September Sun and Sphinx - Photo Gallery

At last, it was a sunny morning with a good forecast! With it being the last day of my Wasdale Season I wanted to do something special; with the weather being so wet this year I haven't managed to visit the Sphinx so I decided that is what I should do. I parked at Wasdale Head and headed for Lingmell Beck, the morning sun illuminated the crags of Great Gable, as well as making it look good I was hoping it was drying the rocks too.

I walked up Gavel Neese, grassy and first but still steep and unrelenting; just when the gradient seems to ease, but doesn't really, there is a taste of Great Gable ruggedness. As the path starts to head towards Beck Head, a scree run comes downhill to meet the path; this is the start of the scramble up to Moses Finger, an unlikely upright boulder in an ocean of erosion. Once you get past Moses Finger, you can avoid the scree but the grassy slope is just as steep.

After passing a cairn, a faint path bears right towards the sunlit crags, it isn't an obvious path as it clings to the steep rocky and stone-strewn fellside. However, I didn't follow the path as I usually do, I was convinced that I could reach the Gable Traverse path higher up the steep slope going up towards White Napes. All signs of a path disappeared as I clambered up the rough, steep vegetated slope; opportunities to traverse the contours were non-existent after passing the cairn and as soon as I got the chance I turned right. It is more intimidating at this level than lower on the faint path, boulders and rock outcrops below me provided a good degree of exposure.

Eventually I reached a not-very-obvious path coming upwards from the path below; after a short, rough climb I reached the familiar Gable Traverse path, I obviously didn't climb high enough before I turned right. Not that the path made it any easier, almost as soon as I joined it I came across the rock step that needs my hanging-on-for-dear-life skills and long legs. I followed the path across the scree of Little Hell Gate and the impossible-looking Sphinx Gully to get to Needle Gully.

Needle Gully doesn't look impossible, just unlikely, it is steep all the way up; there are loose slippery stones at first but it gets more bouldery higher up. There is an awkward rock step to clamber up in the shadow of Napes Needle; you then start to feel the exposure, a narrow rock ledge has to be scrambled up and then there are rocks to be clambered over. This gets you to the Dress Circle, sloping slabs that make up the traditional viewpoint for watching climbers on Napes Needle. The climber at the top of the Needle was so pleased to have got there that he asked me to take photographs with the camera that he had left conveniently at the Dress Circle.

I had forgotten how exposed it was getting off the Dress Circle; you have to clamber up on to a sloping slab and walk across it, or clamber down to cross a narrow, muddy ledge above a steep drop. I have used the ridge before but chose to walk across the slab because it looked less scary, at least there are cracks to put your feet into. Then you have to make a tricky descent into Sphinx Gully, it's an almost vertical climb down for twenty feet or more, long legs are a distinct advantage as is a prehensile fifth point of contact.

You can see Sphinx Rock from there, but to get to it you have to walk on a faint path that just about clings to the steep grassy slope. When you reach the head of the gully below Sphinx Rock, there is a way up to the ridge, but the step is too much of a big step for my lack of technique. I had no option except to clamber up the steep, green, exposed bank; it's the least scary way of getting on to the rough scramble up to the Sphinx Ridge. The bonus of this route is that it takes you up close to the Sphinx Rock; it's hardly believable that it is a natural formation, and the view to Wastwater beyond is my favourite mountain view. It has to be said though, that I don't spend much time admiring the view at the time, but the photographs are good.

The rocky scramble up the steep-sided gully is interesting, and it takes you up to a very exposed move in order to get up onto another slab. Another steep gully takes you up to a very airy crest at the start of Sphinx Ridge itself, which is steep and exposed but not too difficult technically. The final rock wall is probably a good scramble but I haven't found the nerve to try it yet; there is a less rugged alternative that takes you up to the splendid green ridge above the crags. The rocks were dry and the weather was good, but the exposure still scares me every time; it's always a good feeling to get to the top.

Once you reach the top of the ridge there is a delightful green ridge along the crest separating the scree gullies of Little Hell Gate and Great Hell Gate. I walked easily along the ridge and then made a detour around the impressive rock wall of Westmoreland Crags, which are probably not too difficult to climb if I was feeling brave. I made my way up to the summit of Great Gable and continued onwards to find the right path downwards towards Beck Head; I enjoy this side of Great Gable, it's a challenging clambering route following a cairned route down the boulders.

I veered off the path a little, more than a little, because there were other walkers on the left hand side of me; I realised I was heading for the unnecessarily difficult scree slopes and made a correction, but the other party must have been having too much fun because they carried on downwards! Once you get past the boulders, it's easy to follow an apparent path around to the right, but this one too leads to horrible scree. This time, helped by good visibility, I found the correct way on the steep and slippery eroded path down to Beck Head; I took the most direct route, passing close to the tarn, to reach the obvious, eroded path climbing Kirk Fell.

It's a rugged and interesting climb, sometimes it's easy to wander off the path but best to keep finding it again rather than climb the safe, but less interesting and less obvious grassy route. At the top of the steep stony path you reach a broad summit plateau, the fence, or the iron posts that used to be part of it, are the key to navigation across Kirk Fell. I followed the fence all the way across the wide plateau, past the two halves of Kirk Fell Tarn and on to the summit of Kirk Fell.

The fence posts lead away from the summit, you need to follow them closely across the plateau as it makes a couple of bends, until the ground suddenly falls away. After you clamber down a long-legged rock step there is a very rugged path going down steeply but, even here, following the fence posts will stop you getting into trouble. It's a fairly complicated steep, eroded route with a number of more difficult options that lead you all the way down to Black Sail Pass.

From the pass I started to walk the path towards Pillar, but just as the fence started to head upwards on Looking Stead, I left the path and contoured across the steep grassy slope. It was a bit further that I though it would be before I found the path I was looking for. The path probably pre-dates the reconstructed path by the side of Gatherstone Beck but I like it much more; after the initial steepness and erosion it's a straightforward walk downwards before it rejoins the main path.

There are a couple of zigzags before you have to cross the stepping stones to get to the other side of Gatherstone Beck; it's reasonably straightforward walk on a good path to Mosedale and back to Wasdale, but probably further than you might hope for at the end of a long walk.

© Andy Wallace 28th September 2008