A Mosedale Horseshoe

From the National Trust car park return to the road through Wasdale and turn left to head westwards. Yewbarrow is the fell on your right whose steep slopes fall down to the road, and ultimately into Wast Water.

Go along the road for approx 1.5km (0.9 miles) and just before reaching Over Beck Bridge bear right into the car park. Exit at the far end taking the narrow path through gorse and bracken, which soon starts climbing steeply to a kissing gate. Go through and continue on the stone pitched path. If you have a dog you might want to take a left turn at the lower gate to the 'cattle gate' at the bottom of the steep ridgeline.

Cross the fence above, which runs down the middle of the ridgeline, at the step stile. No provision for dogs but Jessie did find a way to slip underneath. Continue climbing, ignore a turning on the left. Climb a short rocky step, and near the ladder stile over the wall to the right, bear left.

In a few metres when the path splits take the left branch which keeps straight ahead.

The path is clear of the waist high summer bracken for a while before it returns a little less vigorously. The gradient is easier now, meandering along a gently rising fellside path. Go through a gate in a wall and continue along to, eventually, the saddle of Dore Head.

Just before the saddle, the head of Over Beck is the last place to pick up water until on the way down Black Sail Pass.

On Dore Head, ahead is the steep drop down the infamous scree to Mosedale. Beyond is the view to the Black Sail pass with Pillar to the left, and Kirk Fell to the right. Up to the right is Stirrup Crag which is one of the ways down from Yewbarrow.

To the left is Red Pike.

On Dore Head, turn left, and join the path that soon materialises heading north west. After a couple of rocky steps and a little rough ground, with a small crag blocking the way the path bears right a little to an easy rocky gully climbing right to left behind. At the top continue on the path.

Mostly following quite close to the edge of the crags the path climbs the rocky ground without any difficulties of note. On the end of what might be called the summit area, a large cairn is actually The Chair looking out over the landscape.

Continuing on thin grass the path keeps left of the summit itself, so keep near the top of the crags.

The summit cairn of Red Pike is sat precariously on the very edge of the crags with not enough space to walk around it!

From Red Pike's summit cairn, continue on along the edge of the crags. Another small cairn effectively marks the end of the summit area, where a bit of a swing left and then right is required.

A clear path soon materialises and sweeps right along the top of the crags above Black Combe. Descending to the depression, a small cairn beside the path above a gully heading into the combe is the escape route from the end of Mosedale which sneaks past Blackem Head crag.

Starting to climb again the major, but narrow, well used path swings right to Black Crag. If you wish to visit Scoat Fell then you need to turn left off the path to ascend the stony ground and boulders to its summit.

The summit cairn of Black Crag sits in a patch relatively clear from the boulders on the next section.

From the cairn on Black Crag keep heading eastwards each step revealing a little more of the way down to Wind Gap. Only at the last moment will the steepness of the descent be revealed. Large awkward boulders block the direct way to the saddle, just to the right slightly easier scrambling over the blocks can be found. Join the path which materialises off the end of the boulders.

Cross Wind Gap, an infamous scree path departs into Mosedale to the right at a cairn. It is not a pleasant descent but can be an escape should you be desperate! Start the climb to Pillar.

At the bottom of the rough slope the path bears right, and then a few metres along before turning left to zigzag upwards. After the first right turn there are many paths that branch out as people seek the easiest, to them, line. Pick what you are happiest with and go for it. Above, as the gradient eases the paths gather together and head for the trig point at the summit of Pillar.

If you take a few steps north from the trig Pillar Rock will come into view.

From the trig point and cairn on Pillar turn right and start heading south east. A clear path starts descending, old rusting fence posts accompany you down the ridgeline. With Mosedale to the right and Ennerdale to the left the old fence followed the crest of the ridge, either follow the undulations of the ridge or the traverse paths which generally avoid climbing again.

There is really nowhere to go other than down the ridge to the crossing point of Black Sail Pass. A small tarn sits beside the path just before reaching the saddle, it holds water through most summers.

On the saddle is a large cairn.

Reaching the large cairn at the top of Black Sail Pass, turn right to descend initially on a gravelled path heading roughly south west. The upper reaches of Gatherstone Beck appear to your left, a short section of stone pitched path drops steeply. After which the path deteriorates becoming just another rough mountain path.

Reaching Gatherstone Head the path zigzags sharply then turns left to cross Gatherstone Beck at a ford. Continue on the path as it descends into Mosedale and swings left along Kirk Fell's side.

Go through a gate and follow on alongside the wall. Turn right to pass through another gate dropping into the back of the Wasdale Head Inn. Turn left between buildings to the front of the hotel and then right to the road. Return along the road to the car park.