Pillar Rock & the Mosedale Horseshoe

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Route: Wasdale Head, Mosedale, Black Sail Pass, High Level Route, Pillar Rock, Pillar, Wind Gap, Black Crag, Scoat Fell, Steeple, Red Pike, Foster Beds, Dore Head, Stirrup Crag, Yewbarrow, Dore Head Screes, Wasdale Head

Date: 19/04/2019
From: Wasdale Head

Parking: Wasdale Head Green
Start Point: Wasdale Head
Region: Western Fells

Route length: 10.6 miles (17km)
Time taken: 09:19
Average speed: 1.3mph
Ascent: 1336m
Descent: 1338m

Wainwrights on this walk:
Pillar (892m), Scoat Fell (841m), Steeple (819m), Red Pike (821m), Yewbarrow (627m)

Additional summits: Pillar Rock (780m), Black Crag (828m), Yewbarrow North Top (Stirrup Crag) (616m)

Other points of interest: Robinson's Cairn, Dore Head

Pillar mountain takes its name from Pillar Rock, a prominent feature on the Ennerdale side of the fell which is often regarded as the birthplace of rock climbing in the Lake District. Pillar Rock itself is a large complex high mountain crag with a great history of classic rock climbing routes. Why am I interested in this you may ask? Well, with 15m prominence from Pillar, Pillar Rock is classed as a Nuttall in its own right. What sets it apart from the other Nuttalls is that it's the only peak you can't simply walk to the top. It's the Nuttalls very own version of the Inaccessible Pinnacle.

The famed Slab and Notch is the shortest and most accessible route to the summit of Pillar Rock. However, it is a Grade 3 scramble with considerable exposure so is perhaps best done roped - which is where my friend Adam comes in. Experienced in the dark arts of rope work, we convened to meet up on a fine Easter weekend day. Throw in the continuation around the Mosedale Horseshoe and you all the makings of a legendary day out.

Great Gable

Mosedale Beck - Pillar beckons

From Wasdale Head we proceeded from the pub, along Mosedale Beck, heading towards the depths of Mosedale itself. After crossing the stream we made our way towards Black Sail pass alongside Gatherstone Beck, taking the opportunity for some frequent water stops. Despite being early April it was very warm, especially in the shelter of the valley.

Mosedale Beck below the slopes of Kirk Fell

Entering Mosedale - Pillar dominates the skyline

Yewbarrow and Dore Head

Mosedale panorama

Scoat Fell and Black Crag at the head of Mosedale

Yewbarrow from Gatherstone Beck

We met the main walker's path a short distance below Black Sail Pass and climbed up to the col. Shortly after starting up the main Pillar ridge, we detoured off onto the High Level Route. The route is actually a climbers traverse to Pillar Rock and is an amalgam of the Climbers Traverse on Bowfell and the Corridor Route to Lingmell Col - both fine routes in their own right.

Climbing to Black Sail

Kirkfell Crags over Black Sail Pass

The view back into Mosedale from Black Sail

Beginning the High Level Route

Ennerdale and the Buttermere ridge

The High Level Route clings to the slopes of Pillar, beneath the main ridge but high above Ennerdale below, hence its name. Despite this, the path is easy to follow (once you get on to it) and isn't as intimidating as it first appears. The path crosses the top of Green Cove and Proud Knott before heading into Hind Cove. A short distance from Hind Cove is Robinson's Cairn.

The High Level Route

The High Level Route

The High Level Route

Hind Cove

Looking back along the High Level Route

Robinson's Cairn is a memorial to John Wilson Robinson, a local man who died in 1907, who pioneered many climbing routes on and around Pillar. While Haskett-smith is regarded as the father of rock climbing (as a sport), Robinson is credited as being an influence on the young man with their lasting partnership achieving some extraordinary feats. A bottle is concealed within the cairn containing a transcript of the memorial speech. The cairn is majestically perched on a rock outcrop in full view of the East face of Pillar Rock, with which his name will always be associated.

Robinson's Cairn and Pillar Rock

That brings me nicely on to Pillar Rock itself, a monumental outcrop of unimaginable proportions. To add a sense of scale, here are some numbers; from base to summit it measures over 600ft or 200m. Still not convinced? That's the equivalent of two Big Bens, stood on top of each other. Now imagine that clinging to a mountainside. That is Pillar Rock. Wordsworth described it as resembling 'some vast building made of many crags' which is as accurate a description as you could wish to find.

The full profile of Pillar Rock

Pisgah, Jordan Gap and Pillar Rock

The Shamrock Traverse can be seen leading towards Pillar Rock

The path continues into Pillar Cove, an immense amphitheatre of dark, towering crags and zigzags up to the foot of the Shamrock Traverse, a section I had been a little bit wary about. Viewed from High Stile, the traverse looks intimidating, clinging to a narrow shelf of rock high above a fall that would equal certain death. In reality, it's much tamer without any real sense of exposure or difficulty

Pillar and Ennerdale

Pillar Cove

The Shamrock Traverse

Climbing the Shamrock Traverse

Pisgah and Pillar Rock

Clambering around to the start of the Slab and Notch route

Once across the traverse, Pillar Rock seems within touching distance and looks tempting and climbable - today we would be. We quickly shuffled down to the foot of the Slab and Notch route and got the gear ready.

The steps at the start of Slab and Notch

Readying the equipment

The Slab and Notch route proceeds as follows. From the first belay, a short climb up some easy steps leads to the top of the slab, a sloping area of flat rock which, on a wet day, may be a tricky proposition. Heading down and across the base of the slab leads to the footing of a steep scramble to the notch, a v-shaped gap between a tall pinnacle and the main bulk of Pillar Rock.

The view down the Slab

Adam belaying from the Notch

The Slab from the Notch

Ennerdale from the Notch

After the notch is a short but exposed ledge leading around to a gully which, after a few technical moves near the bottom, rises easily on towards the top.

The ledge after the Notch

Adam works his way around the airy ledge

The final gully climb to the top

The top of Pillar Rock

Pillar Rock's summit

On the whole, the scrambling is straightforward with the rope adding a measurable sense of assurance. It is possible to do the route unroped, as a group behind us did, though the consequence of a fall would be unfortunate. Not taking any ropes does mean you have to reverse the route back to Jordan Gap to finish. We, on the other hand, could use the abseil.

Adam sets up the abseil

Abseiling is not something I do every day, in fact, the last time I did it was probably 15 years ago off a bridge in the Peak District. Fundamentally, the technique here is the same though the rope work is quite different. Luckily, being a popular route, there was some abseil gear already looped around a rock above Jordan Gap allowing Adam to set up the abseil.

The abseil gear on Pillar Rock

Adam ready to go

Abseiling into Jordan Gap

Once back down in the gap, we scrambled back to the starting point to retrieve our bags before returning to the gap to continue our journey. The final obstacle is little Pisgah. the small outcrop. While the scramble is very short (just one pitch) the first move is quite tricky and perhaps the most challenging we faced all day. Once across the airy ledge, an easier scramble up a short arête leads to the top.

Jordan Gap

The ledge on Pisgah

The abseil route from Pillar Rock

Ennerdale from Pisgah

The Slab and Notch

After reaching the top of Pisgah we were safe to stow the climbing gear as an easy ridge leads back to the walker's path. From here, a steep route leads up the summit of Pillar.

Pillar Rock

The crags of Pillar Cove

High above Pillar Rock

The trig column on Pillar

The weather was absolutely glorious as we made our way across the top of the fell and down to Wind Gap. After a short climb, we crossed the top of Black Crag to reach Scoat Fell. It was surprising how few people we had encountered on our outing - either they were all on Scafell Pike or stuck on the roads trying to get into the Lake District (it was Easter after all). A quick trip out to Steeple on a day like today was a no-brainer.

Blue skies over Pillar

Black Crag over Wind Gap

Mosedale

Pillar and Wind Gap

The cairn on Black Crag

Steeple overlooking Mirk Cove

Steeple

Pillar and Black Crag

Steeple's summit

Returning from Steeple

The ridge joining Steeple to Scoat Fell

Returning to Scoat Fell, we made the gradual descent into the unnamed col which separates it from Red Pike before e a quick visit to the summit of Red Pike. Ahead is a descent to Dore Head though the path is good and it doesn't take too long.

Scoat Fell

The summit of Scoat Fell - the cairn sits atop the wall

Heading towards Red Pike

Red Pike

The undulating ridge of Red Pike

Red Pike's summit

Mosedale and the Scafells from Red Pike

Stirrup Crag

Dore Head and Stirrup Crag

Dore Head

As the afternoon wore on we decided to complete the day with a quick scramble up Stirrup Crag and a trip to the summit of Yewbarrow which lies at the southern end of the fell (though the north top does qualify as a separate Nuttall). Views over Wasdale from this modest fell are superb.

Looking down the Dore Head screes

Dore Head and Pillar at the head of Mosedale

Pillar and Mosedale

Yewbarrow

Yerbarrow's summit

Scafell Pike

Great Gable

Wasdale Head

Wasdale Head

With Adam off investigating a curious runners route up the eastern flank, I decided to return to Dore Head to have a look at the scree route which I have done only once before, several years ago. It turns out the Dore Head screes are in a poor state with most of the scree having been washed out by rain or eroded by visitors. I suspect the storms of 2015 will have played their part. What's left is a steep, unpleasant route to the valley floor. I can't say it comes with the All the Gear endorsement.

Looking down Dore Head

Mosedale

The Dore Head 'scree'

Having safely negotiated the Dore Head descent, it's a short walk back along the valley to the Wasdale Head Inn where I reconvened with Adam for some well-earned refreshment after an epic day out in the fells.