Walk Report: Ennerdale Round (almost!)
With a royal wedding today and a papal funeral yesterday totally ignored I'm continuing with the account of my holiday in the Lake District over Easter:
Sunday 27th March
The weather was worse today staying overcast with a cloud cover no higher than 2,000 feet all day. The plan had been to walk all the way around Ennerdale but as will be seen events conspired against me. Leaving the hostel I crossed the fields to the east of Ennerdale Water, passed over the Woundell Beck and climbed up the firebreak in the forest up onto Ling Mell. This was a very steep and exhausting climb that probably much delayed me. Heading east over Ling Mell I crossed the Low Beck and started to climb the Long Crag ridge all the way up into the clouds and onto Steeple and the top of Scoat Fell. It took me a long time to get onto Scoat Fell and I think this must have been a major factor in failing my original objective.
Heading east along the ridge I passed the Wind Gap and ascended Pillar, which I was visiting for the second day running this time in much less agreeable weather. Continuing eastwards I went down the hill, past Looking Stead to the Black Sail Pass with Kirk Fell, which I had bypassed yesterday, directly ahead of me. Taking a deep breath I tackled the Kirk Fell Crags trying to remember to follow the rusting boundary posts all the way up. That is without doubt the easiest way up but I still managed to go the wrong way though I soon realised my mistake and returned to the posts. The wind and rain didn't make the scramble any easier either, but eventually, on my hands and knees, I reached the top. Totally exhausted I staggered to the summit following the boundary posts all the way.
After lunch I headed down to Beck Head and then followed the Moses' Trod path below the Gables until I hit the fence coming off Brandreth. Turning left I followed the fence until it turned sharply left, where I crossed over it and continued straight on towards the top of Warnscale Beck. When I hit the main path to Hay Stacks I turned left and headed over Wainwright's favourite hill. Despite it's diminutive stature it is indeed a magical place where the path ducks and weaves around the crags and tarns with stunning views below the clouds across Buttermere.
From the summit of Hay Stacks I descended to the Scarth Gap Pass and discovered that it was already quarter past four and far too late to begin the High Style ridge. My slow ascent in the morning and the inclement weather had conspired together to mean the High Style ridge would have to wait for another year (I wasn't too disappointed, I have been over the ridge before). So I descended into Ennerdale and walked the four miles along the forest road all the way back to the youth hostel. Tomorrow it's back over Scoat Fell and then over Red pike and Yewbarrow to Wastwater.
Sunday 27th March
The weather was worse today staying overcast with a cloud cover no higher than 2,000 feet all day. The plan had been to walk all the way around Ennerdale but as will be seen events conspired against me. Leaving the hostel I crossed the fields to the east of Ennerdale Water, passed over the Woundell Beck and climbed up the firebreak in the forest up onto Ling Mell. This was a very steep and exhausting climb that probably much delayed me. Heading east over Ling Mell I crossed the Low Beck and started to climb the Long Crag ridge all the way up into the clouds and onto Steeple and the top of Scoat Fell. It took me a long time to get onto Scoat Fell and I think this must have been a major factor in failing my original objective.
Heading east along the ridge I passed the Wind Gap and ascended Pillar, which I was visiting for the second day running this time in much less agreeable weather. Continuing eastwards I went down the hill, past Looking Stead to the Black Sail Pass with Kirk Fell, which I had bypassed yesterday, directly ahead of me. Taking a deep breath I tackled the Kirk Fell Crags trying to remember to follow the rusting boundary posts all the way up. That is without doubt the easiest way up but I still managed to go the wrong way though I soon realised my mistake and returned to the posts. The wind and rain didn't make the scramble any easier either, but eventually, on my hands and knees, I reached the top. Totally exhausted I staggered to the summit following the boundary posts all the way.
After lunch I headed down to Beck Head and then followed the Moses' Trod path below the Gables until I hit the fence coming off Brandreth. Turning left I followed the fence until it turned sharply left, where I crossed over it and continued straight on towards the top of Warnscale Beck. When I hit the main path to Hay Stacks I turned left and headed over Wainwright's favourite hill. Despite it's diminutive stature it is indeed a magical place where the path ducks and weaves around the crags and tarns with stunning views below the clouds across Buttermere.
From the summit of Hay Stacks I descended to the Scarth Gap Pass and discovered that it was already quarter past four and far too late to begin the High Style ridge. My slow ascent in the morning and the inclement weather had conspired together to mean the High Style ridge would have to wait for another year (I wasn't too disappointed, I have been over the ridge before). So I descended into Ennerdale and walked the four miles along the forest road all the way back to the youth hostel. Tomorrow it's back over Scoat Fell and then over Red pike and Yewbarrow to Wastwater.
posted by David Keates at 11:26 pm
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