Skiddaw Little Man

Skiddaw Little Man, also called Little Man, is a fell in the English Lake District; it is situated four kilometres north of the town of Keswick and reaches a height of 865 metres (2,838 ft).

1. Topography

Little Man is often overlooked and disregarded as an independent and distinct fell owing to its name making it sound like a minor top of its parent fell Skiddaw, which in fact lies 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) northwest. With a topographical prominence of 61 metres (200 ft), Little Man qualifies comfortably as a Hewitt and Nuttall hill and is regarded as a separate fell by renowned mountain writers Alfred Wainwright and Bill Birkett. The fell is actually called Little Man on Ordnance Survey maps and by many guide books. To the north and east Little Man is connected to the Skiddaw massif, Lonscale Fell being the nearest separate fell to the east, 2.5 km (1+1⁄2 mi) away. To the south and the west the fell falls away steeply, with fast flowing streams draining the fell into the River Derwent. Five hundred metres (1,600 ft) southeast of the main summit lies an 815-metre-high (2,674 ft) lower top called Lesser Man, which is adorned with an unusual cairn consisting of rocks and old fence posts. A further 500 m (1,600 ft) southeast of Lesser Man, on the other side of the bridleway from Keswick to Skiddaw, stands Jenkin Hill (735 metres, 2,411 ft), this flat-topped height being regarded as an outlier of Little Man.

1. Geology

Geologically, Little Man consists of Skiddaw slate and the summit of the fell is made up of grassy patches within large areas of slate.

1. Summit

Little Man has one big advantage over Skiddaw in that its convex southern slopes make it a far better viewpoint than its higher neighbour. In fact the panorama from Little Man is regarded as one of the best in the national park, taking in the valleys and lakes of northern Lakeland as well as all of the best-known fells of the district.

1. Ascents

Many people climb Little Man via the tourist path from Keswick on the way to the summit of Skiddaw. However, there are several better and more interesting but steep ascents from the hamlets of Millbeck and Applethwaite to the south of the fell. One of the routes from Millbeck is a scrambler's route up the steep south west Arête.

1. Gallery


1. References

A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, The Northern Fells, Alfred Wainwright ISBN 0-7112-2458-7 Complete Lakeland Fells, Bill Birkett, ISBN 0-00-713629-3 The Mountains of England and Wales, John and Anne Nuttall ISBN 1-85284-037-4

Nearby Places View Menu

Carl Side

Carl Side is a fell in the English Lake District, forming a part of the Skiddaw "family" near the town of Keswick and prominently visible from its streets. It is listed in Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells as one of the Northern Fells.

Hiking Landmark

Skiddaw

Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake District National Park in England. Its 931-metre (3,054 ft) summit is traditionally considered to be the fourth-highest peak but depending on what topographic prominence is thought to be significant is also variously ranked as the third- and the sixth-highest in England. It lies just north of the town of Keswick, Cumbria, in the historic county of Cumberland and dominates the skyline in this part of the northern lakes. It is the simplest of the Lake District mountains of this height to ascend (as there is a well-trodden tourist track from a car park to the north-east of Keswick, near the summit of Latrigg) and, as such, many walking guides recommend it to the occasional walker wishing to climb a mountain. This is the first summit of the fell running challenge known as the Bob Graham Round when undertaken in a clockwise direction. The mountain lends its name to the surrounding areas of Skiddaw Forest and Back o' Skidda, and to the isolated Skiddaw House, situated to the east, formerly a shooting lodge and subsequently a youth hostel. It also provides the name for the slate derived from that region: Skiddaw slate. Skiddaw slate has been used to make tuned percussion musical instruments or lithophones, such as the Musical Stones of Skiddaw held at the Keswick Museum and Art Gallery.

Hiking Landmark

Long Side

Long Side is a fell in the English Lake District, it is situated six kilometres north west of Keswick in the northern sector of the national park and is part of the Skiddaw group of fells. Long Side which reaches a height of 734 metres (2,408 ft) is located on Skiddaw’s north western ridge, the middle section of which is known as Longside Edge. Strictly speaking the actual summit of the fell is nameless with the name Long Side applying to the south western slope below the summit and is so marked on maps. The fell is often climbed by walkers on their way to the summit of Skiddaw, the route up the north west ridge which passes over Long Side is regarded as being the finest and quietest ascent of that 3,000-foot (910 m) mountain by guide book writers.

Hiking Landmark

Lonscale Fell

Lonscale Fell is a hill in the English Lake District. Its pointed second top is instantly recognisable, standing at the eastern end of the Skiddaw massif. The fell is easily climbed from Keswick or from Skiddaw House to the north. Although now primarily a sheep pasture, it once saw considerable mining activity beneath the long eastern wall of crag.

Hiking Landmark