Pillar and Steeple

Saturday 5th May 2018

With good weather finally coming to the Lake District I set off from the Ennerdale Youth Hostel across the valley and along the forest track on the other side heading back up the valley. Ennerdale was looking gorgeous in the morning sunshine with a beauty that would have been impossible to imagine twenty years ago. Recently attempts have been made to re-wild the former timber plantation of Ennerdale and all the effort is beginning to reap benefit with the River Liza returning to more natural sweeps with wide banks now replacing the former restricted flow. Just comparing the latest Ordnance Survey maps of the valley with the first map I bought of the area dated twenty years ago shows the dramatic change in the flow of the river. It is going to take a long time for the conifer trees that had been planted for timber production to be replaced by native trees but it was pleasing to see the progress that has already been made. I had a pleasant walk along the track until on reaching the crossing of Low Beck I took a wet path that climbs steeply beside the stream past some lovely waterfalls in a deep ravine until I reached a higher forestry track. A short walk along this brought me to a path that took me up to the edge of the wood where for the first time on this walk I had views down the valley towards Ennerdale Water and looking into the sun up the long slopes of Pillar.

After crossing High Beck I slowly climbed the steep ridge past White Pike and up to Pillar, which had originally been planned as my route of descent from Pillar until things changed. A faint path took me up the grassy slopes until I reached a boulder field that left me struggling to climb the steep stony slopes with hardly any path to aid my progress. As I climbed, it became quite cold forcing me put on a woolly hat and gloves even though I was still wearing just a single top. After passing White Pike, the Pillar Rock itself briefly came into view before I plunged into the hill fog that still clung to the hills on the southern side of the valley. Everywhere north of Ennerdale was free of clouds and basking in bright sunshine which was unfortunate for me as I was walking south of the valley. On reaching the broad summit plateau of Pillar and the trig point that marks the top I finally put my cagoule on and enjoyed fleeting glimpses through the clouds most notably towards Ennerdale Water. I had reached the top of Pillar by eleven o’clock which made me start to think my schedule was not going take me all day, but even though I have wanted to do the High Level Traverse on Pillar for a long time, I decided I did not want to do it through mist.

Therefore, instead I headed down to the suitably named Wind Gap where the cold wind that had been blowing at me all week was blowing through the pass despite the warm, sunny weather elsewhere. Climbing up from the Wind Gap I walked up past Black Crag and around the top of Black Comb along the path that heads towards Red Pike. Due to an absence of the cold wind at this point, I had a pleasant walk along the path up Red Pike until I realised the path wasn’t going to the summit and in fact, I had already walked past it. Turning up to the top of the ridge I headed back along the top until I reached the cairn that is precariously sited on the edge of the cliff above Mosedale and marks the summit of Red Pike. With a bit of an opening in the clouds at this point and hardly any wind, I decided to have my lunch despite it still being quite early. Mindful of the fact that this walk was not going to take me very long, when I set off again I walked very slowly down to the col and took a pathless route that bypasses Little Scoat Fell to reach the top of the ridge. Following the ridge over the top of Great Scoat Fell I passed down the broad grassy slopes of Scoat Fell and up the steep slopes of Haycock to reach my twentieth High Fell on this holiday.

I was still surrounded by clouds while at the summit of Haycock, but as I ventured towards the edge of the crags overlooking Ennerdale some breaks in the clouds emerged and as I slowly made my way back down towards Scoat Fell the views continued to improve. The clouds seemed to be breaking with every step as stunning views opened up before me over the fells north of Ennerdale that had clearly been basking in sunshine for most of the day, but it was Steeple that most attracted my eye. This is a prominent pinnacle that sits just to the north of Scoat Fell on a long ridge that slowly descends into Ennerdale. The clouds had now lifted sufficiently so that I was getting stunning views of Steeple as I walked past on the cliff-edge path, but I was now frustrated about my plans as my planned descent was over Steeple and it was only two o’clock. I considered going back across the Wind Gap to Pillar in order to do the High Level Traverse, but first I had another High Fell to bag. The summit of Scoat Fell is strictly on top of the wall that crosses the fell and purists have built a tiny cairn on top of the wall at that point. After visiting the summit and wandering around the top for a bit I returned to the cliff-face overlooking Steeple and finally decided that I would descend as planned down the ridge.

A path led me down the stony ground and up the steep slopes until I reached the slender tip of Steeple that is a great airy place to stand with tremendous views of the crags that lie below Scoat Fell. Looking back after starting my descent down the ridge from Steeple, I was dismayed to see that the clouds that had been lingering around Pillar when I had begun my descent had now gone and there were clear views everywhere. It was really frustrating to realise that the clouds had lifted just as I was leaving the fells and just after I had spent several hours wandering around in mist. Therefore I took my descent very slowly taking every moment with deliberate care lingering over every step while taking in the amazing views north over the High Stile ridge and the North-western Fells towards Skiddaw in the distance. I absorbed the views back along the line of crags that I was descending and to the escarpment between Steeple and Pillar taking particular note of Black Crag. I was in awe of the splendour of the views before me brilliantly lit by the bright sunshine. This should have been a great day in the Lakes, but I felt cheated and frustrated by the weather. It took me an hour to descend the ridge that is only one kilometre in length as I made the most of my position descending the path as slowly as possible.

Eventually I passed into the heather moorland above Ennerdale Forest and after crossing Low Beck the path disappeared with bogs blocking my way. I ascended Steeple by this way back in 2005 and did not enjoy the experience despite the excellence of the ridge. In 2003 I descended Steeple by this route and somehow I found a way into Ennerdale Wood beside Low Beck thereby omitting this horrible moorland crossing. I would have thought the path I took out of the wood at the start of the day must be an option, so it is curious that it has never been suggested. Eventually I passed over muddy Lingmell and reached the top of a ridiculously steep descent that did nothing to ease the pain in my knees as I slowly made my way down to the forest track at the bottom. It was very hot in the valley and when you have this sort of weather in the Lake District you want to make the most of it and that I felt I was unable to do on this walk, and that is frustrating.