Seat Sandal & Fairfield
1
NY336075 From Emma’s Dell café in the centre of Grasmere, head north-east up Broadgate Road, then left onto Easedale Road. After roughly 600m the road crosses the Easedale Beck, then turn right just before the ‘dead-end’ sign onto a narrow lane. This winds its way out past an untidy farm and a great view (over the valley floor to Stone Arthur and the flanks of Fairfield) to a road junction.
2
NY334091 Turn right and cross the bridge. Follow this lane out to the A591 just north of the Travellers Rest pub. Cross the main road with care, and up a steep stony farm track on the far side, with a waterfall gorge down to the right.
3
NY337095 After about 400m, bear left into fields near a barn, passing through a small gate with an Access Land roundel. Head uphill to the ridgeline, then up right (with a wall to the right) onto more open hillside. Continue uphill through grassy fields roughly northwards, passing through a few gates on the way. This gradually becomes open grassy fellside – the path becomes very faint and vague in places. At a little shoulder (470m contour) the ridge turns northeast, then bends more eastwards, rising up past a couple of cairns to the stony summit of Seat Sandal.
4
NY344115 Follow left of the wall line down to Grisedale Hause, there’s a steep loose section towards the bottom, but fortunately this doesn’t last too long. Now continue steeply up the far side, on a pitched path towards Fairfield. This is gentle enough to start with, but suddenly becomes steeper higher up, then passes many cairns on Fairfield’s summit. Head for the big shelter cairn to find the summit!
5
NY358117 Head directly south from this, making sure you end up on the southerly ridge following cairns beside a wide path towards Great Rigg.
6
NY355104 Pass the cairn at Great Rigg, then after about 120m, fork right at a sprawling cairn to descend the grassy south-westerly ridge. Take care here, this fork is very easy to miss! Descend about 1km on a grassy ridgeline punctuated with outcrops.
7
NY347093 By Stone Arthur, the path turns down left (southeast), not as the right of way line shown on maps. Stone Arthur itself, is a small, unmarked raise, and unless you’re determinedly seeking it out, you’ll probably be fairly oblivious to the ‘summit’ itself as the path determinedly takes you away from the ridge near it! The path then contours back right on steeper ground, then down into the top of the Greenhead Gill valley through bracken.
8
NY347086 The path now becomes clear as it bends sharp right to vaguely contour across the hillside – it can be boggy in places and there’s a side-stream to cross which can be exciting if it’s in spate! It then drops down beside forestry to a junction of paths by Greenhead Gill.
9
NY343084 Continue descending, now on tarmac, beside the gill, and out to a country lane. Turn left along this and down to a staggered junction by the Swan Inn. Cross the busy main road with care to the road opposite and take this back into the centre of Grasmere.