Wastwater Screes

The panorama of the Wastwater Screes across Wastwater is one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring views in England.

Poet Norman Nicholson described the Screes as “like the inverted arches of a gothic cathedral”.

The name Wastwater Screes refers to the scree-covered north western fellside that plunges dramatically down into the water from a height of over 600 metres into England’s deepest lake.

The Screes were formed as a result of ice and weathering erosion on the rocks that cascade down from the slopes of Illgill Head and Whin Rigg. Geologically, these two fells are part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, and are typical in formation for the south western area of the Lake District.