Height: 420 metres / 1378 feet Grid reference: NY 13572 06126 Category: The Western Fells

Seatallan and Red Pike from the summit of Buckbarrow

Buckbarrow from Buckbarrow farm
Height: 420 metres / 1378 feet Grid reference: NY 13572 06126 Category: The Western Fells
Seatallan and Red Pike from the summit of Buckbarrow
Buckbarrow from Buckbarrow farm
Walked on
Start Point: Greendale (NY 144 056)
Greendale – Blengdale Forest – Sampson’s Bratfull – Stockdale Moor – Caw Fell – Little Gowder Crag – Haycock – Pots of Ashness – Seatallan – Cat Bields – Glade How – Buckbarrow – Greendale
Distance: 13 miles Total Ascent: 1067 metres Time Taken: 6 hours 30 minutes Start Time: 09:30
Weather: Sunny spells, 8°C
I knew this would be a long one today so hopefully I would time it right to use the daylight to best advantage. The going over Stockdale Moor is a bit of a trudge to say the least and it seems to go on forever – the highlight was coming over Seatallan to the sunset, it was just fantastic. This route will feature in a future edition of Trail magazine.
There was an interesting crossing of the River Bleng as the stepping stones at Sergeant Ford are long gone and it appears there is no way across without getting your feet wet. I used the downstream side of the water gate downstream of this crossing, it worked a treat.
Sampson's Bratfull gains an addition. Stones dropped from the apron of a giant as he strode across the moor so legend has it - I bet he got his feet wet!
There are lots of antiquities and old cairns on Stockdale Moor. It is tough going along here with the tussocky and boggy grass, it gave the curse-o-meter an airing anyway - did you hear me?
Yewbarrow lit up by the sunshine. Such are the short days at this time of year I could feel the sun setting as I climbed Seatallan as the skies were reddening, the shadows growing longer and the temperature noticeably dropping.
Walked on
Start point: Greendale (NY 144 056)
Greendale – Middle Fell – Greendale Tarn – Seatallan – Cat Bields – Glade How – Buckbarrow – Joss Naylor Cairn – Greendale
Distance: 6 miles Total Ascent: 785 metres Time Taken: 4 hours Start Time: 10:00
Weather: Sunny and warm. 20oC
It was a fantastic return to summer weather today with sunshine, blue skies and with the added bonus of being unexpectedly warm. Today I joined up with Skip, Smoky and fell running legend Joss Naylor for a memorable walk around Greendale.
Walked on
Start point: Greendale (NY 144 056)
Greendale – Greendale Gill – Jos Naylor’s cairn – Buckbarrow – Casper Gully – Greendale
Distance: 2 miles Total Ascent: 357 metres Time Taken: 1 hour 30 minutes Start Time: 09:40
Weather: Sunny spells, clearing. 6°C
It looked promising enough when I drove into Wasdale this morning but the cloud never completely lifted from the high fells whilst I was there. Buckbarrow though was mostly in the sunshine and there was fresh snow evident on the high fells from what I could see. I found a different and interesting route down from the top too…
Walked on
Start point: Greendale (NY 144 056)
Greendale – Middle Fell – Greendale Tarn – Seatallan – Cat Bields – Glade How – Buckbarrow – Joss Naylor Cairn – Greendale
Distance: 6 miles Total Ascent: 785 metres Time Taken: 5 hours 30 minutes Start Time: 10:15
Weather: Generally overcast, some sunny spell and showers. 13C
Today was the day of the StridingEdge.net summer 2010 walk around Greendale. I chose a date earlier than usual to try and capture some ‘guaranteed’ decent weather for it, however that didn’t quite materialise! That aside, it was an enjoyable walk with great company and it was good to be able to chat to followers of the site. Up on Buckbarrow, the icing on the cake was bumping into the legendary Joss Naylor who was taking his dogs for a stroll!
The massed ranks of the StridingEdge walking party on Middle Fell. There are at least one and a half dogs missing in this photo!
The weather rapidly closed in whilst we were on Middle Fell with Seatallan up to the left now covered by cloud. Here, Casper leads the way.
Cat Bields. It was around this time we had a shower and heard the thunder rumbling. Later it was reported that four walkers had been struck by lightning further north in Buttermere and in Borrowdale.
Walked on
Start point: Greendale (NY 144 056)
Greendale – Greendale Gill – Glade How – Buckbarrow – Gill Beck- Greendale
Distance: 2.9 miles Total Ascent: 370 metres Time Taken: 1 hour 30 minutes
Weather: Overcast with a strong wind. 13ºC
Today I had a short walk up to Buckbarrow from Greendale. It was quite warm and there was the occasional but brief sunny spell. The wind was really strong on the top and I could hardly hold the camera steady at times. Before the walk I got talking to Jos Naylor, the fell running legend (the ‘King of the Fells’) who lives in these parts. He has a working dog that is part Beardie, showing the widespread use of the breed in the Lake District as sheepdogs. It was fantastic to meet the great man so it was only fitting that I should visit his cairn today too. I think old Jos had his eye on Casper to use as a working dog on the fells…
Walked on
Start point: Greendale (NY 144 056)
Greendale – Buckbarrow – Greendale Gill – Greendale
Distance: 3 miles Total Ascent: 366 metres Time Taken: 1 hour 45 minutes
Weather: Sunny and warm but hazy. 20oC.
I was expecting the forecast rain today, so was grateful that it actually turned out warm and sunny although it was quite hazy. I haven’t been up to Buckbarrow for ages and I have never been there in decent weather so it made a nice change to get up there when it was fine. I didn’t go much beyond the summit but did strike out north to the interesting cairn that can be seen from all around.
Walked on
Start point: Greendale (NY 144 056)
Greendale – Buckbarrow (79) – Glade How (80) – Cat Bields – Seatallan (81) – Greendale Tarn – Middle Fell (82) – Greendale
Weather: Mist and rain.
Today’s walk is to some of the unfashionable fells overlooking Wast Water; Buckbarrow, Seatallan and Middle Fell. When I completed this round last year, it was teeming with rain and I really wanted to do theses fells in nice, clear weather. However….
I parked at Greendale by the side of the road and followed the tarmac west to Harrow Head. The path to Buckbarrow isn’t obvious from the road; it is a grassy track between the wall and Gill Beck immediately before the road triangle at Harrow Head. If you walk slightly past Harrow Head and look over the wall, you will see the hidden Tosh Tarn.
Tosh Tarn from further up the path. At the top of the path, the crags to the right of the summit are worth climbing for the view of Wast Water - if it is clear! From this point, the summit is across the dip on a rocky knoll.
Wast Water through the mist from Buckbarrow. From Buckbarrow, head north for Glade How where there is a prominent cairn. From Glade How, the next target is Cat Bields which lies to the north west and here lies another cairn which marks the ascent of Seatallan.
Seatallan summit - no views today then! The large pile of stones is an ancient burial mound, reputed to be 1000 years old. From Seatallan, I headed east to the hause marked on the map at 465 metres. From here I made a slight detour south to Greendale Tarn, back to the hause for the easy ascent to the summit of Middle Fell.