Wainwright Routes Seat Sandal

Seat Sandal - Route Two

Start - Mill Bridge NY 335 091

Distance - 2.2 miles

Ascent - 2,090 feet

Time - 2 hours

Mill Bridge, one mile to the north of Grasmere, is the starting point for this walk. A signposted walled lane leads alongside cottages, the start of an ancient bridleway to Patterdale, which climbs by Little Tongue Gill and crosses over Grisedale Hause. There is ample parking in lay-bys a few hundred yards on either side of the bridge

The lane leads to a gate which gives access to a rough track

The bridleway track rises high above the tree-shrouded Tongue Gill

Looking back to Silver How

Looking over to the Greenburn Valley with Steel Fell on the right

Looking back towards Helm Crag and Gibson Knott

The south ridge of Seat Sandal from the bridleway track

Grisedale Hause flanked by Seat Sandal and Fairfield

Looking back to the Vale of Grasmere with Loughrigg Fell on the left

The track levels off then begins to descend to a ford and footbridge over Little Tongue Gill at the base of Great Tongue

On crossing the footbridge there is a choice of paths to Grisedale Hause, straight on over Great Tongue, right to another footbridge over Tongue Gill and a path alongside it, or left keeping with the old bridleway as it climbs to Grisedale Hause via Little Tongue

The old bridleway initially follows the course of Little Tongue Gill

Looking back to the footbridge and ford over Little Tongue Gill

Seat Sandal from the old bridleway

Looking back, the summits of the Coniston Fells appear over the Silver How~Lang How ridge

The old bridleway soon fords Little Tongue Gill and begins to climb along Little Tongue

Looking back from the lower slopes of Little Tongue

The Langdale Pikes across the south ridge of Seat Sandal

Looking back from higher on Little Tongue

On the approach to the top of Little Tongue the bridleway becomes a little indistinct as it makes a rising traverse to gain a shelf which runs above a line of low crags on Hause Riggs

Looking back from the rising traverse

Looking over to Grasmere from the rising traverse

Great Rigg from the shelf above the crags

Crinkle Crags from the shelf above the crags

The bridleway begins to traverse across Hause Riggs, a series of narrow ridges separated by small rills or streams which fall steeply to Tongue Gill

Looking down on Tongue Gill, the path alongside is probably the most popular route (especially with Coast-to-Coast walkers) from Mill Bridge to Grisedale Hause

The Tongue Gill path passes below a series of attractive waterfalls then climbs steeply to join the bridleway

The bridleway descends slightly to meet the Tongue Gill path

The junction of the bridleway and the Tongue Gill path

From the junction the bridleway climbs gently towards a shallow combe below Grisedale Hause

Looking back to the Coniston Fells from the junction

Passing below Gavel Crag

Grisedale Hause appears over the lip of the shallow combe

Fairfield above Hause Moss, the dry bed of an old tarn

The bridleway starts to make a rising traverse over scree and boulders towards Grisedale Hause

Looking up to Gavel Crag which is the most prominent feature on Seat Sandal

Crossing the scree slope, the path is clear throughout its length and has been stone-pitched on its final rise to Grisedale Hause

Approaching the top of Grisedale Hause

Dollywaggon Pike from Grisedale Hause, the bridleway continues along the edge of Grisedale Tarn bound for Patterdale

Looking north-west from Grisedale Hause, the North Western Fells of Eel Crag, Hopegill Head and Grisedale Pike appear between the slopes of Seat Sandal and Willie Wife Moor