RAF Wath Head

Military drawdown following the end of World War II. As a temporary wartime airfield built for a specific purpose (training), it was deemed surplus to requirements once the massive pilot training programs ceased.

The site has been completely returned to agricultural use and is now indistinguishable from the surrounding farmland. There are no visible remains of the airfield; its runways were grass, and any temporary buildings (such as Nissen huts or a control tower) were dismantled decades ago. The land is privately owned.

RAF Wath Head was a World War II era airfield. Its primary role was as a Relief Landing Ground (RLG) for the main training base at the nearby RAF Kirkbride. RLGs were satellite airfields used to handle overflow traffic from busy parent stations, allowing for uninterrupted training. Wath Head primarily supported No. 15 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit ((P)AFU) and No. 24 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS), both based at Kirkbride. Operations consisted mainly of circuit training, take-offs, and landings for student pilots, using trainer aircraft such as the Airspeed Oxford and de Havilland Tiger Moth. It was a small but integral part of the UK's extensive wartime pilot training infrastructure, but never served as a front-line operational combat base.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening RAF Wath Head. The site lacks any aviation infrastructure, is in private ownership, and there is no economic or strategic need for an airfield at this location, especially with Carlisle Lake District Airport nearby. Its reopening is considered highly improbable.