The Mosedale Horseshoe: Pillar, Red Pike and the Wasdale leftovers

Mosedale runs north from Wasdale Head, and the Mosedale Horseshoe walks the fells around it: Yewbarrow, Red Pike, Scoat Fell, Pillar and Kirk Fell, with Steeple a short spur off Scoat Fell. All six are in the Western Fells. Wainwright ranked it among his dozen best ridge walks in the Lake District, and called the full version "an exhilarating mountain marathon for experienced fellwalkers only".

For a bagger it is worth more than the scenery. On the Wainwright Society's register of completions, Yewbarrow is the fifth most common last fell (53 finishes), Kirk Fell the sixth (47) and Pillar joint ninth (37). On the LDWA register Yewbarrow is third, with 30 finishers. People walk past these fells for years on the way to Scafell Pike and Great Gable, then find them waiting at the end. The full Mosedale Horseshoe clears all three in one day. We looked at why these fells get left in where people finish the Wainwrights.

Which version

There is no single agreed route, and the numbers you see online depend on which fells are in.

• The WalkLakes version. The WalkLakes Mosedale Horseshoe leaves out Yewbarrow and Kirk Fell, which it says makes the round a manageable full day. It goes up to Dore Head, over Red Pike and the edge of Black Crag to Pillar, and down Black Sail Pass. Scoat Fell's summit is a short climb off the path over stones and boulders. It is 17.4 km with 1,104 m of ascent, with a minimum walking time of 5 hours 20 minutes. That bags three Wainwrights, four with Steeple.
• With Yewbarrow. Walking Englishman's round from Overbeck Bridge goes the other way, up Mosedale to Black Sail Pass, over Pillar, Little Scoat Fell and Red Pike, and finishes over Yewbarrow by Stirrup Crag. It is 16.3 km with 1,371 m of ascent, and it suggests 6 to 8 hours. That bags four.
• The full round. Add Kirk Fell from the top of Black Sail Pass and Steeple from Scoat Fell for all six. We haven't found a reliable published figure for this version, so plan it as longer and harder than either of the above.

Where to start and park

There is no bus into Wasdale, so this is a car start for most people.

• Overbeck Bridge (NY 167 068) is a small car park on the shore of Wast Water, at the foot of Yewbarrow's south ridge and the path to Dore Head. It is the best start if Yewbarrow is on your list.
• The National Trust Lake Head car park (NY 182 075) is about 1.5 km up the road. WalkLakes says it has been extended and resurfaced, with plenty of space and toilets.
• Wasdale Head village green (NY 186 084) is closest to Black Sail Pass and Kirk Fell.

Clockwise or anticlockwise

Clockwise, from Overbeck, you climb Yewbarrow's south ridge by Dropping Crag and Great Door first, drop off its north end at Stirrup Crag to Dore Head, then go over Red Pike, Scoat Fell and Pillar and come down Black Sail Pass. It gets the big climbing done early, and Kirk Fell comes last if you add it.

Anticlockwise, as Walking Englishman does it, you walk up Mosedale to Black Sail Pass, go over Pillar, Scoat Fell and Red Pike, and finish by climbing Stirrup Crag onto Yewbarrow. That puts the scramble on the way up, where Walking Englishman calls it a thrilling short scramble. Coming down Stirrup Crag is harder. The direct way down involves some scrambling over awkward cracks, and WalkLakes avoids it on its Yewbarrow walk by a narrow trod to the left just before the crag. Reversing exposed rock is harder than climbing it, so if Stirrup Crag is the bit you are unsure about, go anticlockwise.

The tricky bits

• Stirrup Crag and Great Door. Both ends of Yewbarrow count as Grade 1 scrambles. At the south end, pitched zigzags lead to a steep gully between Dropping Crag and Bell Rib, and an informal path through the crags avoids the scramble. At Great Door the ridge is narrower than you expect.
• Dore Head. WalkLakes calls the scree straight down into Mosedale from here infamous. Don't plan to use it.
• Red Pike's summit. The cairn sits right on the brink of the Mosedale crags. Just before it is The Chair, a stone wind shelter shaped like an armchair.
• Wind Gap. Between Scoat Fell and Pillar, WalkLakes flags awkward boulders. Another infamous scree path drops into Mosedale here.
• Kirk Fell from Black Sail Pass. The path climbs the western side of the fell by a loose scree gully with a couple of chockstones that need care. Coming off Kirk Fell, the direct south-west slope to Wasdale Head is 2,000 feet of grass and scree with almost nowhere to rest, so going back down to Black Sail Pass is the kinder finish.
• Water. WalkLakes says the head of Over Beck, just before Dore Head, is the last place to pick up water until you are on the way down Black Sail Pass.
• Terrain. WalkLakes rates it challenging, with hands on rock, steep loose scree, wet ground and waist-high bracken in summer.

Escape routes

This is not a round with many easy ways off.

• Black Sail Pass is the reliable one. From the top, a gravelled path heads down past Gatherstone Beck and along the side of Kirk Fell to the Wasdale Head Inn. If you are running late on Pillar, this is where to drop.
• Before Dore Head, turn back the way you came.
• The scree paths from Dore Head and Wind Gap go straight into Mosedale, but WalkLakes describes both as infamous. Treat them as a last resort, not a plan.

Shorter ways to bag the same fells

If a six-fell day is too much, split it by valley.

• Yewbarrow on its own. The WalkLakes circuit from Overbeck climbs by Great Door and Bell Rib and drops over Stirrup Crag to Dore Head: 6.7 km with 592 m, a minimum of 2 hours 19 minutes.
• Kirk Fell with Great Gable. The WalkLakes round goes up Black Sail Pass, over both of Kirk Fell's tops, down to Beck Head and up Great Gable, back by Sty Head. About 13 km with nearly 1,100 m of ascent.
• Steeple and Scoat Fell from Ennerdale. The WalkLakes round from Bowness Knott (NY 109 153) goes over Steeple, Scoat Fell, Haycock and Caw Fell: 17.9 km with 1,034 m.
• Pillar from Wasdale Head, up Mosedale to Black Sail Pass and along the east ridge over Looking Stead. The High Level Route across the Ennerdale face, past Pillar Rock, is an alternative for walkers with a steady head and dry rock.

Getting there without a car

There is no bus into Wasdale. If you are travelling without a car, look at Wainwrights by bus for Western Fells you can reach from a bus stop, or bag Steeple and Scoat Fell from the Ennerdale side instead.

How it fits a Wainwright round

Wasdale is a long drive from Keswick and Ambleside, so every trip should count. The full horseshoe takes three of the fells people most often leave until last, plus Red Pike, Scoat Fell and Steeple. Pair it with a day for Great End and Lingmell, and a day for the Greendale fells, and Wasdale's awkward leftovers are done. Our guide to the hardest Wainwrights to bag has a plan for each, and the Wasdale guide covers the rest of the valley.

For more long days that string summits together, see Wainwright ridge walks. Check the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) forecast, and carry a map and compass. Upfell is a free iPhone app that keeps your list of bagged fells for you.