England
Wastwater
England's deepest lake, ink-black and glacier-cold, ringed by scree slopes that plunge straight in.
The scree plunges directly into water so dark it swallows light, and the mountains at the valley head stack up like a fortress wall with no gate. Wastwater in the western Lake District is England's deepest lake in its most dramatic setting — a place that earns the word 'wild' without needing to try.
Wastwater reaches a depth of 79 metres, held in a glacial trough beneath the scree slopes of Illgill Head and Whin Rigg. The valley head is dominated by Great Gable, Lingmell, and Scafell Pike — England's highest mountain at 978 metres. There is no boat hire, no café, no visitor centre — the only building at the lake head is the Wasdale Head Inn, a climbers' pub that has served mountaineers since the sport's earliest days. The reflection of the scree in the still water was voted Britain's favourite view in a 2007 ITV poll. The church of St Olaf at Wasdale Head is one of the smallest in England, its graveyard containing climbers killed on the surrounding fells.
Solo
Wastwater is the Lake District stripped to essentials — water, rock, sky. Walk the scree path along the lake's western shore and the isolation intensifies with every step towards the valley head.
Friends
This is base camp for England's most serious mountain days. Scafell Pike, Great Gable, and Pillar are all accessible from the valley head — walk hard, return to the Wasdale Head Inn, and repeat.
- England's deepest lake fills a glacial valley beneath the country's highest mountain — the scree slopes plunge directly into black water.
- The road ends at the lake head, and from there it's boots and willpower to reach Scafell Pike's summit.
- Voted Britain's favourite view by ITV — the reflection of the scree in the still water is a photograph that sells itself.
- No tourist infrastructure, no boat hire, no cafes — just the lake, the mountains, and the silence.
Fell-walker's breakfast at the Wasdale Head Inn — the remotest pub in England.
Cumberland sausage from the farm gate at Nether Wasdale, cooked on a camping stove.
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