The Western Fells

I will never forget the day, in October 2004, that I drove to Wasdale Head - my first visit to the Western Fells. I was staying in Keswick and the weather was awful. Richard, the owner of the guest house I was staying at, suggested the Western Fells might have the best weather - so I drove around the North of the Lakes and came into Wasdale Head from the west.

As I drove in, I thought I was wasting my time. The rain was coming down in sheets, buckets and anything else it could find! The wind was up to gale force. But, as I arrived in Wasdale it seemed I had found a pocket of calm amidst all that turmoil. It was still incredibly windy, but the clouds had broken up a little, the rain had stopped and the mountain peaks were in view. And it was awesome. Truly awesome.

It reminded me more of the Scottish Highlands than anywhere else in Lakeland. After all, many of the tallest mountains in England are situated here - Pillar, Steeple, The Scafells (although AW classifies these as a Southern Fell, the quickest ascent of Scafell Pike is from Wasdale), Kirk Fell, Great Gable and let's not forget Yewbarrow.

How could anyone forget Yewbarrow? Its the mountain that greets you as soon as you get alongside Wast Water. Like Etive Mor in Glencoe, it may not be the biggest mountain in the area, but it acts like it is. Rugged and handsome, inviting and yet threatening, it says 'Welcome' and 'Beware' in the same breath. Every time I visit the area, I come away with more photos of Yewbarrow than any other fell. It poses for you. Its south face is awesome, its north face is foreboding. Its eastern flank, about 2 miles in length, is a thing of beauty.

Whichever path you take, the ascent of Yewbarrow is not easy - rocks and scree runs guard every approach and traps, such as Bell Rib in the south face, invite the unwary traveller in only to betray him.

Wainwright called Blencathra a 'mountaineer's mountain', but Yewbarrow deserves its own accolades - certainly a 'photographer's mountain' and especially an 'adventurer's mountain'.

I love this area. It is so vast (in height) and yet so compact. From the head of Wast Water, at the National Trust campsite, the whole valley and many of the summits can be explored without needing to use a car to reach the starting point. The Buttermere fells are also within reach, as is Ennerdale. And the biggest of them all, Scafell Pike, is only a short stroll away. Actually, an arduous clamber up a rocky path, but a short rocky path at less than 3 miles. It's the perfect base for exploring the most incredible area in England (in my opinion) and the pub at Wasdale Head, with its excellent food and fantastic beers, is the place to relax at the end of each day.

Except in summer, the area is usually quiet. I've had whole valleys and mountains to myself. It's the ideal area for the solitary walker seeking peace and quiet, away from the bluster of 'normal' living.

This page is a work in progress. As fells are visited, climbed and photographed, they will be added.

Here's a list of the Western Fells, as Wainwright classified them. Where available, click on the mountain name to read more and see the photos.

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