Yewbarrow
Steeple
Scoat Fell
Red Pike
Pillar
Great Gable
Haycock
Nether Beck
For me, Wasdale is a very special place, harsher in character than other Lakeland dales, it is surrounded by some of the Lake district's finest hills. Although much visited it still feels a lonely place, maintaining its character in the face of tourism. Any walk based on the Wasdale Head is likely to be of good quality and the Mosedale Horseshoe is no exception.
in
the circuit, for this determines the best direction of travel, based on
the "up steep - down easy" principle. If Yewbarrow is in, as it
deserves
to be, it will be most enjoyably tackled at the start of the route. Or
why not give it a short day of its own and do the route
anti-clockwise?
Real gluttons for punishment can start the day with a real "up hard"by
adding in the slog up the unrelenting SW ridge of Kirk fell and then
follow
the fence posts down to a steep scramble to rejoin the route at the
Black
Sail pass for Pillar.. Travelling
anti-clockwise, Red
Pike and Yewbarrow1 together can be bypassed by descending
by
Nether Beck,
a quiet and pleasant route with good evening views across to Wasdale
Screes.
Great and Little Lad Crags are two very similar features of this
descent
(both crags above a stream fork with footpath below). I once met a
party
of walkers waiting to rendezvous with a second (overdue) party at
Little
Lad Crag. By a strange coincidence as I walked on up the dale I met a
second
group also waiting for overdue friends at Great Lad Crag !
1 Yewbarrow can also be bypassed by descending worn out scree at Dore Head.(not recommended)
The classic horseshoe (clockwise) but excluding Steeple
After
warming
up
along the road from Wasdale Head (parking is also available at start
of route proper) the hard work starts as the path turns NE and climbs
up
on the left (N) of a wall.Just as the path
is about to meet
difficulties
it contours left and, leaving the bypass path to the left (take this if
you are not confident to scramble), zigzags up on rock and scree to
suddenly
arrive at Great Door with a dramatic view directly
down
the opposite side of the mountain. In my opinion this is one of
the
best spots in Lakeland and worth a few minutes break to enjoy the airy
views of Wasdale below.
The
path
continues
winding up through rocks until the grassy summit ridge is
reached
and a pleasant easy walk continues until the north summit is reached,
where
a little difficulty begins. (It is possible to descend with care off
the
left (NW) side of the ridge at around the half way point if needed).
The
easy path suddenly disappears of the end of the ridge and drops down to
Dore Head over Stirrup Crag. At the south end
of the ridge the path had
deviously bypassed the worst of the difficulties but at the north end
they
are attacked head on as we scramble down to the flat grass of Dore Head
directly below. Nothing is too difficult but two awkward positions have
to be overcome with greater or lesser elegance, then a steep path
begins
to reappear and we are soon on level ground looking back trying to work
out where the route was.
,
Scoat Fell and
Steeple
After
the
difficulties
of Yewbarrow the rocky 1200ft. walk up Red Pike is hardly
noticed. (Guide books show a route up direct to Dore Head from Mosedale
but this is both very steep and heavily eroded). It is possible to
continue
on towards Pillar without crossing the summit of Scoat Fell but this
misses
the opportunity to visit Steeple which is hiding behind the wall
running east-west . In clear weather it will be easy to find the narrow
ridge just to the west of Scoat Fell summit connecting Steeple with the
main mass of the mountain. This must be a superior way of visiting
Steeple
than wandering about in the conifers in Ennerdale looking for the path.
After
Scoat
Fell
we must descend to Wind Gap, where an escape route over scree down
into Mosedale exists.
From now on we are on rock until Pillar is left for Black Sail Pass.
After
the rocky climb up the summit is rather a surprise in its broad
blankness
and in poor visibility it is worth noting the direction of departure
before
stopping for a lunch break. All the best features are hidden here and
if
in mist it may be worth waiting until after descending east to
Looking Stead where a good lunch-stop may be found with good views of
Green
Cove and Pillar Rock. (A path leaves the ridge here abouts north-west
for
Pillar Rock). Soon after Looking Stead a
shortcut path descends to join the main Black Sail path below, but is
easily
missed in descent and is in any case only adventageous in ascent.
Views
of
Pillar
summit from the east approach as seen on an anticlockwise
circuit:
Once
at
Black
Sail Pass we turn south for an easy and pleasant descent to
Wasdale
Head and a welcome pint*.
Views
of
the Pillar ridge.
If
making
a
anticlockwise round it is possible to include Haycock by following on
along the wall from Scoat Fell to the summit and then retracing steps
to
the Nether Beck descent.
Variation excluding Red Pike & Yewbarrow, including Steeple and Haycocks as out and backs.Descent by Nether Beck (anticlockwise).
See also Lords Rake Lingmell
Great Gable and Kirk Fell
Wasdale walks