Day 1: The Screes

The hills in this walk are Illgill Head and Whin Rigg - but the highlight of the route is the low level scramble along the eastern shore of Wastwater, below the famous screes. Apart from the precipitous crags above the lake, the hills are unexceptional, apart from some fine views.

Level with the foot of the lake, a path descends beside Greathall Gill, and then joins the lakeside path. The route now runs a little above the waterline, up here and down there, sometimes firm, sometimes a little bit loose, sometimes crossing huge boulders - the sort of walk where time passes quickly. All too soon we were back to "normal" paths, and making our way back to the campsite.

Time for a clean-up, and a well earned pint at the Wasdale Head Inn, where the "biggest liar" was once the landlord....

Day 2: Gable traverse

Not a great day for the tops - cloudy and threatening rain - so we aimed for Sty Head, there taking the path which skirts around Great Gable, an ideal pursuit for a grey day. There are some similarities to the previous day's wandering, only with far more ups and downs....

We skirted the steep scree slopes above Wasdale until we gained the Moses' Trod path, and at Beck Head took the path towards the summit. The weather had improved a little, but there weren't any views to be had from the top. So we dropped back to Windy Gap, thence down Aaron slack to Sty head, and retraced our steps back to Wasdale Head.

Day 3: Mosedale horseshoe

A fine day can be had by traversing the fells which form a horseshoe shape around Mosedale, which branches off Wasdale at Wasdale Head. On gaining the ridge, the path then turns towards Pillar, the highest point of the walk. Two routes are possible - we took the "alternative", the High Level route which contours below the ridge, high above the Ennerdale forests, before ascending steeply beside Pillar Rock.

It's all downhill from here! But first - lunch. There isn't too much grass on Pillar's summit - I seem to recall my colleague being harassed by a hungry sheep (it must have thought he was a soft touch).

Sufficiently fuelled, we dropped gently down towards Scoat Fell, then turning sharp left we gained the last side of the horseshoe via Red Pike, to Dore Head, descending here via the scree run back to Mosedale.

An excellent day - in fact an excellent three days, despite the skies never really clearing...