Sty Head is a
mountain pass in the English
Lake District, in the county of
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. ...
. It is at an altitude of 1,600 feet (488 m) and there is a small
tarn (
Styhead Tarn) near its summit. The pass is at the head of
Wasdale, which contains the lake
Wastwater
Wast Water or Wastwater () is a lake located in Wasdale, a valley in the western part of the Lake District National Park, England. The lake is almost long and more than wide. It is a glacial lake, formed in a glacially 'over-deepened' valle ...
and it passes between the mountains of
Great Gable and
Scafell Pike
Scafell Pike () is the highest and the most prominent mountain in England, at an elevation of above sea level. It is located in the Lake District National Park, in Cumbria, and is part of the Southern Fells and the Scafell massif.
Scafell ...
(the latter is England's highest mountain).
The path from Wasdale was an old
packhorse
A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...
trail. At the highest point is the confluence of paths from Wasdale,
Eskdale,
Borrowdale and
Great Langdale.
Sty Head also forms an important navigational and safety point between
Great Gable and
Scafell Pike
Scafell Pike () is the highest and the most prominent mountain in England, at an elevation of above sea level. It is located in the Lake District National Park, in Cumbria, and is part of the Southern Fells and the Scafell massif.
Scafell ...
, with the placement of the
Mountain rescue stretcher box at the head of the tarn.
It is said this area is haunted by a ghoulish apparition without a visible head. Many local people have reported sightings of a strange man walking down the road with a bag moving "as if it contained cats". Although this local legend has many credible reports, various investigators have come to no conclusion or proof when tracing the real cause of this apparition.
See also
*
List of hill passes of the Lake District
External links
*
{{coord, 54.47492, N, 3.19747, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(NY225095), display=title
Mountain passes of the Lake District
Allerdale
Borough of Copeland