Height: 633 metres / 2077 feet Grid reference: NY 14206 15747 Category: The Western Fells
Red Pike and High Stile from Starling Dodd
Grasmoor and Crummock Water from Starling Dodd
Starling Dodd
Ennerdale Circuit
Start point: Bleach Green, Ennerdale (NY 085 153)
Bleach Green – Bowness – Great Borne – Starling Dodd – Little Dodd (Ennerdale) – Red Pike (Buttermere) – High Stile – High Crag – Memorial Bridge, Ennerdale – High Level Traverse – Shamrock Traverse – Pillar – Black Crag (Pillar) – Scoat Fell – Steeple – Haycock – Little Gowder Crag – Caw Fell – Ennerdale Fell – Crag Fell – Bleach Green
Distance: 18 miles Total Ascent: 2183 metres Time Taken: 10 hours Start Time: 06:00
Weather: Sunny and warm. 15°C
It’s a good while since I have done a full day walk and today seemed like a good opportunity to do a circuit of lovely Ennerdale. The weather was superb, a bit fresher than of late and the air was clearer for it. It was a great day out amongst my favourite fells and it was relatively quiet up there too, although it was good to chat to StridingEdge fans on Scoat Fell and then on Steeple.
Ennerdale circuit route map.
Early morning in Ennerdale.
Pillar silhouetted at the head of the Water.
Crag Fell.
Looking out from the shadows on the steep climb to Great Borne.
Suddenly, out of the shadows and into the sunlight and heading for the summit of Great Borne.
Gavel Fell from Great Borne.
Ennerdale. The outward leg of today's walk is to the left, the return is to the right.
The Loweswater fells - Gavel Fell, Hen Comb and Mellbreak.
Grasmoor across Crummock Water.
Any old iron? Starling Dodd summit.
Layers of fells.
Early morning shadow on Little Dodd.
Starling Dodd and Great Borne from the climb to Red Pike.
The summit of Red Pike.
A panoramic view from Red Pike, Loweswater and Crummock Water in view.
Casper and Dougal, hot already.
Bleaberry Tarn and beyond on the way to High Stile.
High Stile summit.
Ennerdale Water.
A great panoramic view from High Stile - Red Pike and Dodd to the left, Crummock Water and Grasmoor to the right.
A clear view across to the Scafells, Great Gable and Kirk Fell...and of course the mighty Pillar.
A panoramic across Ennerdale.
Robinson across Buttermere.
Pillar looks so tempting from here.
Grasmoor and the Coledale fells across Buttermere.
High Stile from the summit of High Crag.
A view through to Skiddaw and Blencathra from High Crag.
Instead of descending Gamlin End, I decided to go for a route 1 steeper than steep descent to Ennerdale direct (for masochists only this one, a real leg trembler!). I can see the Memorial Bridge from here (to the left of the tree line) where I want to cross and then the route of ascent is up and above the rocky knoll then to the right following the line of the beck before cutting diagonally left beneath Pillar Rock.
Dougal tries to stop himself sliding all the way down into Ennerdale.
You see yon precipice--it almost looks Like some vast building made of many crags, And in the midst is one particular rock That rises like a column from the vale, Whence by our Shepherds it is call'd, the Pillar. Extract from 'The Brothers', William Wordsworth 1800
Down at the Memorial Bridge.
Crossing the River Liza - Casper is easy to spot but can you see Dougal?
Time for lunch (even though it is only 10.30!) and a seat with a fantastic view of Pillar Rock towering above. Now all I have to do is climb up there. To be continued...after my lunch...
Looking back across to High Crag from the climb to Pillar. The route I used in descent is the diagonal scree run to the right.
Ennerdale and the fells just walked.
Into the lost valley. Pillar Rock naturally dominates the scene on this section of the walk.
Magnificent Pillar Rock.
Haystacks with Robinson's Cairn bottom right.
Rounding the base of it to join the High Level Traverse.
High Stile panoramic.
Phew, made it! Dougal gets an eye opener when he spots the Shamrock Traverse.
Pisgah and the east face of High Man. No Slab and Notch route for me today!
It all looks so reachable from the Shamrock Traverse but there is a climb needed from any angle.
Climbing higher with a view over Pillar Rock to High Stile and High Crag and the fells beyond.
The summit of Pillar.
Ennerdale from Pillar.
Time for a second lunch stop on Pillar with a view to Great Gable, the Scafells and Wasdale Head.
Looking back to Pillar from Black Crag.
The east face of Steeple from Black Crag.
Red Pike - the Wasdale one.
Scoat Fell summit and a couple of StridingEdge fans ahead.
Pillar from Scoat Fell.
The route to airy Steeple and Dougal and Casper have spotted yet another StridingEdge fan to greet us.
Pillar and Great Gable from Steeple.
Ennerdale Water.
Looking back on the descent of Scoat Fell - it looks like there is a party on Steeple to the left now.
Heading for Haycock.
Steeple and Scoat Fell from the summit of Haycock.
Dougal checks out the route over Little Gowder Crag to Caw Fell.
Caw Fell.
Haycock from Caw Fell where we met some Beardie fans!
The descent of Caw Fell following the wall to Iron Crag on Ennerdale Fell.
The summit of Ennerdale Fell - Pillar, Steeple, Scoat Fell and Haycock in view.
The long walk in following the Ennerdale Fence.
Crag Fell.
An Ennerdale panoramic from Crag Fell.
The field back to the car park was full of cows so I didn't fancy crossing that with the two cow magnets in tow, so was forced to take a detour back down to the lake and passed this summer meadow on the way.
Starling Dodd
Start point: Bowness Knott Car Park (NY 109 153)
Bowness Knott Car Park – Herdus – Great Borne – Starling Dodd – Little Dodd (Ennerdale) – Bowness Knott Car Park
Distance: 7.2 miles Total Ascent: 735 metres Time Taken: 3 hours 30 minutes
Weather: Cold wind, snow. 2°C
Today was a typical January day – cold and windy with snow and a grey, dull and flat light. There was fresh snow above 500m and the wind was raw yet the walk was still enjoyable. I can scarcely believe it is 3 years since I walked over these fells – where does the time go?
Crag Fell over Bowness.
Following the road towards Herdus - I followed the wall beyond the far trees directly ahead before climbing the path through the bracken to the left of the photo. From there the climb was a steep one.
Crossing Rake Beck.
Crag Fell and Anglers' Crag across Ennerdale Water.
There was a lot of forestry work going on around the car park at Bowness and Bowness Knott looks a bit more accessible now than it was with all the trees gone.
Up above the snowline at the top of Herdus. The snow was constantly falling now and throughout the walk.
Heading for Great Borne across an icing sugar topped Herdus, Casper and Dougal try to blend in with the background.
The frozen summit of Great Borne with the pointed Red Pike in view.
Mellbreak and Grasmoor from Great Borne. Dougal has the bit between his teeth now and leads the way.
Looking back to Great Borne from the climb to Starling Dodd.
Red Pike and High Stile from the familiar twisted ironwork cairn on Starling Dodd.
Any old iron? Casper and Dougal on Starling Dodd.
Starling Dodd cairn.
A photo of contrasts - Grasmoor and Crummock Water from Starling Dodd.
Monochromatic Red Pike.
Moonscape at the top of the descent.
Gillinter Beck.
Pillar across Ennerdale.
A closer view of Pillar with Pillar Rock prominent.
A view into Windgap Cove across Ennerdale to Scoat Fell and Pillar.
Pillar dominated this view along Ennerdale with Green Gable and Great Gable in view.
Ennerdale reflections.
Crag Fell.
Great Borne
Start point: Bowness Knott Car Park (NY 109 153)
Bowness Knott Car Park – Herdus – Great Borne – Starling Dodd – Little Dodd (Ennerdale) – Bowness Knott Car Park
Distance: 7.2 miles Total Ascent: 735 metres Time Taken: 3 hours 30 minutes
Weather: Windy! 10°C.
The mountain weather forecast was for high winds today which would ‘make walking impossible’. Well, they were pretty much right with that one! All seemed so calm and tranquil at valley level too – I feared for Angus and Casper on the Great Borne ridge overlooking Ennerdale as they were getting blown around so much. That aside, I don’t think we did so bad with the weather really. It was good to have Angus back up on the high fells too; I think he had missed it.
Crag Fell and Anglers Crag across Ennerdale Water from the steep climb up to Herdus.
Looking to Floutern Cop, Hen Comb beyond, Mellbreak beyond that and Whiteside and Grasmoor beyond that! Once onto the flat top of Herdus, the wind was really strong - no, make that really, really strong!
I could hardly stand up and the two lightweights of the group were getting blown all over. Here's Angus standing his ground for a minute.
Still in strong wind up onto Great Borne. This photo looking to Gavel Fell was taken from the safety of the wind shelter - it was the only way I could keep the camera still!
Heading for Starling Dodd, beyond is Red Pike and the High Stile ridge.
Grasmoor manages to catch the only sunshine of the day.
Looking into Mosedale, Hen Comb to the left and Mellbreak to the right. In the distance are the Loweswater Fells.
Mellbreak with Grasmoor across Crummock Water.
A close-up of Grasmoor.
The cairns on Starling Dodd. Where was this photo taken from?...
...well, we were lying on the floor - of course!
Red Pike and High Stile over the small bump of Little Dodd where we made a hasty exit from the high ridge down to the right.
Robinson and Red Pike from Little Dodd.
Pillar, Scoat Fell and Steeple from the descent to Ennerdale.
Still windy on the descent, though not half as bad as it was up there.
A gloomy looking Pillar, Pillar Rock silhouetted below the cloud.
Ominous looking Green Gable and Great Gable at the head of Ennerdale
Ennerdale.
Crag Fell and Anglers Crag across Ennerdale Water just before the heavens opened - fortunately I was back in the car by then.
Ennerdale Circuit
Start point: Bleach Green, Ennerdale (NY 085 153)
Bleach Green – Bowness – Brown How (Ennerdale) – Herdus – Great Borne – Gale Fell – Starling Dodd – Little Dodd (Ennerdale) – Red Pike (Buttermere) (357) – High Stile (358) – High Crag (359) – Haystacks (360) – Looking Stead – High Level Traverse – Shamrock Traverse – Pillar – Black Crag (Pillar) – Scoat Fell – Steeple – Haycock – Little Gowder Crag – Caw Fell – Ennerdale Fell – Crag Fell – Bleach Green
Distance: 23.6 miles Total Ascent: 2864 metres Time Taken: 10 hour 20 minutes
Weather: Mainly sunny with lots of snow (!) showers. 7-11°C, valley level – much colder on the tops.
Today’s walk is a long, high level circuit of the beautiful Ennerdale Valley with virtually the whole route being completed at an elevation in excess of 500m. I have had this one on my list of ‘to do’ walks for a while so it was satisfying to complete the walk on a mainly clear day. The photo’s here actually belie the conditions somewhat as the clouds came in when I was crossing from Haystacks to Pillar and there was an icy blizzard. The snow showers continued to come and go throughout the rest of the walk and conditions remained very cold.
Ennerdale Circuit route map.
An early morning silhouette of Ennerdale.
The sunlight on Crag Fell.
A good view from Red Pike of the round completed last Thursday.
Crummock Water from Red Pike.
High Snockrigg and Robinson over Buttermere with Bleaberry Tarn in the foreground.
Looking from High Stile across Bleaberry Tarn and Red Pike to Mellbreak and Crummock Water. Loweswater is visible in the distance.
The sun lights up Pillar Rock across Ennerdale on the north face of Pillar - from High Crag.
Fleetwith Pike and Dale Head from High Crag.
High Crag from Haystacks with Ennerdale to the left and the Buttermere Valley to the right.
Green Gable, Great Gable and Kirk Fell at the head of Ennerdale from Haystacks. The clouds were ominously creeping up behind me now and minutes later this view was obliterated by a blizzard.
Thankfully it had cleared up again by the time I reached the High Level Traverse of Pillar. This is a view of Pillar Rock from Pillar.
The east face of Steeple from Black Crag.
Steeple again, from Scoat Fell across Mirk Cove.
Pillar from Steeple. Steeple is a lofty, airy pinnacle and it's shape makes it feel as though you are in mid-air - one of my favourites.
Steeple, Pillar and Scoat Fell from Haycock.
The barren Caw Fell from Little Gowder Crag.
Pillar, Scoat Fell, Little Gowder Crag and Haycock from Caw Fell.
Ennerdale from Crag Fell.
Starling Dodd
Start point: Bowness Knott Car Park (NY 109 153)
Bowness Knott Car Park – Bowness Knott (148) – Brown How (Ennerdale) (149) – Herdus (150) – Great Borne (151) – Gale Fell (152) – Starling Dodd (153) – Little Dodd (Ennerdale) (154) – Bowness Knott Car Park
Weather: Dull and overcast with the odd sunny spell.
Today’s walk takes in part of the High Stile group of fells from Ennerdale Water.
Herdus looms ahead from the Bowness Knott car park - it looks a daunting prospect from here.
The sun shines! Crag Fell across Ennerdale Water from the summit of Bowness Knott.
Sun Rays across the head of Ennerdale Water from the summit of Brown How.
Looking along the Ennerdale valley from the summit of Herdus; Great Borne and Starling Dodd to the left, Great Gable in the cloud, centre, and Pillar to the right.
Fellbarrow from the summit of Great Borne.
Starling Dodd from the top of Gale Fell, the summit being marked by the fence corner post. This summit is un-named on O.S maps.
Mellbreak, Whiteside Pike and Grasmoor from the summit of Starling Dodd.
Looking back to Starling Dodd from the summit of Little Dodd.
Ennerdale Water and valley from the descent of Little Dodd.
Pillar, Scoat Fell and Steeple across Ennerdale.
Rowan berries caught in the sunshine.
Crag Fell and Anglers Crag from the shore of Ennerdale Water.
Mellbreak
Scalehill Bridge – Loweswater – Mellbreak (133) – Scale Knott – Starling Dodd (134) – Great Borne (135) – Floutern Tarn – Hen Comb (136) – Gavel Fell (137) – Blake Fell (138) – Burnbank Fell (139) – Holme Wood – Loweswater – Scalehill Bridge
From AW 'The Western Fells' - "A negative signpost (intended to help motorists) Kirkstile Inn road junction.
View from the ascent of Mellbreak looking towards Loweswater with Low Fell to the right. Note the ancient earthworks in the centre.
Wainwrights "...a lovely peep around a corner..." from Mellbreak on the direct ascent from Loweswater.
Grasmoor from Mellbreak summit.
Whiteside and Grasmoor from Mellbreak.
The Northern summit of Mellbreak with Starling Dodd behind the Southern summit.
Buttermere from the South summit of Mellbreak.
Starling Dodd summit looking towards Pillar. Note the ironwork has been separated from the stone in the main summit cairn.
The summit column of Great Borne looking over Banna Fell.
Floutern Tarn from Great Borne summit, with Gavel Fell, Low Fell and Hen Comb in view.
Hen Comb summit looking over Buttermere. Background L-R: Robinson, Dale Head, Fleetwith Pike and Starling Dodd.
Looking over Mellbreak to Grasmoor from Gavel Fell summit. Hen Comb is to the left.
The summit cairn shelter on Blake Fell looking North towards the Solway Firth.
Burnbank Fell 'summit', the summit being the old fence corner post! Carling Knott is to the left of the picture.
The final descent with Loweswater and Crummock Water visible. In the centre is Grasmoor flanked by Whiteside and Robinson.