I had a rather speedy (and freezing) dip in Wast Water this Easter.  At the time the snappy temperature took all my attention, but later on, warmed and refreshed I took to wondering a bit more about it.  Stark and barren, it feels like the depths of the wilderness and for this reason is one of my favourite lakes in Cumbria.

At 79 metres it’s notably the deepest lake in England and was formed by glaciers eroding rocks from The Borrowdale Volcanic Group.  The Wastwater Screes rise steeply along one side, and plunge far, far beneath, its bottom stretching 50 ft below sea level, while its surface is 200 ft above.

The head of the Wasdale Valley, it also boasts some of the highest mountains in England: Scafell Pike, great Gable and Lingmell among them.  It is the source of The River Irt, the mouth of which flows into The Irish Sea near Ravenglass.

Its icy depths have appealed to many an adventurous soul.  A couple’ve gnomes and a surrounding picket fence were placed at 48m for divers to find, but, after a number of fatalities, the police were forced to remove them.  However, legally the police are only allowed to dive to 50m and there is a rumour that the watery residents have returned below this depth.

For those of us unwilling or unable to chance it we can but imagine.  That’s my game and I’m happy to do so.