Trail Running > Routes > Lake District Routes > Whin Rigg & Illgill Head
A dramatic 19 km trail run in the shadow of the most recognisable mountain skyline in Britain, with precipitous views of the Wasdale Valley below.
Why run this trail?
The two peaks of Whin Rigg and Illgill head form a broad ridge high above the southern shore of Wast Water. The escarpment features a series of deep gullies and vertical buttresses that plunge 450 metres down to the lakeshore, offering up a cascade of boulders and rocks known famously as “The Screes”.
Trail running the wide, grassy traverse that joins the two peaks offers expansive views of the mountains jostling above Wasdale to the northeast and the Cumbrian coast to the west. The imposing mound of Sca Fell looms directly overhead – seemingly within touching distance – to the east.
The route I had mapped first heads to Miterdale – a small, secluded valley to the north of Eskdale Green, then ascends through the forested slopes of Irton Fell before pushing on to Whin Rigg and Illgill Head beyond. The descent loops back across Tongue Moor and finally down again to Boot – a well-defined loop with an out-and-back tail that resembles a lasso on the map.
I started my run at Eskdale Mill in the village of Boot on a warm, overcast morning in the late spring of 2024. Passing through the main gate onto the fells – following signs for Miterdale – the stone track winds its way upwards towards the ruins of some old peat cutters’ huts before branching out left across the moorland.
After a further 700 metres of gradual climbing, there’s an interesting series of stone circles at White Moss and Brat’s Hill. These monuments are thought to be about 4,000 years old and are believed to have been used as burial markers and sites of social importance. Passing directly through a couple of them in the morning haze offered a nice distraction before tackling a fairly boggy section of rough moor, followed by a steep drop down the crease of Black Gill to Miterdale Head.
The small valley of Miterdale is gentle and secluded, with gorse bushes dotting the winding track and pine trees quilting the fell sides above. Following the River Mite downstream I quickly arrived at a crossing point by the farm at Low Place and decided to get wet feet rather than risk the sketchy looking sequence of stepping stones across.
Passing through the farmyard at Low Place under the watchful eyes of a sheepdog, I squelched my way up the lane for about a kilometre before veering off on a path to the right into Miterdale Forest. After a further 500 metres I took the right hand turn at a crossroad of tracks among the pines, heading due north through the trees and gaining height as I went, with views of the crags of Great Bank over my right shoulder.
Emerging from the tree line onto Irton Fell, it was a short hop to a crossroads of tracks – marked by a wooden gate through the dry stone wall – and my first glimpse of the mountains of the Wasdale Valley over the cusp of the fell ahead. Turning right, the track then followed the line of the wall across boggy terrain towards the first summit of the day.
Passing the cairn at Irton Fell (395 m / 1,296 ft) the track then took me right past the lip of a gully – Greathall Gill – offering nice views of Nether Wasdale below and the fells opposite. From this point, it was a steady 14% average gradient, one kilometre drag up the broad, grassy final climb to Whin Rigg (535 m / 1,755 ft). As I got closer, the pinheads I could see on the summit gradually morphed into people through the thin cover of cloud.
In complete contrast to the solitude of the last hour or so of running, the top of Whin Rigg was bustling with walkers and groups – many from the nearby Wasdale YHA. Upwards of 50 people were huddled in small groups on the rocky outcrops, enjoying refreshments and the panoramic views of the entire valley and screes below.
I wandered around, snapping photos and peering into the abyss, munching on my provisions, before setting off once again to the final summit – and the highest point of today’s run – at Illgill head. This short 2.5 kilometre hop was entirely deserted and I tapped this out filling my lungs with the clean air, energised by the knowledge that most of the tough climbing was behind me for the day.
The summit of Illgill head (609 m / 1,997 ft) is marked with a cairn and a stone sheep shelter, set a little distance apart. There’s some debate about which is the ‘true’ summit, so it seemed rude not to bag both given they were both on my route!
Despite the summit being some 74 metres higher than Whin Rigg, Illgill Head feels slightly lower – maybe because it lacks a little of the drama of that viewpoint. It’s a flat mound of stony ground without the impressive drop-offs visible elsewhere all along the ridge. Nevertheless, there are some fantastic views of Wasdale Head and the surrounding mountains – Yewbarrow, Kirk Fell, Great Gable, Lingmell, Scafell Pike and Sca Fell.
Continuing on over the summit I took a quick drink before heading down and, after a further 450 metres, took the right hand track to descend the steep eastern flank of the fell, with the inky mirror of Burnmoor Tarn below. I was thankful of decent studs at this point – it’s a fun descent with a 20% gradient for nearly a kilometre so definitely one to buckle up and focus on.
I then continued to bear right where the track splits, cutting across the slope above the northwest shore of Burnmoor Tarn to follow a narrow single track across the face of Tongue Moor. This follows the emergent lip of the Miterdale Valley from its source at the tarn, hugging the slopes above it and featuring an ankle-sapping camber that made me thankful to finally descend directly into the valley after about 3 kilometres.
From this point, I tracked the River Mite downstream, crossing several small gills and dry riverbeds to retrace my steps up the side of Black Gill before returning to Boot via the moorland of White Moss and Brat’s Hill.
Hallucinatory visions of faeries flitted before my eyes as I danced between the stone circles for the second time that day, with my thoughts rapidly turning to the very real magic of a hot shower and a quiet afternoon collapsed in a comfortable spot!
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Disclaimer
All routes and GPX files are provided as a guide only. Conditions, rights of way, and landmarks may change. Always carry an up‑to‑date map and use your own judgement. See the Trail Run Disclaimer page for details.