Bakestall
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| Bakestall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 673 m (2,208 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 8 m (25 ft) |
| Parent peak | Skiddaw |
| Listing | Wainwright |
| Coordinates | 54°39′58″N 3°08′22″W / 54.66601°N 3.13952°W |
| Geography | |
  Bakestall Location in Lake District, UK | |
| Location | Cumbria, England |
| Parent range | Lake District, Northern Fells |
| OS grid | NY266307 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 89, 90 OS Explorer 4 |
Bakestall is a fell in the English Lake District, it is situated seven kilometres (4+1⁄4 miles) north of Keswick in the quieter, even secluded northern sector of the national park known as ‘Back o’ Skiddaw’.
Bakestall reaches a height of 673 m (2,208 ft) and strictly speaking it is not a separate fell being just an insignificant rise on Skiddaw’s northern slopes. AW Wainwright gave Bakestall a separate chapter in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells because of the impressive Dead Crags which fall beneath the summit and the fine waterfall of Whitewater Dash at the fells foot. Indeed, Bakestall was not even mentioned on the old Ordnance Survey one-inch map for many years, a situation now rectified on its metric equivalent probably because of Wainwright's having drawn attention to the fell.
Dead Crags are composed of Skiddaw Slate and drop 150 metres (500 ft) down into the corrie on the northern side of the fell. The crags do not attract rock climbers because of the crumbly nature of the slate, which has much vegetation growing within it. Whitewater Dash is highly rated as one of the finest falls in the national park as Dash Beck descends in a series of cataracts; were it situated in a more accessible part of the Lake District it would be a major attraction. Bakestall had a lead mine on its slopes many years ago, the adit being situated at the side of Dead Beck on the western periphery of the fell. All drainage from Bakestall goes north to join Dash Beck and then to Bassenthwaite Lake.