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| Pillar from the car park at Wasdale
Head. Today I had arranged to meet up with a couple of
members of the UK Walking Forum,
Helen and Kev, who were walking part of the Mosedale
Horseshoe. I accompanied them as they climbed Pillar by the
High Level Route |
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| To the side of the hotel a lane leads
behind Row Head towards the open fellside, passing the picturesque
old packhorse bridge over Mosedale Beck |
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| The steep southern ridge of Kirk Fell
dominates the view ahead as the lane rises to a gate |
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| Looking back to Wasdale Head from the
top of the lane |
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| The path towards Black Sail
Pass |
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| The path continues on towards a
gate in the intake wall and into Mosedale |
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| Looking back from the Mosedale
path. Hidden in the trees on the right is the fine waterfall
of Ritson's Force |
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| Looking from further along the
Mosedale path to Scafell towering above Lingmell |
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| Pillar from the start of the climb
towards Black Sail Pass |
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| Approaching the point where the path
crosses Gatherstone Beck |
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| Looking back from Gatherstone Beck to
Stirrup Crag on Yewbarrow |
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| Red Pike from Gatherstone Beck |
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| Blackem Head flanked by Red Pike and
Black Crag |
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| Leaving the main path which climbs
towards Black Sail Pass, seen here on the extreme right, for
the "short cut" path to the ridge line |
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| High on the path looking down to
Mosedale. The path to Black Sail Pass can be seen following
Gatherstone Beck |
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| Cloud sweeping across Gable Crag at
the head of Ennerdale heralds a gradual change in the weather |
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| Approaching the ridge line below
Looking Stead |
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| Looking across the steep slopes of
Kirk Fell to Burnmoor Tarn |
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| Near the start of the High Level
Route which leaves the main path to traverse across the northern
coves of Pillar |
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| Looking across the slopes of Looking
Stead to the north western fells |
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| High Stile and High Crag across
Ennerdale |
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| Herdwicks above Mosedale and clouds
sweeping across Scafell |
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| The High Level Route starts with
a descent into Green Cove |
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| Looking to the first objective,
Proud Knott on the right across Green Cove |
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| Looking back from the start of the
High Level Route over Looking Stead to a distant Clough Head and
Helvellyn Dodds |
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| On the Green Cove traverse. The
High Level Route was developed by rock climbers as an easy way to
reach Pillar Rock from Wasdale Head |
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| Traversing the steep scree slope on
the west side of Green Cove |
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| Approaching Proud Knott |
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| Helen on the Proud Knott col |
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| Looking down to the Black Sail Youth
Hostel in Ennerdale from Proud Knott |
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| Looking across Hind Cove to the next
objective, Robinson's Cairn, seen here on centre right skyline |
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| On the climb out of Hind Cove to
Robinson's Cairn |
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| Looking up to the crags above Hind
Cove |
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| Robinson's Cairn, a memorial to the
pioneering rock climber and founding member of the Fell and Rock
Climbing Club, John Wilson Robinson |
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| Time for a break by Robinson's
Cairn. Kev is studying the progress of some rock climbers on
Shamrock |
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| Looking back across Hind Cove from
Robinson's Cairn to Green Gable, Great Gable and Kirk Fell at the
head of Ennerdale |
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| The next objective is the
Shamrock Traverse seen here rising left to right across Shamrock
Crag. From this angle the crag appears to part of High
Man on Pillar Rock but is in fact separated from it by the deep
chasm of Walker's Gully. Hence its name - the sham
rock. Above Shamrock is Pisgah, separated fom High Man by
the narrow cleft of Jordan Gap, the summit of Low Man is on the
right. The height of the Rock is over 500 feet. |
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| Looking over Seat and Haystacks to
Robinson, Hindscarth and Dale Head |
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| Looking across Pillar Cove to Great
Borne |
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| Setting out towards Shamrock |
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| Descending the bouldery hollow and
heading for the low rock ridge beyond it |
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| Ascending the rock ridge below
Shamrock |
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| Climbing up Great Doup towards
the start of the Shamrock Traverse |
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| Halfway along the traverse, about to
cross the tilted slabs |
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| Looking down the lower part of the
traverse from the slabs |
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| At the top of the traverse looking
across Walker's Gully. Pisgah on the left, isolated from High
Man by the Jordan Gap, the summit of Low Man is on the extreme
right. The clean looking slab in the centre is the "slab" of
Slab and Notch, a difficult scrambling route to the top of High
Man |
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| The final climb to the summit starts
from the narrow ridge that connects Pisgah to the northern
slopes of the fell |
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| Pisgah and High Man from the
narrow ridge. West Gully on the left and Walker's Gully on the
right. The "notch" of the Slab and Notch route now
visible centre right |
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| Looking back to Pillar Rock from the
start of the climb to the summit |
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| Looking left to the summit ridge
above Great Doup. Note the walker standing by the pinnacle
right of centre |
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| Looking down to Pillar Rock from the
mid point of the climb |
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| Almost at the top the path meets a
band of broken crags |
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| The crags can be bypassed on the
right or climbed directly by a steep shallow gully |
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| Ennerdale Water from the top of the
crag. Right on cue the threatening clouds enveloped the
summit |
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| Looking down on Pillar Rock from the
top of the crag |
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| Helen and Kev continue on towards
Wind Gap bound for Scoat Fell and Red Pike. Thanks for your
great company |
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| The cloud lifted a little to allow a
view to the west, revealing Scoat Fell and Steeple overtopped
by Haycock and Caw Fell |
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| Ennerdale
Water |
