Base Brown

Seathwaite, at the end of the road into the head of Borrowdale, is where almost every ascent of Base Brown begins. Parking is on the verge of the lane and fills early at weekends and in summer, so leave room for tractors and field gates. The 78 bus and the seasonal 77 Honister Rambler run from Keswick to Seatoller, at the foot of the lane. Seathwaite is also known as the wettest place in England.

Go through the farmyard, cross the footbridge and climb the stone-pitched path beside Sour Milk Gill, which falls out of the hanging valley of Gillercomb in a chain of cascades. There are a few easy scrambly moves before a gate in the wall. From there you have a choice. The gentle way follows the Gillercomb path to the damp col of Blackmoor Pols and doubles back to the summit. The direct way leaves the path at a small cairn, heads for the foot of the north east crags and follows a clear path under the cliff before zigzagging up steep grass to the ridge. It looks much worse from below than it is. On the rim of those crags sits the Hanging Stone, a large boulder poised as if about to drop. Near the farm, novice rock climbers learn the basics on the Seathwaite Slabs.

The top itself is grass and scattered boulders with a cairn. Higher fells block much of the view, but you see straight down Borrowdale to Derwentwater, Skiddaw and the Helvellyn range, and the north face of the Scafells is close by in the other direction. Green Gable is the obvious next step, and Great Gable beyond it.