Middle Fell, Seatallan & Buckbarrow - Sunday 15 May 2016
Route
Greendale - Middle Fell - Seatallan - Cat Bields - Glade How - Buckbarrow - Joss Naylor's Cairn - Greendale Gill - Greendale
Parking
Greendale (Free) - Grid Ref NY144056
Mileage
6 miles
Terrain
Good mountain paths both stony and grass however in poor visibility care needs to be taken from the 465 spot height between Middle Fell & Seatallan as near here the path becomes intermittent. There is also an intermittent path over to Naylor's Cairn and from there to Greendale Gill.
Weather
Hazy & overcast however the visibility was fairly good throughout the walk.
Time Taken
4hrs 45mins
Total Ascent
2837ft (865m)
Wainwrights
3
Map
OL6 The English Lakes (South Western Area)
Walkers
Dave, Angie & Fudge with Jon Hardwick
Greendale - Middle Fell - Seatallan - Cat Bields - Glade How - Buckbarrow - Joss Naylor's Cairn - Greendale Gill - Greendale
Parking
Greendale (Free) - Grid Ref NY144056
Mileage
6 miles
Terrain
Good mountain paths both stony and grass however in poor visibility care needs to be taken from the 465 spot height between Middle Fell & Seatallan as near here the path becomes intermittent. There is also an intermittent path over to Naylor's Cairn and from there to Greendale Gill.
Weather
Hazy & overcast however the visibility was fairly good throughout the walk.
Time Taken
4hrs 45mins
Total Ascent
2837ft (865m)
Wainwrights
3
Map
OL6 The English Lakes (South Western Area)
Walkers
Dave, Angie & Fudge with Jon Hardwick
GPX File
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Walk Description
Almost 2 years to the day since we last did this very walk (Link Here) and it is one we hope to repeat again too. Wasdale is a beautiful part of the Lake District and whilst Great Gable & The Scafells amongst others are the main attraction (and rightly so) quiet and solitude can be found at the other end of Wastwater. The light was not great for photography during the walk although this changed markedly that evening resulting in us being able to get some really nice shots looking down Wastwater. We were out with Jon again today - a friend of Dave's from his schooldays.
The walk started in Greendale and there is plenty of room for a fair few cars just off the road and there is no charge for parking. From the parking area we headed up the hillside and gained the path to the right that ascends gradually and sometimes steeply to the summit. As we gained height we were able to look back over Wastwater to The Scafells with the view improving all the time. From the summit the path over to the huge grassy mass of Seatallan is clear and it is just a question of following the good path over to the 465 spot height and in good visibility heading steeply at times straight up the fell to the summit. Remember to look back when ascending as there are fantastic views back over to Middle Fell and also to Yewbarrow & The Scafell range.
From Seatallan there is a grassy path down over Cat Bields, continuing over to the large cairn on Glade How from where the summit of Buckbarrow can be gained. Although there are good views from the summit, it is best to seek out Bull Crag and Pike Crag for even better vistas. We then made our descent via Joss Naylor's Cairn and headed to from there to meet Greendale Gill from where there is a steep but easy descent back to Greendale.
Saw a couple of people on Middle Fell and that was all!! Another great day out in this quiet spot.
The walk started in Greendale and there is plenty of room for a fair few cars just off the road and there is no charge for parking. From the parking area we headed up the hillside and gained the path to the right that ascends gradually and sometimes steeply to the summit. As we gained height we were able to look back over Wastwater to The Scafells with the view improving all the time. From the summit the path over to the huge grassy mass of Seatallan is clear and it is just a question of following the good path over to the 465 spot height and in good visibility heading steeply at times straight up the fell to the summit. Remember to look back when ascending as there are fantastic views back over to Middle Fell and also to Yewbarrow & The Scafell range.
From Seatallan there is a grassy path down over Cat Bields, continuing over to the large cairn on Glade How from where the summit of Buckbarrow can be gained. Although there are good views from the summit, it is best to seek out Bull Crag and Pike Crag for even better vistas. We then made our descent via Joss Naylor's Cairn and headed to from there to meet Greendale Gill from where there is a steep but easy descent back to Greendale.
Saw a couple of people on Middle Fell and that was all!! Another great day out in this quiet spot.
The parking area at Greendale - the start point for the walk. The crags of Buckbarrow provide a stunning backdrop.
Heading out of Greendale to Middle Fell - looking back to Illgill Head and the Wastwater Screes
Greendale below looking to Whin Rigg
He always waits for us slowcoaches
Up on the summit of Middle Fell which provides a superb view over to the Scafells
Illgill Head above Wastwater
The summit of Middle Fell - Yewbarrow is in the foreground with the pudding shape dome of Great Gable behind
Haycock, Scoat Fell & Red Pike
Yewbarrow
Leaving Middle Fell with our next goal of Seatallan ahead
Greendale Tarn
Well why not!! A Bacon Sarnie half way round (well almost) - they were delicious
It was about here that the path down off Middle Fell became intermittent and could be troublesome in mist
Haycock
Breathe in and go for it - the steep ascent of Seatallan
Looking back to Middle Fell from halfway up the climb
Little goals were required here - it is a bit of a slog but we stopped often to admire the views back to the Scafells
The summit of Seatallan
The summit looking towards the Scafells
Seatallan's Trig Point and Tumulus
A good path heads off the summit towards Cat Bields
Heading down to Cat Bields
The cairn on Cat Bields
Next stop Buckbarrow via Glade How
The cairn on Glade How
Red Pike & Middle Fell
Buckbarrow
Dave on the summit of Buckbarrow with Jon making his way up below
Black Combe in the far distance
A short detour from the descent leads to Naylor's Cairn -
so named because it was built by legendary fell runner Joss Naylor, a resident of Greendale
so named because it was built by legendary fell runner Joss Naylor, a resident of Greendale
Rejoining the path of sorts we head off to make our descent back to Greendale
A Middle Fell & Illgill Head panorama
The path down to Greendale swings right here descending gradually
Across Greendale Gill can be seen the path that leads to Greendale Tarn
The Scafells from the descent
Fudge cooling off in Greendale Gill
Greendale Bridge
Later on that evening we captured some decent shots of "The View" down Wastwater
Yewbarrow
Great Gable
A Wastwater panoramic
Yewbarrow, Great Gable & Lingmell - "The View"