Lake District
Thirdgill Head Man
734M
2408FT
About Thirdgill Head Man
Perched on the high, stony ridge between Wandope and Crag Hill, this 734-metre Birkett offers a quiet perspective on the North Western Fells. It marks the watershed above the steep-sided Third Gill. The summit provides a clear, unshielded view across the valley towards the massifs of Great Gable and the Scafell range.
Key Statistics
Rank
128th Highest in Region
Parent Range
North Western Fells
Prominence
?
2m
Nearest Town
Buttermere
Geology
You are trekking over the Kirk Stile Formation. This landscape is built from mudstone and siltstone, rocks created by layers of ancient, hardened mud and silt.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY183196
Latitude
54.5651°N
Longitude
3.2642°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is derived from the Cumbrian dialect word 'Man', meaning a summit cairn, while 'Thirdgill' refers to its position at the head of the third stream encountered when traversing the slopes above Coledale Beck.
- •Though overlooked by Alfred Wainwright as a mere shoulder of Wandope, Bill Birkett included it in his 'Complete Lakeland Fells', noting its high-altitude position within the Grassmoor group.
- •The summit offers a dramatic vantage point directly over the rim of Addacomb Hole, a steep-sided glacial hanging valley that bites deep into the eastern flank of the massif.
- •It serves as a critical navigational waypoint on the Coledale Round, marking the transition from the broad slopes of Wandope to the narrower, rockier ascent of Crag Hill.
- •Despite being the 'Thirdgill' Head Man, there are no corresponding summits for the first or second gills, making it a lone numerical marker in the high North Western Fells.