Mosedale Round - Photo Gallery
Even at 9 o'clock as I set off from the car park at Overbeck Bridge by the side of Wastwater it was warm and by the time I had walked to Wasdale Head I realised that it was a Factor 15 day.
As I walked up the valley of Mosedale Beck the absence of haze meant that the visibility was much better than you would expect on a hot June day. The Dore Head scree slope across the valley looks very eroded and as though a gully has formed, I really must go and investigate that very soon.
The long walk up to Black Sail Pass is one of the less arduous routes up to a high pass. The crossing of Mosedale Beck half way up gave me an opportunity to splash fresh cool water over my face and it tasted wonderful. The path upto the pass is good all of the way, towards the top there was a welcome breeze as the amount of cloud increased.
On reaching the top of the pass you go past the gate without a fence and the path to Pillar on the left is obvious. Not so obvious is the way up to Looking Stead, well worth the extra small amount of effort if it is clear enough for the views. Head uphill to the right over grass until you reach the line of fence posts and follow them upwards to the left to reach the cairn at the excellent viewpoint. You can see the dark side of Pillar that is traversed by the High Level Route and look down to the valley of Ennerdale and the Black Sail Hut far below.
Follow the fence down to the col and the start of the climb to Pillar, an obvious path leads upwards. After a short while you will see a cairn on the right hand side, inviting you to go “round the corner” to find the High Level Route. However, today I carried straight up the ridge where there is easy but interesting scrambling, without exposure but with all of the pleasure of getting your hands on rock. The gradient levels out eventually before the final climb to the summit, not too difficult a gradient with exciting views down steep gullies on the right and a beautiful view of Wasdale and its water down on the left.
Pillar is massive in Lake District terms and the large flat summit with its many cairns and two shelters is consistent with the size of the mountain. The descent to Wind Gap is another scramble over rock, again it is not too difficult but you need to take care over some of the boulders. The view all around is good and the view downwards looks precipitous at times but on reaching the edge there is always a way down. After a sunny four hours the mist suddenly blew in from the direction of Ennerdale and Pillar was covered in mist in a matter of minutes.
The walking is easy towards the stony top of Black Crag, an impressive intermediate summit with plenty of cairns and a substantial shelter. Make a beeline towards Scoat Fell over the rocks until a path appears, be careful not to take the obvious path branching off to the left or you will miss Scoat Fell. The path peters out as you reach the boulder field that defends the top of Scoat Fell. The large boulders completely out of character with the rest of Scoat Fell and it doesn't seem strange to find an old stone wall at the summit plateau. The wall runs all of the way along the crest of the summit and it even bears a small cairn marking the highest point of the fell.
Follow the wall on its right hand side until a much more substantial cairn is reached, if you are lucky with the weather you will have already seen the delightful rock tower of Steeple. Follow the path to the right when you reach the cairn for a rocky descent to an excellent little arete that you should cross over before the final climb to the summit of Steeple.
The summit of Steeple is one of my favourite places, a neat but exhilarating little place with super views over Ennerdale Water and a view of Pillar Rock that makes it look easy.
You have to make your way back to Scoat Fell and back to the wall, follow it to the left and cross it at any convenient place. There are traces of footpaths across Scoat Fell that can be difficult to find, all you have to do is imagine a line between Scoat Fell and Red Pike and traverse the fellside until you come across the path leading downwards. Turn right at the path and follow it downwards and then upwards to the summit ridge of Red Pike, it is easy walking along the edge of the crags. There are excellent views downwards into Mosedale and across to Great Gable but it has been a long time since I saw them, today's clear conditions are very exceptional.
When you reach the large cairn that marks the summit of Red Pike you can carry on for another hundred yards to see the chair, a vaguely chair shaped cairn at a viewpoint for Low Tarn and Yewbarrow. From the summit cairn you have to double back for a few yards and find the path going downwards, from the chair you can traverse left across the fell to find it.
The generally easy path downwards crosses over a couple of rock outcrops that are easier in dry conditions, eventually reaching Dore Head. I would recommend that you don't ever descend by the Dore Head screes, climbing up and over Yewbarrow is easier. On this occasion I chose the pleasant valley path that traverses the flank of Yewbarrow and eventually joins the path descending from the summit, an excellent finish to a warm and sunny day. The junction is just before the large stile that crosses the wall for the last descent down the steep grassy path leading directly back to the car park at Overbeck Bridge.
Andy Wallace 15th June 2003