Lake District
Orthwaite Bank
348M
1142FT
About Orthwaite Bank
Rising above the small hamlet of Orthwaite near Bassenthwaite, this modest grassy Birkett is often bypassed for the higher Skiddaw range. It offers a gentle, quiet ascent and provides an excellent, low-level vantage point over the lush Bassenthwaite valley and the nearby northern slopes of Great Cockup.
Key Statistics
Rank
681st Highest in Region
Parent Range
Northern Fells
Prominence
?
7m
Nearest Town
Uldale
Geology
Orthwaite Bank is formed from ancient layers of compressed mud, silt, and sand. These materials created the solid mudstone and sandstone foundation beneath your boots.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY256334
Latitude
54.6908°N
Longitude
3.1550°W
Did You Know?
- •The name originates from the Old Norse 'Orra-thveit', which translates as 'the clearing of the blackcock', referring to the black grouse that historically inhabited the quiet fringes of the Northern Fells.
- •While it missed out on Wainwright status, it is featured in Bill Birkett’s Complete Lakeland Fells, usually climbed as a short extension to a walk involving Dash Falls or the Uldale Fells.
- •The summit offers a particularly clear perspective of the scree-covered slopes of Barf and the wooded shoreline of Bassenthwaite Lake, views that are often obscured by larger massifs from higher elevations.
- •Its status as a 'Bank' is a polite Lakeland way of suggesting that you will likely spend more time putting your boots on in the car than you will actually spent ascending to the summit.