Haystacks

Haystacks, which is a hill situated at the south eastern end of the Buttermere Valley, has become one of the most popular fells in the area. This is mostly due to the guidebook author, Alfred Wainwright who, although he didn’t name the fell in his “best half dozen” at the end of the Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells purely because of it’s inferior height, said that “for beauty, variety and interesting detail, for sheer fascination and unique individuality, the summit area of Haystacks is supreme”. His wife, Betty, scattered his ashes near the shores of Innominate Tarn and there is also a memorial to Alfred Wainwright on a window sill inside Buttermere Church which looks out to Haystacks.

Info Panel

Mountain: Haystacks
Elevation: 597m (1958 ft)
Location: Cumbria, England
OS grid ref: NY1920313251
Nearest village(s): Borrowdale, Seatoller, Seathwaite, Wasdale Head
Coordinates: 54° 30′ 28.8″ N, 3° 14′ 52.8″ W

By Tango22 - Summit of Haystacks with High Crag behind, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Haystacks, or Hay Stacks, is approximately only 597 metres tall. However, the view from the summit of Gable Crag on Great Gable, Crummock Water, Buttermere, Ennerdale Water and High Crag are all fantastic and breathtaking. The most popular ascent route is from Buttermere. Apparently the name Haystacks comes from the Icelandic “stack” meaning “a columnar rock”, Wainwright thought the correct translation should have been “High Rocks”.

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