Route: Middle Fell, Seatallan and Buckbarrow
Area: Western Lake District
Date of walk: 26th July 2014
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 6.7 miles
Weather: sunny and very hot, but also hazy with thin cloud
Another hot day was forecast – what a wonderful summer it’s been so far – so for the second day running I could safely leave fleeces and waterproof gear at home. I parked at Greendale, close to the shore of Wast Water, and fuelled by a flapjack and lucozade was soon climbing quickly up the slopes of Middle Fell. There were several false summits but luckily no-one else around to hear my curses
The view of the Scafells from Middle Fell was superb, though it was very hazy and not a good day for photography. I then made my way across to Seatallan, the last section of which involved a relentlessly steep staircase up its grassy slopes
The final fell, Buckbarrow, was attained by descent rather than ascent – an easy stroll down the grassy flanks of Seatallan
I descended Buckbarrow via a narrow path alongside Gill Beck but as with yesterday’s walk it seemed to get hotter and hotter and the final section back to the car, easy in normal conditions, was quite hard in the scorching heat. It had been an enjoyable walk, made memorable by the views of the Scafells and the Wasdale Screes
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The start of the walk at Greendale
The path follows Greendale Gill for a short distance before turning off to Middle Fell on the right
Looking back to Greendale on the right, and across to Wast Water and the Wastwater Screes
Buckbarrow on the right and the Irish Sea in the distance
Summit of Middle Fell looking towards the Scafells
Zooming in on the Scafells, seen at their best from Middle Fell
Looking west to the sea from Middle Fell - a shame it’s so hazy
Next stop Seatallan, middle left of the picture
On the way to Seatallan
The final steep section up the slopes of Seatallan
Looking back to Middle Fell, with Greendale Tarn below
The flat grassy summit of Seatallan looking towards the Irish Sea
Zooming in on Sellafield
The Scafells to the right of the trig point on Seatallan
Looking back up to Seatallan from the descent to Buckbarrow
The knobbly outline of Buckbarrow
Middle Fell, where I’d been earlier, with the Scafells beyond
The cairn on Glade how, slightly north of the summit of Buckbarrow
Buckbarrow
Wast Water and the Scafells from Buckbarrow
Illgill Head and Whin Rigg - the Wastwater Screes
Looking back to Seatallan on the left and Middle Fell on the right
Tosh Tarn on the descent from Buckbarrow
Back down to valley level, there’s a short section along the road
Looking up to Buckbarrow as I pass by its crags
Back to the start at Greendale
