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There are several interpretations of a horseshoe walk around Ennerdale, but I chose to follow as closely as possible the route used by the annual fell race. I did the walk with our friend Lynda to whom I am grateful for taking these photographs.
We set off from Bleach Green car park just after 6am and soon reached the outflow of Ennerdale Water with Great Borne our first objective in the distance.
Looking back to Crag Fell, our final objective, with our starting point at the end of the lake on the right of the photo.
After Great Borne we skirted round the North side of Starling Dodd where it started raining. The view back reveals Mellbreak, Whiteside and Grasmoor with Crummock Water.
Up onto Red Pike (Buttermere) where the Loweswater fells can be seen in the far distance with Hen Comb and Mellbreak a little nearer - Loweswater and Crummock Water.
Here we are on Red Pike summit where the rain has stopped for the time being.
We skirted round High Stile on the Ennerdale side which produced this view up the valley to Green and Great Gables, Kirk Fell and Pillar, with the Scafells beyond.
Route finding proved difficult after this point but we eventually managed to regain the ridge before High Crag summit. View from High Crag to Hindscarth, Dale Head and Fleetwith Pike with the Helvellyn range on the horizon.
From High Crag looking up the valley our route went over Seat and Haystacks with the Gables now in cloud but Kirk Fell just clear.
Route finding from the Eastern shore of Blackbeck Tarn towards the fence proved interesting. Then across Moses Trod to Gillercomb Head and up the ridge to Green Gable. View from Green Gable down Ennerdale with Haystacks in centre, Buttermere and Crummock (Gerald the giraffe courtesy of Lynda on cairn).
Time for 10 mins rest and more food on Green Gable at about 1 pm.
Looking across to Great Gable from Green Gable - our route misses out Great Gable by descending Windy Gap to Moses Trod then left up to Beck Head.
View down Wasdale to Wastwater from Beck Head.
Up onto Kirk Fell summit next was no problem but the descent is more "interesting." I opted for the scree gully rather than follow the fence posts but had no experience of traversing either despite previous visits looking up and down them. The scree moves freely with every step and then halfway down is a drop of about 8 feet which we had to get round by using narrow rocky ledges on the left. This took quite some time and I can't recommend this route! And it had started raining by this point.
No wonder I was looking happier by the time we reached Pillar summit at about 5pm with the sun starting to come out. By then I knew we had cracked it with only 7 miles to go.
From then on the weather improved immensly and we had a beautiful still warm sunny evening. The descent off Pillar to Wind Gap is unpleasant underfoot but then good clambering over boulders onto Scoat Fell. More grass underfoot meant better pace with only the stony top of Haycock to slow us down. Skirting round Caw Fell and following the wall over Iron Crag seemed to go on for ages and I was not looking forward to the last climb up Crag Fell. But I guess the adrenaline kicks in and knowing you are nearly there helps. The view back up the valley to see our route was fabulous in the sunny evening.
And here we are on Crag Fell.
The steep descent of Crag Fell was a real pull on the leg muscles on the way back to Bleach Green.
A nice note on my car windscreen from my wife saying "food and beers ordered in the Fox and Hounds Ennerdale Bridge" completed a great day.
