Long Side

About Long Side

Sitting on the dramatic ridge of the Skiddaw massif, this Wainwright offers a much sharper character than the bulk of its parent peak. The approach via Ullock Pike provides a narrow, exciting walkway with steep slopes and exceptional, vertiginous views over the dark waters of Bassenthwaite Lake far below.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is a straightforward English description of the fell's position on the elongated western flank of the Skiddaw range, though 'Side' is derived from the Old Norse 'sida', a term frequently used in the Lake District to denote a long hill-slope.
• •Alfred Wainwright considered the ridge walk over Long Side to be the finest approach to Skiddaw, famously describing the traverse from Ullock Pike as a route of 'great character' that provides a welcome contrast to the rounded shoulders of the neighbouring fells.
• •The summit offers a perfect 'front-row' view of the Coledale Fells across the valley to the west; on a clear day, the distinctive pyramid of Grisedale Pike and the steep, heather-clad slopes of Ladyside Pike are particularly prominent.
• •The fell is composed of Skiddaw Slate, some of the oldest rock in the Lake District, which creates the distinctive dark, sliding scree fans that drop steeply from the ridge toward the Allerdale Ramble path.
• •Part of the three-mile-long ridge known as 'The Edge', this peak feels significantly more alpine and exposed than the broad, high-altitude plateau of Skiddaw’s main summit.
• •While the summit cairn is a fine place to rest, most walkers treat it with a sense of quiet foreboding, as it offers an uncomfortably clear view of the final, relentless 200-metre wall of scree still required to reach Skiddaw's top.