Wasdale Head Inn

About Wasdale Head Inn

The Wasdale Head Inn stands at the very end of the Wasdale valley, beneath Scafell Pike and beside Wastwater, and is widely described as the birthplace of British climbing. Will Ritson, the nineteenth-century landlord, presided over the first generation of English rock climbers who used the inn as a base, and the walls still carry their photographs. The building is long, low and slate-roofed, and there is nothing else at the head of the valley apart from a farm and the small church.

Accommodation comes in three forms. The inn itself has traditional en-suite hotel rooms, simply furnished and warm, most looking out at the surrounding fells. A row of converted self-catering apartments sits alongside for families and groups who want their own kitchen, and there is a campsite on the flat ground nearby. None of it is luxurious and none of it pretends to be; the priority is a dry bed, a hot bath and a large breakfast.

Ritson's Bar is the social centre, with a wide range of Cumbrian cask ales, a fire and a good deal of muddy boot traffic. The dining room serves substantial food built for people who have been out all day, and packed lunches can be ordered the night before. The inn adds a small per-person donation to the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team to every accommodation booking.

This is a walkers' and climbers' base above all. Scafell Pike, Great Gable, Pillar and the Mosedale Horseshoe all start from the valley head, and Wastwater is the deepest lake in England. The drive in is long and single-track in places, and mobile signal is poor, which is part of the appeal. It suits hillwalkers, climbers and anyone who wants the emptiest corner of the Lake District rather than the busiest.