The Southern Fells

Whin Rigg

The shelter cairn at Whin Rigg summit, looking north-east to Yewbarrow and Illgill Head. The cairn has been fashioned into a shelter since Wainwright's sketch (Whin Rigg 7). Wainwright: “The cairn is so delicately poised above the cliffs that a single stride… is sufficient to bring Wast Water into view…”
Photograph taken: 22nd May 2017

The shelter cairn at Whin Rigg summit, looking north-east to Yewbarrow and Illgill Head. The cairn has been fashioned into a shelter since Wainwright's sketch (Whin Rigg 7). Wainwright: “The cairn is so delicately poised above the cliffs that a single stride… is sufficient to bring Wast Water into view…”
Photograph taken: 22nd May 2017
This is the south cairn, which is approximately 100m south-south-west of the shelter cairn (Wainwright top), which is seen on the right in this view.
Photograph taken: 22nd April 2026
As at Illgill Head, the Ordnance Survey high point of this fell is unmarked but there are two distinctive cairns elsewhere. This view is taken from the OS high point with the south cairn on the left and the shelter cairn (Wainwright top and true summit) on the right.
Photograph taken: 22nd April 2026
A view from above the Screes, across Wast Water, to Greendale. Buckbarrow is prominent in the scene with Seatallan appearing above Middle Fell on the right.
Photograph taken: 22nd April 2026

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Location map for Whin Rigg

Wainwright top at Whin Rigg

Context

Whin Rigg is a Wainwright in The Southern Fells area of the Lake District National Park.

Location

Grid Ref: NY 15102 03536
BNG e,n: 315102,503536
Lat/long: 54.420148,-3.309889
GeoJSON: [-3.309889,54.420148]
///W3W: chaos.estimates.employ
Feature: cairn/shelter

Elevation

Height: 537m / 1,762ft
Drop: 61.0m
Rank: 156 / 214

Details

Locating Wainwright tops

It's easy to make the mistake of thinking that the Wainwright top is at the true summit of a fell. For many fells in the 214, this is not the case. Wainwright often chose a top because of its aspect or view rather than its height. This is what sometimes makes finding the Wainwright tops so confusing.

Locating a top is also complicated by the fact that features change over time. Cairns come and go, some grow and some shrink, fence posts are added or removed. Although the summit sketches in Wainwright's guides and the photographs in this guide are useful aids for identification, the features shown are subject to change, especially on popular fells. See Fleetwith Pike for an example of how cairns change.

Important: The accuracy of GPS on smartphones is ±5m at best but could be as much as 8m out. Please bear this in mind when using the location data.

Notes

On this occasion, Wainwright has chosen the more dramatically located shelter cairn at the edge of the cliffs above Wast Water, rather than the more obvious south cairn. This is a reversal of the situation at Illgill Head. The Wainwright top is also the true summit.

South cairn

Grid Ref: NY 15138 03442
///W3W: official.fulfilled.shopper

Route planning

Fells

Illgill Head: 2.0km; 129m; 36min

Details

There is one viable route from Whin Rigg

The Wainwright guides indicate “ridge routes” from each fell and although this is useful, it doesn't always allow for effective route planning. The routes shown here are the Wainwright ridge routes (indicated with ) plus any other viable routes (indicated with ), not necessarily linked by a ridge. This list provides a more comprehensive network of potential routes that can be used when planning days out on the fells.

All routes have been plotted in the OS Maps app. The distance, ascent and time values are those given for the plotted routes. Time values are for moderately fit walkers without breaks. They should therefore be considered minimum values for the purposes of route planning.

Notes

The only viable partner for Whin Rigg is Illgill Head but the two tops can be completed in a satisfying circular walk around Wast Water.

Classification

DoBIH No

2473

Local

Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Wainwright

Birkett: Lake District hills over 1,000ft listed in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells. There are 541 Birketts, 211 are also Wainwrights.
Fellranger: Lake District hills included in Mark Richards' Fellranger walking series, a set of eight volumes inspired by the Wainwright guides. There are 230 Fellrangers, 209 are also Wainwrights. This is a curated list, not based on height criteria.
Synge: Lake District hills over 300m listed in Tim Synge's The Lakeland Summits. The book aims to list every significant summit over 300m in height within the National Park, 646 in total. It includes all 214 fells in Wainwright's Pictorial Guides, including Castle Crag at 290m.
Wainwright: Lake District hills included in volumes 1-7 of Wainwright's A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. There are 214 Wainwrights in all. This is a curated list, not based on height criteria.

National

Dewey, Dodd

Dewey: Hills in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man that are at least 500m high and less than 609.6m (2,000ft) with a drop of at least 30m on all sides. There are 31 Wainwrights in this class.
Dodd: Hills in Scotland, England, Wales, the Isle of Man, and Ireland between 500m and 599.9m high with a drop of at least 30m on all sides. There are 29 Wainwrights in this class.

Geology

Bedrock

Birker Fell Andesite Formation

BGS code

BFA

Type

Igneous (extrusive)

Age

449.0 – 458.4 Ma

Period

Ordovician

Parent

Borrowdale Volcanic Group

Details

Members, formations and groups

Member: A smaller unit of rock that shares common charateristics and features, often used in geology to describe specific layers within a formation.
Formation: A larger unit of rock that is distinct from other formations above and below. A formation may include two or more members.
Group: A stratigraphic unit that includes two or more associated formations that are usually contiguous or contain significant features in common.
Suite: A geological unit containing intrusive, highly deformed, or metamorthic rocks of the same type, lacking discernable stratification.
Complex: A geological unit containing intrusive, highly deformed, or metamorthic rocks of different types, lacking discernable stratification.

Notes

Predominantly sheets of fine to coarse grained andersite, formed from fluid lava flows with feeder dykes and sills. The formation may also include some basalts and dacites. Distinctive units within the formation are identified as member units e.g. Haystacks Andersite Member. Andersites are volcanic rocks, intermediate between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite.

Daylight

Tuesday, 9th June 2026

Daylight

17 hours 11 minutes

Dawn