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- Looks worse than it is.
As I drove up to the top of Wasdale, Kirk Fell sits nicely ahead above Wasdale Head, with the green path directly to the front aspect of the mountain giving the impression of a pleasant straightforward walk up to the top. I can now honestly say that this direct route is just that little bit more of a challenge than it seems. It is basically an eyeballs-out dash to the top with some challenging terrain in the last quarter!
The route leaves the road by the pub and follows the right hand side of Mosedale Beck for a short distance before heading straight up the fell, soon departing the bridleway which continues along the beck towards Black Sail Pass. As you pass through the gate it is worth reflecting on the fact that the direct route may only be just over a mile to the top from this point, but there are 700 metres of non-stop steep ascent to manage. That seems to indicate a constant gradient of about 40% so be prepared for a good hour of climbing before reaching the first of the two summits.
The catch lies nearer the top of the climb where the delightful green path ends, inviting you to pick a line through a significant shale field. Not wishing to start a rock avalanche I picked a right bearing route to lessen the angle of ascent, choosing some of the larger solid looking rocks to steadily gain height. The looser shale looked tricky even for a pair of trail shoes with a decent tread, so care does need to be taken on this latter section of the climb. The gradient relaxes a bit at the 750m contour, and the summit cairn appears very quickly. The 360-degree views from the top were tremendous, with the mass of Great Gable looking superbly impressive next door.
The path to the second Hewitt top seems like a bit of a cheat after the demands of the big climb. It’s just a case of heading for Kirkfell Tarn before climbing up what can be no more than a 30-metre height gain to the rocky outcrop at the eastern end of the fell.
From here I followed the fence posts down to the ascent of Rib Eye, which was mostly quick but required some nimble footwork on the steeper sections. The path back down to the valley from Beckhead Tarn stays well above the beck, and the descent, initially on a stony path, eventually becomes a grass slope including some steps, as the bridge at the base of the valley descent comes into view. The final short section of the walk includes a promising view of the pub, which is a good motivator providing its late enough in the day to justify a pint.
