Nitting Haws

About Nitting Haws

This rugged outcrop serves as a dramatic rocky shoulder on the northern flank of High Spy. Overlooking the village of Rosthwaite, it provides an exceptional, close-up perspective of the 'Jaws of Borrowdale'. The heathery terrain offers a quiet alternative to the main ridge path, with clear views across Derwent Water toward Skiddaw.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is a combination of the local dialect 'Nitting'—likely referring to the way the crags 'knit' together—and 'Haws', derived from the Old Norse 'hals', meaning a neck or pass between higher ground.
• •It is classified as a Synge, one of the 231 peaks featured in Tim Synge’s 1995 guidebook. Despite its modest height and proximity to more famous neighbours, it is valued by peak-baggers for its rocky character and distinct separation from the main ridge.
• •The summit offers a unique vantage point over the 'Jaws of Borrowdale', where the valley floor is squeezed between Castle Crag and Grange Fell. From here, the transition from the lush valley to the high fells is particularly striking.
• •The ascent from Rosthwaite via Lingy Bank is a short, sharp shock of a climb, gaining height rapidly through bracken and heather before opening out into the craggy terrain that defines the North Western fells.
• •It manages to offer one of the best views of Derwent Water in the district, largely because the more famous summits behind it are too far back to see the lake shore clearly.