![Whiteside East Top [Whiteside] [Gasgale Crags]](/images/fells/whiteside.jpg)
Lake District
Whiteside East Top [Whiteside] [Gasgale Crags]
719M
2360FT
About Whiteside East Top [Whiteside] [Gasgale Crags]
Whiteside's true summit is often bypassed by those following Wainwright’s lower mark, but this higher eastern top offers the best views of the dramatic Gasgale Crags. The ridge walk from Hopegill Head is one of the finest 'airy' traverses in the North Western fells.
Key Statistics
Rank
141st Highest in Region
Parent Range
North Western Fells
Prominence
?
39.3m
Nearest Town
High Lorton
Geology
The trail sits on rough sandstone from the Loweswater Formation, overlain by layers of mudstone and siltstone from the Kirk Stile Formation.
Find It
Latitude
54.5874°N
Longitude
3.2778°W
Did You Know?
- •The fell is largely composed of Skiddaw Slate, which creates the steep, scree-covered slopes of Gasgale Crags that drop precipitously into the deep valley of Gasgale Gill.
- •The name 'Whiteside' is thought to derive from the pale appearance of the quartz-veined scree on the fell's southern flanks when viewed from the Lorton valley.
- •Alfred Wainwright famously focused his 'Whiteside' chapter on the western summit because of its superior viewpoint over Crummock Water, despite this eastern point being significantly higher at 719m.
- •The ascent via Gasgale Gill is a classic approach, but the narrow ridge connecting the East Top to Hopegill Head provides a genuine sense of exposure that feels much more alpine than its modest altitude suggests.
- •The 'true' summit is marked by a modest cairn on a relatively wide plateau, which can feel like a bit of a bureaucratic technicality after you've just finished the thrilling, narrow scrambling sections of the ridge.