the western slopes lies Dockey Tarn, one of the smallest named tarns on Ordnance Survey maps, though it is known to disappear entirely during dry spells, leaving nothing but a grassy depression.
• •The stone-pitched path leading up from Rydal is a marvel of upland engineering, though its unrelenting gradient serves as a sharp wake-up call for those just beginning the long Fairfield Horseshoe circuit.