Steeple - Route One

 

Start - Bowness Knott NY 110 153 Distance - 4.3 miles Ascent - 2,450 feet Time - 2 hours : 55 minutes

 

 

The Forestry Commission car park at Bowness Knott is the starting point for this walk
The road onward from the car park is not open to public traffic - pedestrians excepted
Looking over to Crag Fell and Anglers' Crag
Steeple comes into view as the road descends to run alongside Ennerdale Water
Large areas of the old conifer plantations are being cleared as part of the Ennerdale Rewilding Project which have opened up the views to the fells on the western side of the lake
Crag Fell across Ennerdale Water
Looking up to Great Borne
Anglers' Crag
Haycock and Little Gowder Crag across Ennerdale Water
Pillar and Steeple from Char Dub at the head of Ennerdale Water on the approach to Irish Bridge
Irish Bridge over the River Liza
Pillar From Irish Bridge
A fenced lane leads on across fields to a locked gate on the other side of the valley
The fields were once the site of a large medieval settlement and are a Scheduled Ancient Monment
A pedestrian gate beside the locked gate gives access to the forest road on the south side of the valley.  Turn left from the gate and continue along the road for 250 yards to cross a bridge over Woundell Beck
Looking over towards Starling Dodd and Little Dodd from the forestry road
Red Pike, High Stile and High Crag from the forestry road
Woundell Beck from the bridge
A gate on the right gives access to an old drove way which is about 180 yards from the Woundell Beck Bridge
Looking down the lower part of the drove way
The drove way was left unplanted to enable sheep to be brought down from the high fells when the Ennerdale forest was created a hundred years ago.  A similar one exists on the other side of the valley beside Gillflinter Beck
Little Dodd and Red Pike from the drove way
Starling Dodd and Little Dodd
Ennerdale Water from the drove way
Herdus and Great Borne above the trees of the Ling Mell Plantations
Higher up, the drove way becomes much wider and begins to turn towards the east as it approaches an old intake wall
Starling Dodd from the old intake wall
Ennerdale Water from the old intake wall
Herdus and Great Borne over Latterbarrow which has been stripped of much of its tree cover
Looking down the drove way and the old intake wall. The climb becomes much rougher above the wall amidst boulders and lank heather. The path veers left, close to the post and wire fence, as it rises to the top of the Ling Mell Plantations
Ennerdale Water from the top of the Ling Mell Plantations
Haycock and Little Gowder Crag come into view on reaching the top of the plantations
We cross a stile over the fence which encloses the woodland around Deep Gill and Woundell Beck
Herdus, Great Borne and Starling Dodd from the stile
Ennerdale Water from the stile
Pillar and Steeple come into view as the path rises over the western slopes of Lingmell
Looking over towards Great Scoat Fell and Tewit How with Haycock and Little Gowder Crag above Great Cove on the right
Pillar and Scoat Fell above Mirklin Cove
Approaching the top on Lingmell
A huge boulder marks the start of the long descent to Low Beck
Looking over towards Tewit How
Descending towards Low Beck
Haystacks near the head of the Ennerdale Valley
Approaching the crossing point over Low Beck
High Stile and High Crag from near Low Beck
The crossing point over Low Beck
Mirklin Cove from Low Beck
The north ridge of Steeple from Low Beck
Great Borne and Starling Dodd from Low Beck
Starting the climb to the north ridge
The broad lower part of the ridge is steep, a fair path leads up through the heather to a line of cairns on the upper slope which is strewn with boulders
Looking down to Low Beck 
The angle of the slope eases a little as the middle section of the ridge comes into view defended by a band of crags
Dale Head and Fleetwith Pike framed between the slopes of High Crag and Pillar
The path approaches the band of crags and climbs them via an easy gully
Little Gowder Crag and Caw Fell over the Tewit How ridge
The summit of Steeple comes into view along the escarpment of Long Crag
Blake Fell appears over the col between Great Borne and Starling Dodd
Little Gowder Crag and Caw Fell across Mirklin Cove
The path crosses a wide grassy depression beyond the crags and bears left towards the escarpment 
An easy grass rake leads up from the col through a wide belt of rock outcrops
Looking over towards Wind Gap and Black Crag
Higher up the path turns to to avoid some low crags and comes alongside the edge of the escarpment high above Mirk Cove
Great Scoat Fell with Haycock and Little Gowder Crag over Tewit How on the right
Ennerdale Water from the north ridge
Red Pike and High Stile from the north ridge
On the edge of the escarpment which gives some dramatic views over Windgap Cove and Mirk Cove
Black Crag across Mirk Cove
Pillar across Windgap Cove
Starling Dodd across Ennerdale from the top of the Long Crag escarpment
A final rock pinnacle is turned on the right on the approach to the summit
Looking over Mirklin Cove to Haycock, Little Gowder Crag and Caw Fell
Ennerdale Water over Lingmell
Pillar and Black Crag across the face of the pinnacle
The final slope leading up to the summit of Steeple
The summit dome of Great Gable appears over the headwall of Mirk Cove
Walkers descending the north ridge
The summit cairn on Steeple
The connecting ridge to Scoat Fell
Great Scoat Fell and Haycock across Mirklin Cove from the summit of Steeple
Little Gowder Crag, Caw Fell and The Side from the summit of Steeple
Ennerdale Water from the summit of Steeple
Great Borne, Gavel Fell, Blake Fell and Starling Dodd across Ennerdale
The summit of Grasmoor appears over the ridge between Red Pike and High Stile
Skiddaw and Blencathra on the horizon
Pillar from the summit of Steeple
Great Gable and the Scafells over the headwall of Mirk Cove

 

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