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| Innominate Tarn / Loaf Tarn | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | Areally scoured (glacial) Summit tarn |
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| Max. Length | 107 metres (350 feet) | |
| Max. Width | 98 metres (320 feet) | |
| Max. Depth | 1½ metres (5 feet) | |
| Surface Area | 0.50 hectares (1.24 acres) | |
| Surface Elevation | 525 metres (1,722 feet) | |
| No. of Islands | 4 | |
| Access | Footpaths | |
| Topo Map | OL4 Explorer | |
| Coordinates | 54.505492 , -3.2409760 | |
| OS Grid Ref. | NY 19750 12948 | |
| what3words | displays.consoles.mixes | |
Innominate Tarn is an unusual name for a tarn, given that it already had been named Loaf Tarn. Yet very few people knew it by this name and so this unnamed tarn eventually earned the "Innominate" prefix that literally means "unnamed" or "nameless". The Latinate word innominate was first recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1638. It’s previous name, Loaf Tarn, was inspired by the heather and grass tufts in the tarn, that gave the appearance similar to that of the rounded, double-tiered cottage loaves of bread.[1] Cumbrian artist William Heaton Cooper (1903 – 1995) did not care too much for its Innominate title, describing it as generally "out of keeping with the place and with the tradition of tarn names."[1] However, Innominate Tarn seems to be a somewhat quirky name for this lofty, yet beautiful spot, that Alfred Wainwright loved so dearly, for it is here that he requested his ashes to be scattered. This he had expressed in A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells Volume 7: The Western Fells and in his memoirs:
"All I ask for, at the end, is a last long resting place by the side of Innominate Tarn, on Haystacks, where the water gently laps the gravelly shore and the heather blooms and Pillar and Gable keep unfailing watch. A quiet place, a lonely place. I shall go to it, for the last time, and be carried: someone who knew me in life will take me and empty me out of a little box and leave me there alone. And if you, dear reader, should get a bit of grit in your boot as you are crossing Haystacks in the years to come, please treat it with respect. It might be me." ~ Alfred Wainwright - from Memoirs of a Fellwalker (1990)
It was suggested that as Haystacks was Wainwright’s favourite fell, it should be known as Wainwright’s Tarn. However, those who knew him well agreed that the name should remain unchanged and, as a result, this noble idea with the best of intentions, was put to rest.[2]
This summit tarn is located by the main path along the Haystacks ridge, and sits almost equidistant between the much smaller Haystacks Tarn, and the larger Blackbeck Tarn. It was formed by a process called areal scouring, where the rock was literally scoured by the flow of ice to form these depressions that hold water. It is irregularly shaped, between one and two metres deep, and sits at an elevation of 525 metres (1,722 feet). There are four rocky islets, and the floor is layered with peat - a classic example of an acid, nutrient poor, upland tarn.[3] As the tarn sits in a naturally scoured depression, there are no major in or outflows. Instead it is fed drained by minor trickles.[1] There are several other tiny bowl-shaped tarns on this summit ridge, none of which are named, but nonetheless, worthy of further investigation if just to satisfy curiosity.
It’s ridge top location means that there are wide open views to the north towards Buttermere, and south towards Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Pillar, amongst other vistas across the skyline. The are several routes to this unique place, and which you take depends entirely from where you’re starting, and how far you want to walk. If coming from Buttermere, the most direct route is to follow the lake’s shoreline, forking off to the right to climb up towards Scarth Gap Pass ("scarth" coming from Old Norse skarð, meaning notch, gap, pass) and turn left at the col to climb up to Haystacks. If coming from Wasdale Head, follow the Black Sail Pass until the Black Sail Hut, and continue onwards up to the ridge path at the same col from the other side, this time turning right towards Haystacks. Whichever route you choose, be prepared for some tough ascents.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cooper, W.H. (1960). The Tarns of Lakeland. London: Frederick Warne and Co. Ltd. p.75.
- ↑ Blair, Don (2003). Exploring Lakeland Tarns: A Complete Guide. Revised Edition. Keswick: Lakeland Manor Press. p.143.
- ↑ Smith, Alan (2014). The Smaller Lakes and Tarns of Lakeland. The Landscapes of Cumbria No.6. Keswick: Rigg Side Publications. p.46.