Pillar and Kirk Fell

/ 11/05/2023

So our last walk of this visit to the Lake District and our 5th one. Only one walk (the Scafell Pike one) had been a little disappointing. What would this one bring us? The weather was set, as it did on Scafell two days before, to clear as the day went on, hopefully clearing the tops as we arrive. Well the weather delivered and so did the walk. I’d had some trepidation regarding the ascent up Kirk Fell Crags, and depending on the amount of exposure, we may have needed to go around the back of Kirk Fell and head up and down the Rib End way up this fell. However once on the ground, looking up, we seemed to find a way that we coped with whilst not following any of the guides on how to get up. Wainwright Routes said to follow the metal poles, which we certainly didn’t do. But we managed, and for me it was an easier route up than say, the front of Eagle Crag. Like the last walk, this one was full of places I’d wanted to visit and get a good look at. Pillar Rock is one of the finest places in all of Lakeland and looking down towards it was a dream fulfilled. Looking up at Great Napes and Napes Needle on Great Gable was another, Black Sail Pass and the upper parts of Ennerdale all needed to be seen as well. So much in this area and this would be my first and last walk from the Wasdale Head car park on this Wainwright round. Only once have I walked from Brackenclose as well, and another from Overbeck Bridge. The car parking on each of those occasions was easy, this one was Thursday in mid-May and we parked with one other car at 9.30am, don’t let people say its hard to get parking in the Lakes, come in the week its easy. This is a brilliant walk, brilliant place and one to go back to with the boys I’d say.

Start – Wasdale Head parking

Route – Wasdale Inn – Mosedale – Black Sail Pass – Looking Stead – Pillar – Looking Stead – Kirk Fell Crags – Kirk Fell – Rib End – Beck Head Tarn – Gavel Neese – Burnthwaite – St Olafs Church – Wasdale Head

Distance – 9.5 miles    Start time – 9.45am   Time taken – 7hrs 30mins Highest Point – Pillar 892 metres

Weather – Cloud down initially, lifted on route to Pillar then sunshine, drizzle on Kirk Fell but cleared again

© Crown copyright 2023 Ordnance Survey FL 2023 SF
Clouds are down a bit on Kirk Fell and those fells around Mosedale as we set off from Wasdale Head car park, the familiar sight of ‘Inn’ written on the side of the Wasdale Head pub, that I’ve seen on so many pictures, is ahead of me. We’d parked very easily at 9.30am with only one other car, and another that turned up as we booted up. Yes the place is busy at the weekends, but you are battling locals and tourists then, why not come in the week instead.
The packhorse bridge over the River Irt behind the Wasdale Head pub.
Looking back down to the pub with Illgill Head just trying to clear the clouds, and blue skies are above
Into Mosedale and we join the Black Sail Pass. Pillar is ahead of us, up there in the cloud
Stirrup Crag on Yewbarrow looks very steep and shear from down here, the Dore Head Screes come down to the right of Stirrup Crag, a descent route for the brave or insane, you decide.
Looking back out of Mosedale, blue skies above and the higher fells are starting to clear the cloud
Crossing Gatherstone Beck and looking back across to Yewbarrow, cloud lifting further all the time
Linda heading for Black Sail Pass, we will turn left at the top and along that ridge line
A view up to Looking Stead as we near the top of Black Sail
That’s the Black Sail Pass down there, you can come up this way towards Pillar, left down into Ennerdale or up Kirk Fell Crags, which we will attempt later, hopefully. There is also a 4th path around the back of Kirk Fell to Rib End.
Walking the ridge to Looking Stead and views out of Mosedale past Yewbarrow to Illgill Head and fells in the south western corner of The Lakes
The High Stile ridge appears over Ennerdale. High Crag is this end of the ridge with its steep face of Gamlin End
The cloud was up and down at this point, we got one more view down to Mosedale, here, before it went again.
Lots of points along this ascent ridge give you plunging views down the crags into Ennerdale. We’d decided on the straightforward approach to Pillar missing out the High Level Traverse.
A first look at the Pillar summit area with cloud all around but there is hope that it is clearing
Another of those steep drops as the scenery just keeps on giving. High Stile across Ennerdale still in view alongside Pillar Rock peeping around the corner of the sloping flank of Pillar
Looking back to some tremendous mountain scenery. Haystacks, Fleetwith Pike and Dale Head (pointy one) in view one behind each other
Yours truly at Pillar summit
Pillar summit area as the cloud clears
Linda gets started on the lunch with Ennerdale Water in the distance, the dark ridge on the left is Steeple
I took a walk to the northern edge of the summit and looked down on Pillar Rock, sticking up below, it was a tremendous view down to a superb rocky peak
Ennerdale and Ennerdale Water
And a better photo of pretty much the same view, the view down to Pillar Rock is to my right here
Heading down from Pillar now and looking out to Mosedale, Yewbarrow right and the Scafells clearing the cloud with the dip of Mickeldore between the two
Happy selfie after climbing Pillar, Kirk Fell is next up
Looking back up to Pillar with Black Crag sticking up to the left
Cloud swirling around Kirk Fell Crags, Green Gable back left
Linda heading for Kirk Fell Crags, the routes online will tell you to walk to the green arrow, follow the scree/rocky path and then find the metal posts and follow the blue arrows and metal posts. Once we got above the green arrow, the path seemed to head more obviously towards the red arrow and a sandy red coloured groove in the crags which are easily seen. So we went that way, a large rock blocks the groove, but we could see people had headed up left on to the green bank and then up. It worked well for us and kept us away from any rocky exposed sections
When I say it worked well, it was perfect for me, Linda wasn’t convinced but managed with encouragement not to look down. Here Linda is climbing the grassy bank away from the blocking stone. Plunging views behind her
At the top of the little scramble, again Ennerdale and High Stile ridge is in view
Now crossing the summit area of Kirk Fell, Pillar in view to the left with sun on High Stile now and at the back Grasmoor has its head in the cloud
Great Gable looks immense from this side
Bit of zoom to Pillar a magnificent mountain and will go in as one of my favourites, Black Crag left of Pillar, then Steeple peeking up and Scoat Fell furthest left.
Cloud swirling in again as we reach Kirk Fell summit, number 203 for me now, so just 11 to do. 5 in the Eastern fells (St Sunday, Birks, Hartsop Above How, Catstycam and Birkhouse Moor), 2 in the North (Mungrisdale Common and Blencathra), 3 in the South (Grey Friar, Harter Fell and Green Crag) and one in the West (Haystacks), which will be my last.
The Scafell range and some clouds dancing across the summit. A great view to this range from Kirk Fell
If you head that way you will walk steeply down the nose of Kirk Fell and probably roll straight into Ritson’s Bar at the bottom. Wastwater is in view with Illgill Head left and Yewbarrow right. For most of this walk I was looking at Illgill Head and Yewbarrow and commenting how huge Illgill Head looked in comparison, I still think the OS need to get a re-measure on that fell
The path to Scafell Pike is clearly seen from here with a bit of zoom, Scafell Pike left but Scafell looks the far grander fell with Broad Stand looking impassible from here
The area is full of fantastic rock scenery, Great Gable looks superb from here, Great Napes on the right hand side of the fell. Great End is back right and Green Gable back left
We’d walked across the summit of Kirk Fell to descend the Rib End path, an easier ascent and descent than the Kirk Fell Crags route. Beck Head tarns dominated by Great Gable above
The grassy path to the right leads you into the ascent route of Rib End, which follows the slight cleft running bottom right diagonally up to the left
Heading down Gavel Neese and the view down to Wasdale is in front of you, another magic moment on this walk
Another look at it from further down, just a superb way to descend
Back up Gavel Neese to the Great Napes, classic rock climbing territory, where it all began.
As we approached Burnthwaite a very dark ominous cloud passed behind Great Gable, dropping rain in Ennerdale and Mosedale
Great End at the far end of Wasdale, Great Gable up on the left
St Olafs Church, Wasdale. the smallest parish church in England
And inside St Olaf’s
Wasdale Head looking back up to Great Gable, the lower slopes of Lingmell to the right
We decided to add a pint to our quota in the Ritson’s Bar are the end of a fantastic day on the fells. I’ve mentioned lots of possible ‘walks of the year’ already in the first 5 months of 2023. But surely this one will make the list
The classic Wastwater view as we headed away, the sun came out and we were left with a fantastic scene to end the day. Yewbarrow left, Great Gable in the middle and Lingmell to the right. A fine memory to leave The Lakes with. We won’t be back until May 2024 and with a second trip booked for summer 2024, next year will see me finish my final 11 Wainwrights

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9 thoughts on “Pillar and Kirk Fell”

    • I think that the Rib End route would suit you, up and down to Beck Head tarn from Wasdale Head. Rib End is quite a short climb up as most of the ascent is done on the good path up to Beck Head, which has a bit of scree on it at occasions, Rib End is no worse than those parts of the path, and has no exposure on it, unlike Kirk Fell Crags

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    • Tessa there is a much easier alternative to Kirk Fell from Wasdale,do it from Honister Mine along Moses’s Trod then from Beck Head go up Bell Rib and the same way back.You can pick up Haystacks and Fleetwith on the return leg too. Easy to get the bus to Honister in summer as well

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  4. Superb mountain day on a couple of classics. I love the high level traverse route to Pillar but your photos remind just what a great route the “normal” ridge is.
    I’ve descended the Dore Head Screes in my callow youth and confirm it was desperate!
    You not including the “Outlying Fells” in your Wainwright bagging then 🤣

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  5. A great walk 😊.
    Parking in the lake is hard during summer months and after 10 am there is little chance to find space. Driving on the small roads is hard as well during summer especially when people park like s****. We try to go for early walk during summer or we avoid the Lake and go to south Scotland.

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    • The key is avoiding weekends and school holidays, although I have been in The Lakes most of the summer school holidays for the last 12 years, and always managed to park and walk. I would always avoid the busy spots though during the summer, the Far Eastern Fells, Western Fells around Ennerdale and the Northern Fells are good places which less people go to

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