Ennerdale skyline
1 NY109153 Head up the track towards Ennerdale Youth Hostel. After the lake ends, take a bridge across the Char Dubs (stream), following the track to a coniferous plantation where you may see red squirrels.
2 NY130138 Follow the track until it fades into a grassy area, then bend left up a narrower path near the Woundell Beck. At a clearing, fork left and briefly back into woodland on a surprisingly rough path to a footbridge over the beck.
3 NY131133 Don’t cross a second footbridge but take a narrow path up the ridge between the bridges. Cross a stile into a ‘ V’ of fencing’s interior, where there is the first of many stunning panoramic views over Ennerdale. Continue up the open moorland ridgeline, striking off-path at a cairn to keep to the ridgeline.
4 NY135111 Veer left to cross the Ennerdale boundary wall at a stile. Roughly follow the wall leftwards (passing right of a rocky outcrop) to ascend the blocky summit of Haycock, veering left over rocks to the summit cairn. 5 NY144107 Stay right of the wall in descent. The rocks soon give way to a broad, grassy ridge leading to Scoat Fell.
6 NY155112 Cross the wall via a stile and follow cairns over a short grassy spur to the rocky col and craggy outlier of Steeple.
NY157116 Return to 7 the main ridgeline, then pass the cairn atop Scoat Fell. Roughly follow a crumbly drystone wall; it’s surprisingly blocky over the 828m top and the descent to Wind Gap’s col is entertainingly rocky. A mix of grass and scree now leads to Pillar’s top.
8 NY171120 Head south-east, roughly following a line of rusty fence posts (beware of crags and headlands on Pillar’s south and east flanks). Skirt right of Looking Stead’s grassy pyramid and descend to the deep col between Pillar and Kirk Fell. NY191114 Turn left 9 to take the Black Sail Pass into Ennerdale. There’s a short rocky slab to descend at NY196116.
10 NY197120 Cross a footbridge and turn left onto a good path; it becomes a vehicle track at Black Sail YH. Follow it to a gate then fork right onto the Scarth Gap Pass (pitched path leading diagonally up the hillside).
11 NY189133 At Scarth Gap turn left onto the pitched path up Seat. This runs just east of the top then descends gently to a grassy col. The ascent up Gamlin End looks rough, but the pitched path saves most of the scree.
12 NY180140 At High Crag’s summit, the route becomes a narrower ridgeline with a gentle descent then a briefly steeper rise onto High Stile. Beware crags to the right along this narrow ridge as you roughly follow the fence line.
13 NY168147 Bend gently right to the grassy plateau atop High Stile. Detour to the north-east ridge for the true summit (1m higher), otherwise roughly follow old fence posts to the western top then easily across the slight col towards Red Pike. Bend right for the summit. 14 NY160154 The descent is hard to locate, so look for White Pike (small outcrop to the south). Take a line roughly halfway between this and the more obvious path to Little Dodd. A line of small cairns then a faint path soon appear; follow these roughly aiming for the head of Ennerdale Water. The path runs beside then crosses a beck, before descending a grassy tongue between stands of forestry.
15 NY145141 Exit the grass onto the main valley track and turn right to head back to the start.