Lake District
Watches
333M
1093FT
About Watches
Perched on the northern fringes of the Skiddaw massif, this modest Birkett acts as a natural balcony over the Dash Valley. While often overlooked for the higher summits of the Northern Fells, its rocky top provides an intimate perspective of the Whitewater Dash falls and the solitary northern slopes of Bakestall.
Key Statistics
Rank
712th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Northern Fells
Prominence
?
8m
Nearest Town
Bassenthwaite
Geology
The ground beneath you is formed from layers of hardened mud and silt, pierced by dark, crystalline rocks that pushed up from deep underground.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY240303
Latitude
54.6629°N
Longitude
3.1788°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is thought to stem from the Middle English 'wacche', denoting a lookout point. Its position overlooking the historic mountain pass of the Dash Valley made it a strategic location for 'watching' the movement of people and livestock through the fells.
- •Though it missed Alfred Wainwright’s selection, the peak is a notable inclusion in the lists of Bill Birkett and Tim Synge, making it a regular stop for those seeking to explore the quieter, less-trodden outliers of the Lake District.
- •From the summit, you gain a unique 'edge-on' view of the Whitewater Dash waterfalls, where the water tumbles down a series of dramatic steps into the valley below, framed by the steep, smooth slopes of Great Cockup to the west.
- •For a hill named after its suitability as a lookout, it spends a surprising amount of the year watching nothing more than the inside of a low-hanging cloud.