Longside Edge
Think Skiddaw's a bit, well, dull underfoot? Think again…
WE SAY...
Skiddaw is a funny mountain. Arguably it’s the most attractive peak in the Lake District, and with its height and isolation it delivers some of the best views going; but underfoot – let’s be honest – it’s a bit dull. Skiddaw’s geology is to blame; its ancient bones are made up of slates and shales that readily fracture, forming smooth, uniform slopes. These slopes look wonderful from afar, but close at hand, to climb, scramble and walk over, they aren’t exactly adventurous! Most people who climb Skiddaw do so by the old pony path, a bridleway that was established for early tourists from Keswick to make ascents via Latrigg on horseback. It’s understandable that people choose the one main route, but it does blinker them to what else is available – and the same geology that delivers Skiddaw’s uniformity also has a bit of a trick up its sleeve in the form of a well-hidden ridge that cuts a sharp crest in an arch around the western flanks.
The deep glacial trench of Southerndale has cut back into Skiddaw and separated Longside Edge. It has the same smooth characteristics as the rest of the mountain, but because of the big drops on either side it forms a very narrow ridge. Crossing it is not a scramble as the ground is not that technical, but with bags of exposure it has a proper ‘stride in the sky’ feel. Along the way to Skiddaw you have the added bonus of summiting on Ullock Pike and Carl Side – both Wainwrights – which is something you’d miss out on if you followed the crowds up the normal route. Jeremy Ashcroft mountaineering editor
THEY SAY...
“The ridge path dips and rises along a comparatively narrow crest.” Mark Richards, Great Mountain Days in the Lake District
“…fine walking on a ridge narrow enough in places to give startling glimpses downwards.” A Wainwright, The Northern Fells
“From a distance the crest of Longside Edge looks deceptively narrow, suggesting that there may be some scrambling involved.” Jeremy Ashcroft, Britain’s Highest Mountain Walks