Skiddaw

The most direct popular approach is from the Gale Road and Latrigg side, using the Jenkin Hill bridleway toward the summit. Allow roughly 17 kilometres and 900 metres of ascent for the commonly described out-and-back route, usually a 6 to 7 hour mountain day. Starting in Keswick adds a long approach. The Ullock Pike and Longside Edge route is a more dramatic alternative, but it is longer and more exposed.

The main path is broad and easy to follow in good visibility, which makes Skiddaw a relatively uncomplicated high summit to navigate. That does not make it easy. The climb is sustained, with steep sections and loose, rocky ground, and the descent can be harder on tired knees. Walking poles are useful, especially when the surface is wet.

The mountain also gives the walk a strong sense of place. Skiddaw is built from the Skiddaw Group, the Lake District's oldest rocks, formed from muds and sands on an ancient seabed roughly 500 million years ago. The dark, weathered fell underfoot is part of what separates this northern massif from the volcanic crags around the central Lakes.