Whin Rigg is a

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...

in the English

Lake District The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...

, situated in the western segment of the national park, south east of the town of

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and civil parish in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It is a port on the north-west coast, and lies outside the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park. ...

. It reaches only a modest altitude of but is part of one of the Lake District’s most dramatic landscapes in that the rugged and impressive Wastwater Screes (also known as "The Screes") fall from the fells summit to

Wast Water 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' valley ...

over below. The fell's name means ''“

gorse ''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are na ...

covered ridge”'' and originates from the

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

words “Hvin” meaning gorse and “Hryggr” meaning Ridge.

Topography and Geology

Whin Rigg is linked to the adjoining fell of

Illgill Head Illgill Head is a fell in the English Lake District. It is known more commonly as the northern portion of the Wastwater Screes. The fell is high and stands along the south-east shore of Wastwater, the deepest lake in England. Topography The p ...

, just away at the northern end of The Screes by a path that gives precipitous views down to Wast Water. The Screes are a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

and are regarded as a classic geological locality and one of the best and most famous examples of

scree Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. The term ''scree'' is ap ...

s in Britain. The escarpment and screes are made up of hard wearing Borrowdale Volcanics rock, however there are areas of less resistant rock which have been eroded and this has led to deep gullies in the cliff face. The cliffs around the summit of Whin Rigg take the form of vertical rock buttresses which are split by the huge Great Gully and C Gully which give precipitous views of Wast Water. The gullies are spectacular but are a no go area for walkers, Great Gully has seventeen near vertical pitches and the remains of an aeroplane within it. Apart from The Screes, Whin Rigg has another fine geological feature in Greathall Gill. This is a granite ravine which rises up the fell from where the

River Irt The River Irt is a river in the county of Cumbria in northern England. It flows for approximately from its source in Wast Water to its estuary at Ravenglass. The name of the river is believed to derive either from the Old English ''gyr'' whic ...

flows out of Wast Water to the mark on the fell to the south west of the summit. The lower section of the ravine in steep sided and wooded and support a range of

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es,

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s and

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

s including Common wood sorrel, Chrysosplenium oppositifolium (opposite leaved golden saxifrage) and great wood rush.

Ascents

The path on the eastern side of Greathall Gill has developed into a popular way up the fell from Nether Wasdale and has become eroded in recent years, it is being monitored so any worsening of the situation can be reversed. Whin Rigg can be climbed either from Nether Wasdale in

Wasdale Wasdale (; traditionally ) is a valley and civil parish in the western part of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. The River Irt flows through the valley to its estuary at Ravenglass. A large part of the main valley floor is ...

or Eskdale Green in Eskdale using the bridleway which links the two places to attain the western ridge of the fell, there are then of ascent up the ridge to reach the summit. Walkers starting from the Wasdale side can also use the footpath by Greathall Gill as already mentioned.

Summit

The highlight of the summit panorama is the view down to Wast Water, and there are good views of the coastal plain and the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

.
Panorama
File:Whin_Rigg_and_Wast_Water_from_Yewbarrow.jpg, View from Yewbarrow file:Wasdale Sunset.jpg,

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' valley. ...

and Whin Rigg illuminated by the setting sun file:Great Gully, Wast Water Screes.jpg, A vertigo-inducing view of Wastwater down Great Gully from the summit of Whin Rigg.

References

* Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Southern Fells, Alfred Wainwright * Complete Lakeland Fells, Bill Birkett
SSSI Information

{{Lake District Mid West Fells of the Lake District Cumberland (unitary authority)