Wainwright Routes - Barf Route Two

Barf - Route Two

Start - Powter How NY 220 264

Distance - 0.7 miles

Ascent - 1,190 feet

Time - 55 minutes

Barf from Powter How. There is a parking area beside the bus stop and a larger car park a short distance to the north of Powter How

Powter How, the site of the former Swan Inn which has been converted into private apartments

A footpath sign directs walkers through a gate onto a woodland path which soon passes the little white-washed rock known as The Clerk

The Clerk marks the beginning of the climb up the scree slope towards The Bishop of Barf, the top of which can just be seen above the trees

Looking over to Skiddaw Little Man above the birch trees which cover the lower slopes

Looking left to the Beckstones Plantation. The usual way to climb Barf is by the path beside Beckstones Gill which follows the edge of the plantation

Skiddaw Little Man from the climb to the Bishop of Barf

The Bishop of Barf

Looking down on Powter How
Barf - page 5

The Helvellyn Dodds from The Bishop of Barf with Latrigg in the middle distance on the left, Bleaberry fell and High Seat on the right

Beckstones Plantation across the shattered crags beside the Bishop of Barf

AW's original route climbed through the shattered crags by way of a loose gully seen here on the left. Nowadays it is more usual to continue on a clear path which rises directly above the Bishop before making a steep traverse over to the right

Skiddaw and the head of Bassenthwaite Lake from the traverse path

Looking down on Powter How from the traverse path

Ullock Pike across Bassenthwaite Lake

Looking down on Beckstones from the traverse path

The traverse path ends at a wind shelter on a level shoulder from where a more indistinct path turns left to climb back towards the apex of the ridge

Approaching the solitary rowan which AW noted in his diagram of this ascent

Looking back from the solitary rowan

Above the rowan the climb continues even more steeply towards the base of Slape Crag

Approaching Slape Crag

A short rake at the end of a heather terrace between the scree and the base of Slape Crag is quite easy to climb, although it does become very narrow and exposed near its end. AW recommended an alternative route over on the left side of the crag, a rock step which can indentified by a small oak tree growing below it

Looking down on Powter How from the screes below Slape Crag

Skiddaw across Bassenthwaite Lake from the heather terrace below Slape Crag

The Helvellyn Dodds from the top of Slape Crag

From the top of Slape Crag the path makes a rising traverse below the upper escarpment towards a pinnacle on its left edge

Looking back from the base of the pinnacle along the traverse below the upper escarpment

Passing the base of the pinnacle the path reaches open heather slopes and turns back sharply to climb along the edge of the upper escarpment

Looking across the upper escarpment. The path follows the edge of the escarpment to its highest point and then turns up a simple grass and heather slope, passing over two false tops on the way to the summit