Messy Route to Bessyboot - Photo Gallery

It had just about stopped raining when I reached the National Trust car park at Seatoller but I knew there would be plenty more rain to come. It wasn't cold, considering it was late October, so I had no need to wear hat or gloves; I was however wearing gaiters because I knew I would be walking through bracken and across swampy ground. I walked out of the car park and turned left and continued along the road to the row of cottages named Mountain View; you can see Rosthwaite Fell from the road and I have often looked at the inviting ridge leading up to the interesting skyline.

Unfortunately, neither of the “official” routes to Bessyboot go anywhere near this end of Rosthwaite Fell and they are fairly dull routes; I decided to try and find a more interesting route. I carried on along the road, past Mountain View, until I reached the next signposted footpath on the right hand side of the road. After walking across a field you have to cross a stream by a footbridge; immediately across the stream are three waymarker arrows pointing directly uphill, there is no excuse for accidentally following the path by the side of the stream.

At the highest of the waymarker arrows you turn right along the faintest of paths and shortly afterwards you reach a wall; one of those walls that goes uphill for ever. After having a look at the terrain; the line of the walls, the covering of bracken and the position of crags I picked a route. I could have gone diagonally up to the left to reach the ridge but there were walls to be crossed, lots of bracken and trees to get through and there was no way of telling what was on the ridge. I chose to go directly uphill, it was steep but I could see all the way up; if I followed the wall there should be a route through the bracken and you can usually get across the walls at some point.

It was fairly steep but not enough to have to use my hands so I started to walk uphill over the wet grassy, ground. With being very wet it was more slippery than I expected and on a couple of occasions when stepping upward my foot slipped downward and I fell to my knees. After a short while I came across a more obvious path; this is probably the official route to Tarn at Leaves and it was fairly obvious as it followed the contours on its way there. I carried on uphill, it became steeper and I stayed closer to the wall; I had to make my way as best I could through the dying bracken and greasy boulders.

It started to rain but I was gaining height quickly, although it was strenuous work climbing up through the bracken. I was pleased to reach an area of plain grass, it was just as steep but it was easier walking; as I reached the top of the grassy slope and I turned to move towards the wall my leading foot slipped on the wet grass. I was unable to stop myself from falling onto my backside and slid helplessly down to the bottom of the grassy area that I had just climbed; fortunately I came to a halt just before reaching the rocky scree below me. Rather than try that again, I carefully traversed the slope across slippery scree to reach the wall and pass through a gap to the other side of it.

I climbed upwards on grass and boulders but by then I was leaning forward to hold on as I stepped up. I reach the top of the wall where it joined another that followed the contours across the fellside. I had been expecting to be able to get across the wall but with the stones being so greasy it was too high for me to climb over; I wasn't confident that the wall was structurally sound anyway. It was not a good place to fall off a wall or to have one fall on me so I turned right to follow it. I had to descend a little to get around an outcrop of rock and after a short re-ascent on loose rocks I reached a short section of fence; obviously part the wall hadn't survived the flow of scree from the gully above it.

I stepped over the wire fence, there is no barbed wire here to deter walkers; I was pleased to have got this far, it had been hard work. When I looked up it was obvious that the rest of the climb was going to be steeper, harder and further that what I had done so far. It was raining hard too by then; my interesting route had become quite a challenge.

I was at the bottom a gully filled with greasy stones and there was no way of telling how stable the scree was; I was hoping I could keep close to the gully wall where there was some grass and gravel. It was steep and awkward at times, the scree was generally stable and the mix of stones and grass helped to give reasonable footholds. There were occasional areas of loose or large rocks that had to be stepped over where the grass was slippery and some of the larger rocks moved when I tried to use them as handholds.

Then I reached an area of more general scree, the rocks were larger and less stable; every footstep caused a rock to wobble as I carefully made way way upwards. At the top of this section I stopped to put on my waterproof trousers, it really was pouring down with rain; I took my first view downwards and realised just how impossible this route looked. As impossible as it looked it wasn't technically difficult and I was sure that there were signs of flattened vegetation; I was not too surprised to come across an abandoned water bottle, somebody else had already been there.

By then there was heather to hold on to; I was still in a steep stone-filled gully but it seemed to be getting narrower. I knew I was getting close to the ridge and I escaped from the gully by climbing up a steep heathery bank before having a short walk up grass to the ridge. It was still raining hard but the visibility was relatively good so I climbed up to the nearest high point to see where I was; I think I was at the top of what is named High Buck How on the map. There was obvious higher ground ahead so I walked towards it as directly as I could; I eventually found a path coming up from the direction of Stonethwaite that I am sure I have been on before.

I followed the path for a while until I was sure I had to climb upwards on my left to reach the summit of Bessyboot; it's easier to recognise it from this direction than walk past on the path and have to climb back up to the summit. It had stopped raining by the time I reached the summit crown; Tarn at Leaves looked black in the gloomy conditions but the sun came out to create a brightly coloured rainbow. I climbed down again to rejoin the path to descend to the basin of Tarn at Leaves without getting anywhere near the tarn. The path then rises towards Rosthwaite Cam but skirts around it; it is one of the wettest paths on a wet day.

The path continues to contour the steep slopes above Langstrath; there was a spectacular sunlit view of the watersmeet in Langstrath where Greenup Gill crashes into the valley. The path makes it way around the head of Woof Gill on a precarious route that isn't quite straightforward when the rock is greasy. Shortly afterwards the path starts to descend a gully and then bends around to the right to follow the contours around a small summit. This leads to a wide, flat, wet area where it isn't obvious but you can turn right; after walking across swampy ground you should find a faint path.

It is a confusing place, I think I was below the crags of Combe Head walking around the top of Combe Gill; when I have been here previously I have had no visibility but the confusion is just the same. The ground is very wet, the sodden vegetation makes a spongy surface that feels like walking over springs moving gently up and down with each footstep. Beyond the crags, where the ground opens out, you should keep a higher line to stay out of the worst of the wetness until you meet the main path coming up from Mountain View.

The path is rough and wet, there are stepping stones with which to get across the various streams; when there is so much water to get across most of the stones are submerged. There is no mistaking the final climb to the summit of Glaramara; a steep scramble up rock, it is steep but straightforward and enjoyable although a bit of care is needed when the rock is wet and slightly slippery. The scramble leads you directly to the summit of Glaramara; the slight rise on the right hand side as you reach level ground.

To the north was an extensive view with blue sky all the way to Skiddaw; to the south was impenetrable cloud hiding Allen Crags and everything beyond. After visiting the two subsidiary summit cairns I descended to the left to join a ridge path that takes you along a varied, undulating ridge; it is difficult to tell where Glaramara ends and Allen Crags begins. There are several rises and falls, attractive tarns and an unusual view of the Langdale Pikes; unusual for me anyway because I can't remember walking this ridge in good visibility.

I suppose I knew when I was climbing Allen Crags because the weather came in, lots of rain and no visibility; the biggest problem is that when you reach the summit of Allen Crags the path changes direction. In such bad visibility I had to use my map and compass to decide which direction I should descend; there are many boulders that could be mistaken for cairns and you wouldn't want to go off this summit in the wrong direction. The descent to the col is fairly easy and you take the first path on the right towards Sprinkling Tarn.

Within a couple of minutes I was out of the rain and mist as though it had never existed. The obvious path follows Ruddy Gill which has made itself quite a spectacular little ravine with plenty of interesting details in its steep sided home. The way across Ruddy Gill is now obvious, a constructed path takes you down to the gill but the stepping stones don't quite reach the other side when it is full of water. The path down to Seathwaite is a long one, most of the awkward eroded sections have now been reconstructed and the rest will soon be.

When I reached the farm buildings I took the path across the bridge over the river; I wanted to see what the map meant by “Borrowdale Yews”. I saw plenty of ewes but only one Yew which was full of attractive red berries. It was certainly a much nicer route than walking along the road although it rejoined the road at Seathwaite Bridge for the final walk on tarmac back to Seatoller.

Andy Wallace 22nd October 2006