Seatallan and the Pillar Rock

Monday 9th October 2006

After a wet start to the day I had tremendous weather for this walk with, by the afternoon, bright sunshine and clear blue skies so that I couldn't have hoped for anything better. I left the youth hostel a little later than planned because I'd overslept, waking me up at 8.12, possibly because I had left my mobile, which was supposed to be waking me up, on quiet mode! Anyway I managed to get breakfast and eventually left at 9.30.

My first goal of the day was Middle Fell which required a short walk along the road before a steep climb through bracken brought me to the summit, which has one of those joyfully complex terrains that the lower fells seem to specialize in and somehow makes up for their lack of height. I crossed the top following a faint footpath while having a theological debate with myself! Funny how these things happen, but I think it was the music I was listening to that sparked the debate and it just spiralled away from there into a discussion on the nature of good and evil. It was rather an interesting debate, but I wish I could have saved it for a more deserving moment, like the fell I was about to go up.

After descending to the col, and braving the omnipresent bog, I began to climb the interminably steep slopes of Seatallan. The mind-numbingly steep gradient finally eased and revealed a sheep infested grassy plain with a trig point and cairn in one corner. This is a most depressing top that was totally not worth the effort to get up there (the view wasn't bad though). The only reason I went up there was because it's high and I'd never been in that area before. I don't think I'll be in a hurry to return. Leaving the summit I headed north quickly descending the steep grassy northern slope back down into the bogs. This was the first time I'd ever been to the Lake District in October and the main thing that struck me about it was how wet it was and not just under foot but also how full the streams were. This was a disadvantage as it made crossing a stream a lot trickier and left me finishing every walk with wet feet.

Leaving the bogs behind I turned towards the eastern side of Haycock, though missing out the summit I aimed for the col with Scoat Fell. The traverse from Seatallan to the col had been dull (really since leaving Middle Fell the terrain had been stupendously dull), but now things improved enormously. With smashing views into Ennerdale I climbed up the grassy slope of Great Scoat Fell and onto the gloriously rocky Little Scoat Fell. Pausing briefly to look at Steeple I made my way over to the summit cairn of Scoat Fell which, bizarrely, is on top of the wall since that is probably the highest point on the fell. Moving on from there I gingerly climbed down the rocks, which were treacherously slippery after the recent rain, until I could get back onto more secure footing as I made my way over Black Crag and down to the Wind Gap.

With Pillar ahead of me I ignored the path and scrambled straight up the steep rocky terrain tackling any obstacles direct. The ascent was great fun, but short lived as the gradient eased and hands were no longer required to get over the rocks. Eventually the summit arrived and lunch beckoned. After lunch I headed over to the northern edge and started a tricky descent down the hillside towards the Pillar Rock, which required a lot of care and frequent use of hand support. I visited the Pillar Rock the previous Easter ascending directly from Ennerdale, but this time I wanted to do the whole of the High Level Traverse from the Pillar Rock and without any snow.

Pausing to have a look at the Pillar Rock I noticed a pair of climbers ascending the eastern side of the rock. Knowing that the summit is inaccessible to mere mortals such as myself I headed across to the Shamrock Traverse, itself quite tricky in these damp conditions, especially in descent. Once I was safely across, the difficulties eased and I was able to enjoy the walk across Pillar Cove to Robinson's Cairn and from there across the slopes of the fell high above the valley of Ennerdale to the main path near Looking Stead. From Robinson's Cairn the path seemed to have deteriorated and be infrequently travelled as, when visible, the path was grass-covered and faint. With route finding becoming more difficult I began to understand why I lost the path a year before when I ended up having to climb onto the top of the ridge. My next challenge will be to do this traverse from the eastern end without losing the path.

Finally emerging on the main path I proceeded to the Black Sail Pass with the great bulk of Kirk Fell before me and from the pass I turned left down into Ennerdale. Annoyingly I would now have to climb back out of Ennerdale to get to Buttermere, though I had originally planned on walking around Kirk Fell and below the Gables to prevent any re-ascent, but I chickened out when I realised I wouldn't have time. However when I got to the bottom of Ennerdale instead of going over the Scarth Gap, the most direct route, I headed up Loft Beck into the bogs above Blackbeck Tarn. One has to wonder if it would have taken me any longer to go from Black Sail Pass to the top of Loft Beck via the Moses' Trod path. Even if it was I'm sure it would have required much less effort.

After negotiating another bog I arrived at the Haystacks path and turning away from the infamous fell I headed down the Warnscale Beck path. With an easy bridlepath on the other side of the beck I enjoyed myself on the much rougher footpath that moves across the hillside to Black Beck and then back to Warnscale Beck where I finally joined the bridlepath. With less than an hour left to order dinner at the youth hostel I raced along the bridlepath to Gatesgarth and then along the superb lakeside path to Buttermere. This was another great walk in the Lake District in wonderful weather, and people wonder why I do this. Ha!