The Screes & Wast Water shore
1
NY128038 (If starting from Nether Wasdale, take the road towards Wast Water, and turn right for Santon Bridge, soon crossing River Irt.) From the car park rejoin the road, and turn right to cross River Irt. At once take a farm track on the left, to Easthwaite. Just before the farm, turn right at a footpath sign, over two stiles to open fell. Turn left on a bracken path, passing above the farm, and then crossing the foot of Greathall Gill.
2
NY142034 Turn up the steep path to left of the gill. At the top, the gill becomes a chasm of granite and grass. At the wide ridge above, turn left on a wide grass path. It runs left of the crest up to a cairn on Whin Rigg, near the Screes cliffs brink.
A more substantial cairn 150m south-east has less exciting views but is probably the true summit.
3
NY150035 A path runs down to level grassland with pools. Before reaching the pools fork left on a smaller path near the brink of the Wast Water drops. The ground steepens up to a first cairn on Illgill Head and summit cairn not far beyond.
4
NY168049 Take the path along the crest of the descending ridgeline, passing a couple of cairns. As the ridge steepens, head down north-east, to pass slightly down left of the broad saddle directly below. After a gate in a wall, the path passes above a plantation and descends with a wall on its left to the climbing club hut at Brackenclose. Pass below the hut to a bridge just before the National Trust car parking.
5
NY183073 The path along Wast Water’s east shore will become a clamber over rocky blocks, taking longer than you expect and almost impossible if darkness falls. So if time is short, continue alongside the car park to the small road down Wast Water’s west shore. But the main route doesn’t cross the bridge ahead. Instead, turn back left on a track to Wasdale Head farm. Below the farm, keep ahead on a small lakeshore path.
6
NY179068 The path is easy at first, a pleasant ramble. Halfway down the lake, it starts crossing bands of stones and scree. Opposite the road junction on the western shore is the more serious rockfield. The large boulders are well jammed together and rough under the foot. But there’s no real path, and the boulders are irregular. So this short section can take half an hour or longer. Walking poles don’t help and are better stowed away. Eventually an easy shoreline path leads on to the lake corner.
7
NY146038 From a hut beside the outflow river, a small track runs beside the river at first, then to Easthwaite farm. Keep round to right of the buildings to join the farm’s access track, and follow it ahead, now retracing the outward walk, to the road bridge over the River Irt.