Crummock Water
Crummock Water from Red Pike
Crummock Water Location in the Lake District National Park Show map of the Lake District Crummock Water Location in Allerdale, Cumbria Show map of the former Allerdale Borough
map (1925)
Location	Lake District, Cumbria
Coordinates	54°33′N 3°18′W / 54.550°N 3.300°W / 54.550; -3.300
Type	Ribbon
Primary inflows	Buttermere Dubs
Primary outflows	River Cocker
Basin countries	United Kingdom
Max. length	2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Max. width	0.6 mi (0.97 km)
Surface area	2.57 km2 (0.99 sq mi)
Max. depth	140 ft (43 m)
Shore length1	6.26 mi (10.07 km)
Surface elevation	96 m (315 ft)
Islands	6
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Crummock Water is a lake in the Lake District in North West England. It is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long, 0.6 miles (0.97 km) wide, 140 feet (43 m) deep, and has an area of 2.5 square kilometres (0.97 sq mi). The lake's primary inflow is Buttermere Dubs, itself the outflow of Buttermere, and its outflow is the River Cocker, which meets the River Derwent at Cockermouth before entering the Irish Sea at Workington. It is in the unitary authority of Cumberland and the ceremonial county of Cumbria. It is in the parish of Buttermere, and its western shore forms part of the western boundary of the parish.

Geography

The hill of Mellbreak runs the full length of the lake on its western side; as Alfred Wainwright described it 'no pairing of hill and lake in Lakeland have a closer partnership than these'. The lake is owned by the National Trust.

Scale Force, the highest waterfall in the Lake District, feeds the lake and has a drop of 170 feet (52 m).^[1]

Etymology

"The meaning of 'Crummock' seems to be 'Crooked one', from British" (Brythonic Celtic) "'crumbaco'-'crooked'".^[2] This may refer to the winding course of the River Cocker, which flows out of the lake, or refer to the bending nature of the lake itself. The word "'water' is the main Lakeland term for 'lake'".^[2]

History

Water from the lake was treated at Cornhow water treatment works, near Loweswater,^[3] and was distributed to the towns of Silloth-on-Solway, Maryport, Workington, and many smaller towns, villages, and hamlets in the surrounding area for drinking and all other uses.^[4] This use ceased in October 2022 with the commissioning of the United Utilities pipeline to bring supply from Thirlmere.^[5]

Crummock Water gained attention in 1988 when the body of Sheena Owlett was found in the lake. It later transpired she had been murdered in Wetherby, West Yorkshire.^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

• 
  Crummock Water with Grasmoor in the distance
• 
  Looking down Crummock towards Buttermere
• 
  High Crag, Pillar, Buttermere and Crummock Water from Haystacks
• 
  The western end of Crummock Water from Rannerdale Knotts
• 
  Crummock Water from the south-eastern end