The Wastwater Screes are justly admired as a spectacle from across the lake, but not so frequently climbed. True, the ridge that joins the two Wainwrights, Whin Rigg and Illgill Head, is a hands-in-pockets grassy romp rather than the pinnacled arete that might be imagined from below. But it’s an enjoyable romp, with impressive views to Yewbarrow and Gable, followed by the gloriously rough track that improbably picks its way back along the southern lakeshore. Finally, at the lake-foot, the classic prospect of the dalehead is revealed, with ample opportunities for photographic compositions.
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1
NY1280603844 From the distinctive triangle of roads at Cinderdale Bridge (not to be confused with Cinderdale Common, which is near Crummock Water) cross the bridge south over the River Irt.
2
NY1283603714 Turn left on the track to Easthwaite Farm. Follow this, past the farm for about a kilometre and a half. If you reach the pumping station at the foot of the lake, you've overshot waymark (3) by a couple of minutes.
3
NY1428803721 Turn right to pick up a track onto the open fell. The crags of Whin Rigg rise impressively on your left. Depending on the season, you may see or hear the resident peregrine falcons wheeling the updraughts. The track works its way up the side of the deeply-gashed Greathall Gill to a grassy plateau, with an easy walk to the summit of Whin Rigg.
4
NY1515303429 Follow the escarpment north-eastwards. The terrain is easy but the views are sensational. The drop on your left is as vertiginous as a peregrine's stoop.
5
NY1686804945 From the second summit, Illgill Head, descend broad grassy slopes towards Wasdale Head, picking up the beautiful slanting bridleway down from Burnmoor Tarn.
6
NY1840407157 Turn sharply back on yourself to the left, picking up the shore path. This is a wild ride, with bracken and saplings eking out a precarious existence on chaotic jumbles of rocks.
7
NY1465403900 At the lakefoot, pass the pumping station with its stupendous views up the lake. The word iconic is overused but this prospect, the basis of the Lake District National Park logo, surely qualifies.This has been viewed 1,068 times
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Difficulty: ModerateDistance: 10.30 miles (16.58 km)
Total ascent: 803m
Time: 5 – 6 hours (Walking)
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Additional Information
Start/Finish:Cinderdale Bridge, Nether Wasdale, NY128038
Nearest town:
Nether Wasdale
Terrain:
Steep grassy slopes to a grassy plateau then a rough jumble of boulders along the lakeside.
Public transport:
Parking is a huge issue in Wasdale and it doesn’t take much to create a constriction in the narrow road past the foot of the lake. So this route starts at a slight distance to be considerate.
Guidebooks:
Wainwright Western Fells
Weather and Hill Conditions:
mwis: Lake District – Met Office: Lake District Maps:
OS Explorer 303 (1:25,000), OS Explorer OL6 (1:25,000), Harvey/BMC Lake District (1:40,000), OS Landranger 89 (1:50,000) Directory Listings:
Find more Listings near this route Tourist info:
Sellafield (019467 76510); Egremont (01946 820 693); Seatoller (017687 77294)
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by Norman Hadley
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- Wansfell Pike 16 Aug, 2023
- Walla Crag, Bleaberry Fell and High Seat 4 Jul, 2023
Hmm, the walk back along the Lakeshore. Finally got round to doing it this year. Don't be fooled by the red dotted line on the OS map, this is about as far removed from a footpath as it gets. A necessary but deeply unpleasant experience. Did it with my dog, a very fit labrador. She hated it too.
Agreed it's interminable and unpleasant.
I didn't think the screes were too bad (we did this route the other way round starting from Wasdale, so screes first) but we came across a guy who had taken a tumble after a rock had shifted under him and helped him and his partner to easier ground (luckily the fall had happened very close to the end of the screes)
You're right, Colin, it is very rough. I ran it a couple of years ago, if you can call that ungainly series of convulsions running. I described it to my wife as like trying to run across a scrapyard of broken washing machines and she didn't feel she'd missed out.
I also recall walking it as child of 5 or 6, cowering behind a boulder with my sisters when there was a slither of stones higher up. I can easily imagine a labrador would have difficulty on that terrain - hope there was no lasting damage.
I still love it, though - its a slice of wildness perhaps more Highland than Lakeland.
My advice for crossing the screes is when any sort of path starts to disappear, try and stay on the same level until you come out of the other side. It's very tempting to go up or down in order to find an easier route but you just end up fighting the same scramble on a more vertical axis later on.