Lake District
Orrest Head
238M
781FT
About Orrest Head
Rising directly above Windermere station, this modest summit offers a panoramic reward far exceeding its height. Accessible via well-surfaced woodland paths, the viewpoint provided Alfred Wainwright’s introduction to the fells in 1930. The view across the full length of Lake Windermere toward the Langdale Pikes and Coniston Old Man is peerless.
Key Statistics
Rank
871st Highest in Region
Parent Range
Far Eastern Fells
Prominence
?
68m
Nearest Town
Troutbeck Bridge
Geology
This hill is made of alternating layers of sandstone, silt, and mud. These sediments were pressed together to form the solid rock beneath your feet.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SD414993
Latitude
54.3863°N
Longitude
2.9035°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely derives from the Old Norse orrusta, meaning 'battle', suggesting this ridge may have been the site of a forgotten skirmish or served as a notable boundary marker.
- •In 1930, a young Alfred Wainwright arrived in Windermere and climbed this hill; he later wrote in The Outlying Fells of Lakeland that the vista was 'a moment of revelation' that changed his life and sparked his obsession with the fells.
- •The summit features a detailed mountain indicator that helps walkers identify the western skyline, specifically pointing out the Crinkle Crags, Bowfell, and the distinctive shark’s fin profile of Pike o' Stickle.
- •Much of the hillside was gifted to the public in memory of Arthur Heywood, a local benefactor whose Victorian estate, Elleray, occupied the lower slopes and defined the layout of the current woodland tracks.
- •The climb from the town takes roughly twenty minutes, making it perhaps the only place in the Lake District where you can experience a life-changing epiphany and still comfortably catch the 15:28 train to Manchester.