Wasdale Head

Wasdale Head
View of Wasdale Head from the Westmorland cairn on Great Gable
Wasdale Head is located in the former Borough of Copeland
Wasdale Head
Wasdale Head
Location in Copeland Borough
Wasdale Head is located in Cumbria
Wasdale Head
Wasdale Head
Location within Cumbria
OS grid referenceNY189085
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSEASCALE
Postcode districtCA20
Dialling code019467
PoliceCumbria
FireCumbria
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cumbria
54°27′58″N 3°15′00″W / 54.466°N 3.25°W / 54.466; -3.25
St Olaf's Church, Wasdale Head
Wasdale Head Inn, famous as the centre of the birth of British rock climbing
Packhorse bridge behind the Inn

Wasdale Head (/ˈwɒzdeɪl/; traditionally /ˈwɒsəl, ˈwɒʃdəl/)[1] is a scattered agricultural hamlet in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Wasdale Head claims to be home of the highest mountain (Scafell Pike), deepest lake (Wastwater), smallest church and biggest liar in England. The last of these claims refers to Will Ritson, who paradoxically proclaimed himself as such. In 1870-72 the township/chapelry had a population of 49.[2]

  1. ^ Dickins, Bruce (1950). The Place-names of Cumberland. The University Press. p. 390.
  2. ^ "History of Wasdale Head, in Copeland and Cumberland". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 13 January 2022.