Location : Wasdale Head / Nether Wasdale
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 160060
Wastwater and Great Gable. Aerial photo by Simon Ledingham.
Wastwater from Yewbarrow. Photo by Ann Bowker.
Situated in the Wasdale Valley, Wastwater is 3 miles long, half a mile wide and 260 feet deep, and the deepest of all the lakes.
Wastwater is perhaps the most awe-inspiring of all the lakes. Surrounded by mountains, Red Pike, Kirk Fell, Great Gable and Scafell Pike - England's highest mountain.
The Screes
Extending the length of the south-east side of the lake are the Screes, consisting of millions of fragments of broken rock and rising from the floor of the lake to a height of almost 200 feet, giving the lake an ominous appearance.
The valley was colonised by Norse farmers in the 9th and 10th century. At the Wasdale Head end of the lake is St. Olaf's Church, one of the smallest in the country.
Britain's favourite view.
In an ITV television program in 2007, Wastwater in the Lake District has been named as Britain's favourite view after the public chose from four landscapes. Sally Whittaker, the Coronation Street actress, spoke in praise of Wastwater which Wordsworth described as "long, stern and desolate". She said: "This landscape has fired up the imaginations of painters, poets and climbers over the centuries. And it's not lost any of its power to surprise, charm and thrill us today."
The lake is owned by the National Trust, as also is Scafell Pike (England's highest mountain). There is a National Trust campsite at the Wasdale Head end of the lake. At the other end is the Wasdale Hall Youth Hostel, also owned by the National Trust.
Wasdale Youth Hostel from the Whin Rigg. Photo by Ann Bowker.
Related Links :
- Wikipedia - Wastwater
- Wikipedia - Wasdale Head
- Daily Telegraph 11 Sep 2007 - Lake District's Wastwater is UK's best view
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