Seathwaite Fell, Allen Crags & Glaramara -
Monday 19 September 2016
Route
Seathwaite Farm - Stockley Bridge - Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright Summit) - Seathwaite Fell (Great Slack) - Seathwaite Fell South Top - Sprinkling Tarn - Allen Crags - High House Tarn Top - Red Beck Top - Looking Steads - Glaramara - Combe Head - Combe Door Top - Dovenest Top - Rosthwaite Cam - Tarn at Leaves - Combe Gill - Seathwaite Farm
Parking
Seathwaite Farm (Free) - Grid Ref NY236123. Be early on a weekend though.
Mileage
11.4 miles
Terrain
Good mountain paths for the most part. The ascent of Seathwaite Fell is on good a path at first but peters out near the summit. Additionally, the paths on the actual summit of Seathwaite Fell are indistinct. The descent from Tarn at Leaves to Combe Gill was pathless for the most part.
Weather
Dry & overcast am - gloriously sunny pm. Visibility throughout the day was generally good.
Time Taken
9hrs 40mins
Total Ascent
4593ft (1400m)
Wainwrights
3
Map
OL6 - The English Lakes (South Western Area)
Seathwaite Farm - Stockley Bridge - Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright Summit) - Seathwaite Fell (Great Slack) - Seathwaite Fell South Top - Sprinkling Tarn - Allen Crags - High House Tarn Top - Red Beck Top - Looking Steads - Glaramara - Combe Head - Combe Door Top - Dovenest Top - Rosthwaite Cam - Tarn at Leaves - Combe Gill - Seathwaite Farm
Parking
Seathwaite Farm (Free) - Grid Ref NY236123. Be early on a weekend though.
Mileage
11.4 miles
Terrain
Good mountain paths for the most part. The ascent of Seathwaite Fell is on good a path at first but peters out near the summit. Additionally, the paths on the actual summit of Seathwaite Fell are indistinct. The descent from Tarn at Leaves to Combe Gill was pathless for the most part.
Weather
Dry & overcast am - gloriously sunny pm. Visibility throughout the day was generally good.
Time Taken
9hrs 40mins
Total Ascent
4593ft (1400m)
Wainwrights
3
Map
OL6 - The English Lakes (South Western Area)
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GPX File
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Walk Description
Today's walk would see us back in one of our favourite areas of the Lake District - Borrowdale. The walk today would begin from the popular starting point of Seathwaite Farm, about a mile or so south west of Seatoller. The plan today was to head on up the valley to Stockley Bridge where we would head right on the Sty Head path, leaving this for Seathwaite Fell. From there we would drop down to Sprinkling Tarn and head to below Esk Hause, then to Allen Crags and along the lengthy Glaramara ridge. From Glaramara, the plan then was to head back to Borrowdale via the 4 Nuttalls of Combe Head, Combe Door Top, Dovenest Top & Rosthwaite Cam. The weather promised a diverse day - gloomy in the morning and lovely in the afternoon - we would see!
Seathwaite Farm was busy for a Monday but there were still plenty of spaces along the road - at the weekend it pays to get here early as the grass verges fill up very quickly. The route heads through the farm and up the track to reach Stockley Bridge - once over the bridge it is left for the Grains Gill path to Esk Hause or right for Sty Head. We headed to the right on the steep incline that weaves its way up via Greenhow Knott where thankfully the gradient eases. The path to Seathwaite Fell leaves the Sty Head path at GR NY 22765 10659 to head up the right hand side of a bouldery stream - it is easily missed. The ascent is steep and the path is faint for the most part, petering out near the summit although there is the odd cairn here and there.
Reaching the crest of the rise, we first visited the Wainwright summit then headed over to the highest point on the fell, Great Slack and then visited the South Top. The summit plateau is worth exploring - full of interest and tarns plus the views are exceptional, particularly over to Great Gable, Great End and down into Wasdale. From the South Top the route drops down, firstly to a tarn then over a crest to the idyllic and serene Sprinkling Tarn from where a path leads uphill to a junction of paths below Esk Hause. Before we made our ascent of Allen Crags we got chatting to an Argentinian Father & Son who were visiting the UK on holiday and were clearly lost. They wanted to go to Scafell Pike and asked me for directions but had no map or compass nor an idea as to which direction they should be going. The Father spoke very little English and in my best 'O' Level Spanish and helped by his sons pigeon English I advised them the best course of action would probably be to head down the Grains Gill path to Seathwaite Farm and on to Seatoller. From there they could catch a bus to Keswick and an onward bus to Penrith which was where they were staying. They seemed very happy with this plan, thanked me and to my delight then headed off in the right direction.
After a short pull up to Allen Crags, from the summit we began the long transit over Glaramara's ridge - a superb undulating walk with various subsidiary summits and tarns to keep one amused plus the constant view of the Langdale Pikes for company. After passing over the summits of High House Tarn Top, Red Beck Top & Looking Steads, we made the short pull up to firstly the southern cairn on Glaramara and then on to the north east summit & wind shelter. The summit is a delight and gives a superb view back down the ridge towards Allen Crags.
At this point the weather changed from overcast to sunshine. We had several options from Glaramara's summit in order to get back to Seathwaite - descend via Hind Gill, via Thorneythwaite Fell or go with our original plan of bagging the Nuttalls of Combe Head, Combe Door Top, Dovenest Top & Rosthwaite Cam and then descending via Combe Gill. With the weather on the up it was a no brainer to stick with our original plan. Leaving the summit there is a 20ft rock groove to negotiate which could be tricky in the wet although there is an alternative path around the side which comes out below the crags. From the rock groove it is about a quarter of a mile to the summit of Combe Head to then a steep drop via Combe Door to the summit of Combe Door Top and then to Dovenest Top a little further on. All 3 summits are worth visiting for the views alone - particularly on such a good a day as it had become.
From Dovenest Top the route descended in to Great Hollow before rising out of it to climb steeply to reach the summit of Rosthwaite Cam from where there are superb views down to Tarn at Leaves, Bessyboot and right down Borrowdale to Derwent Water and on to Skiddaw & Blencathra. We loitered on the summit for a while before making our descent to Borrowdale on mostly pathless terrain to Combe Gill where we picked up a good path to eventually reach the road at Mountain View. We could have followed the path along Black Sike back to Seathwaite but we chose to walk along the road to Seatoller before turning left to walk the mile or so back to Seathwaite Farm. Simply a superb day out in virtual solitude.
Seathwaite Farm was busy for a Monday but there were still plenty of spaces along the road - at the weekend it pays to get here early as the grass verges fill up very quickly. The route heads through the farm and up the track to reach Stockley Bridge - once over the bridge it is left for the Grains Gill path to Esk Hause or right for Sty Head. We headed to the right on the steep incline that weaves its way up via Greenhow Knott where thankfully the gradient eases. The path to Seathwaite Fell leaves the Sty Head path at GR NY 22765 10659 to head up the right hand side of a bouldery stream - it is easily missed. The ascent is steep and the path is faint for the most part, petering out near the summit although there is the odd cairn here and there.
Reaching the crest of the rise, we first visited the Wainwright summit then headed over to the highest point on the fell, Great Slack and then visited the South Top. The summit plateau is worth exploring - full of interest and tarns plus the views are exceptional, particularly over to Great Gable, Great End and down into Wasdale. From the South Top the route drops down, firstly to a tarn then over a crest to the idyllic and serene Sprinkling Tarn from where a path leads uphill to a junction of paths below Esk Hause. Before we made our ascent of Allen Crags we got chatting to an Argentinian Father & Son who were visiting the UK on holiday and were clearly lost. They wanted to go to Scafell Pike and asked me for directions but had no map or compass nor an idea as to which direction they should be going. The Father spoke very little English and in my best 'O' Level Spanish and helped by his sons pigeon English I advised them the best course of action would probably be to head down the Grains Gill path to Seathwaite Farm and on to Seatoller. From there they could catch a bus to Keswick and an onward bus to Penrith which was where they were staying. They seemed very happy with this plan, thanked me and to my delight then headed off in the right direction.
After a short pull up to Allen Crags, from the summit we began the long transit over Glaramara's ridge - a superb undulating walk with various subsidiary summits and tarns to keep one amused plus the constant view of the Langdale Pikes for company. After passing over the summits of High House Tarn Top, Red Beck Top & Looking Steads, we made the short pull up to firstly the southern cairn on Glaramara and then on to the north east summit & wind shelter. The summit is a delight and gives a superb view back down the ridge towards Allen Crags.
At this point the weather changed from overcast to sunshine. We had several options from Glaramara's summit in order to get back to Seathwaite - descend via Hind Gill, via Thorneythwaite Fell or go with our original plan of bagging the Nuttalls of Combe Head, Combe Door Top, Dovenest Top & Rosthwaite Cam and then descending via Combe Gill. With the weather on the up it was a no brainer to stick with our original plan. Leaving the summit there is a 20ft rock groove to negotiate which could be tricky in the wet although there is an alternative path around the side which comes out below the crags. From the rock groove it is about a quarter of a mile to the summit of Combe Head to then a steep drop via Combe Door to the summit of Combe Door Top and then to Dovenest Top a little further on. All 3 summits are worth visiting for the views alone - particularly on such a good a day as it had become.
From Dovenest Top the route descended in to Great Hollow before rising out of it to climb steeply to reach the summit of Rosthwaite Cam from where there are superb views down to Tarn at Leaves, Bessyboot and right down Borrowdale to Derwent Water and on to Skiddaw & Blencathra. We loitered on the summit for a while before making our descent to Borrowdale on mostly pathless terrain to Combe Gill where we picked up a good path to eventually reach the road at Mountain View. We could have followed the path along Black Sike back to Seathwaite but we chose to walk along the road to Seatoller before turning left to walk the mile or so back to Seathwaite Farm. Simply a superb day out in virtual solitude.
It was already busy at Seathwaite Farm
Seathwaite Fell ahead with Taylorgill Force to the right
Seathwaite Fell & Stockley Bridge
Looking back towards Seathwaite Farm
Time for some steep ascent now as we head out on the Sty Head path from Stockley Bridge
Base Brown
Approaching the turn off to Seathwaite Fell from the Sty Head path
The route for Seathwaite Fell leaves the Sty Head path at GR NY 22765 10659 to head up the right hand side of a stream - it is easily missed
Looking back to Borrowdale from the ascent of Seathwaite Fell
The path petered out around this point but cairns show the way up - not that it isn't obvious in this visibility
Good view of Great & Green Gable
Good view of Great & Green Gable
And up we go - no path but easy walking here
Glaramara from Seathwaite Fell - we would be over there later
The Wainwright summit on Seathwaite Fell
Looking from the Wainwright Summit Cairn to the Northern Fells
Looking to the Wainwright Summit on Seathwaite Fell
Great view of Great Gable, Windy Gap, Aaron Slack & Green Gable
Lingmell with the huge vertical cleft of Piers Gill moving up the fell and then heading left
Green Gable & Base Brown with Brandreth peeping out in the centre
Another view of Glaramara across Seathwaite Fell
Fudge bangs a few lengths in whilst we take some photographs
The Drumlin like topography on Seathwaite Fell
Great Slack - the highest point on Seathwaite Fell
Looking into Wasdale over Sty Head with Lingmell, Yewbarrow and the lower slopes of Great Gable keeping watch
I think Fudge wants to go swimming again
Wasdale across Sty Head with Yewbarrow in the foreground, Seatallan behind and Red Pike to the right
Heading for Sprinkling Tarn which is just over the crest with Great End sitting above
Zooming in on Seatallan, Yewbarrow, Dore Head & Red Pike
A bit of dog rock balancing at Sprinkling Tarn
Bowfell, Ore Gap & Esk Pike
Esk Hause, Ill Crag & Great End
The long ridge of Glaramara from Allen Crags
The summit of Allen Crags looking to Bowfell & Esk Pike
Zooming in on The Langdale Pikes from Allen Crags
Some superb views from Allen Crags
Pillar & Great Gable
Esk Hause & Ill Crag
And so begins the long yet delightful transit over Glaramara
High House Tarn on Glaramara
A Glaramara panoramic
Zooming in on Derwent Water, Skiddaw & Blencathra
The summit cairn & wind shelter on Glaramara
Looking back to the other summit cairn on Glaramara which is to the south. Ill Crag, Great End & Lingmell provide the backdrop.
Heading to Combe Head we had to negotiate this 20ft rock groove which made for an interesting scramble down.
The groove can be avoided as there is a path coming around to the base of the crags from the right hand side.
The groove can be avoided as there is a path coming around to the base of the crags from the right hand side.
Combe Head
A Combe Head panoramic
On the summit of Combe Head
The summit of Combe Head
Heading for Combe Door Top - the weather was now glorious
The summit of Combe Door Top
Blencathra
Dovenest Top
Heading to Rosthwaite Cam
With Fudge on the summit of Rosthwaite Cam
The summit of Rosthwaite Cam - Tarn at Leaves is below right
Looking to Rosthwaite Fell (Bessyboot) & Tarn at Leaves
A superb panorama from Rosthwaite Cam
Tarn at Leaves
Looking back up the faint path of descent from Tarn at Leaves - this soon peters out
Heading down to Combe Gill - the main Glaramara path from Strands Bridge in Borrowdale can be seen on the other side of the gill