Lake District
Skiddaw North Top
924M
3032FT
About Skiddaw North Top
Located on the broad, exposed plateau of the Skiddaw massif, this subsidiary summit offers a quieter perspective than the main peak. The terrain consists of weathered Skiddaw slate and sparse grasses, providing a true high-mountain feel with an expansive northern outlook toward the Solway Firth and the Scottish Southern Uplands.
Key Statistics
Rank
11th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Northern Fells
Prominence
?
1.1m
Nearest Town
Applethwaite
Geology
The ridge is built from the Kirk Stile Formation, where layers of ancient mud and silt have hardened into the solid rock beneath your feet.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY260292
Latitude
54.6528°N
Longitude
3.1475°W
Did You Know?
- •Identified as a distinct summit in Bill Birkett’s survey of the Lake District, this top is often bypassed by walkers heading for the main 931m summit, yet it marks a significant high point on the long northern ridge.
- •The view north from this vantage point is exceptionally clear, looking over the isolated dome of Binsey toward the flat expanse of the Solway Plain and the distant hills of Dumfries and Galloway.
- •Unlike the rugged volcanic rocks of the Central Fells, the ancient Skiddaw Slate here creates smooth, rounded slopes and fine shingle paths that allow for a rhythmic, steady pace once the plateau is reached.
- •The summit sits on one of the few continuous stretches of high-altitude ground in England above the 900-metre mark, offering a sense of scale and isolation rare in the Southern fells.
- •It serves as the final high point for those ascending via the steep, unrelenting slopes of 'The Edge' from the direction of Dash Falls, a route far more dramatic and quiet than the popular tourist path from Keswick.
- •It provides a useful refuge for walkers who find the main summit of Skiddaw a little too crowded for their liking, though the 'refuge' consists entirely of wind and a slightly different angle of slate.