A High Level Tour of Wastwater

Day 34 – Sunday 26 April. With Mike back in Clitheroe, Ian Hardy came up once again to join the walk, which today was to start with a ‘promenade’ over the top of what has been voted the Best View in England – the screes of Wastwater, which plunge precipitously into the deepest lake in England.

On the ascent to Whin Rigg (the peak at the south end of the screes) the views aren’t as good as you might think, with much of the lake obscured by the shoulder of the fell, and at the 1755’ top there was still a bit of cloud, but this soon cleared. The walk along the edge of the screes is one of extreme contrast – grassy moorland to the right, fearsome drops and rock cliffs to the left, with superb longer distance views too, across to Yewbarrow, Pillar, Kirk Fell and Great Gable. At one point a promontory gives the most vertiginous views, enough to make you nervous as if standing on a cornice. You wouldn’t want a 7.5 earthquake to come along while you were standing there!

After 1½ miles the higher top of Illgill Head is reached at 1983’ after which there is a delightful grassy descent to Brackenclose and the north end of the lake. To save over two miles of boring road-walking we took the car to Greendale (Postman Pat was nowhere to be seen). Passing an ice-cream van at the Nether Wasdale junction we promised ourselves one when we got back, and set off up the slopes of Middle Fell (1908’), which has superb views of the Scafells and Mickledore from the top.

Across a marshy saddle and up heart-poundingly steep slopes to the flat grassy top of Seatallan (2266’) – feeling more like a Pennine moor than a Lakeland mountain, where the views now included the Ravenglass and the coast. Which reminded me that earlier in the morning the Sellafield nuclear plant was bathed in its own little area of sunshine whilst everything else was in shade, which looked rather eerie! The big Calder Hall globe has gone now, so what with this and the demise of the Clitheroe Cement Works chimney, what’s happening to all our industrial monuments? Should more be Listed?

It’s nearly all an easy downhill stroll to the craggy top of Buckbarrow, at 1410’ the top of an impressive rock escarpment facing the Screes. Anticipation was growing as we returned to the car but then … the ice-cream van had gone! And not even 4.30 pm! So there was nothing for it but to head for home and get a cool pint of milk from the filling station at Greenodd.

I managed to take some photos on my phone, so I hope the quality is OK. 1. From the top of the Wastwater Screes; 2. Ditto; 3. The Scafells and Mickledore (that's the gap like a missing tooth) from Middle Fell; 4. Mr Hardy at the summit of Middle Fell, looking very happy because he should really have been painting the pergola.