Story
Sanctuary Amidst Mountains
When winter rolls into the dale, few places feel as dramatic-or humbling-as Wasdale Head. Encircled by the towering fells of Kirk Fell, Great Gable, and Lingmell lies a levelled pastureland, patterned like pavestone and crisscrossed with dry-stone walls. Burnthwaite, one of the valley’s iconic Herdwick farms, stands as a cultural sentinel where the road ends and the footpaths to the high fells begin.
Tucked into this sanctuary of mountains is St Olaf’s—England’s smallest parish church—sheltered within a copse of ancient yews. In its graveyard lie shepherds, fell walkers, and climbers who saw Wasdale Head as the closest they could get to heaven on Earth.
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A National Trust Property | Photo Permissions kindly granted | Picture © Ian Lawson