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.