summit and camp: glaramara

Friday, February 24, 2017

A Bessyboot Bimble & some Geology

Date: 24th Feb 2017
Start/Finish: Seatoller
Wainwrights: Rosthwaite Fell (Bessyboot)
Distance: 7 Miles
Height Gained: 2746 feet
Time Taken: 5 Hours

The route: Clockwise from Seatoller

This walk was about snatching the one fine day amongst a maelstrom of recent grim weather. Storm Doris struck yesterday and today was a lull before the wind and rain returned. A quick perusal of the 'outstanding Wainwrights' revealed a few stragglers that needed ticking off. Fleetwith Pike and Rosthwaite Fell were good candidates and the latter was closer. I wanted to be done and dusted my mid afternoon when the grim weather was forecast to return, so it was a 5am alarm for a 7:30 start.

Seatoller

I parked at Seatoller and headed up the path by Comb Gill, pausing by the waterfalls to take in the impressive scenery.

Comb Gill waterfalls

Looking back towards the 'Jaws of Borrowdale' and Derwent Water

The path steepens as it climbs up towards Bessyboot (Rosthwaite Fell) and the views open up over towards the Seathwaite Fells which were all capped with snow.

Glaramara over 'The Combe'

Spectacular views from Bessyboot summit

Tarn at Leaves with Rosthwaite Cam beyond

From Bessyboot it's a pathless meander down to 'Tarn at Leaves' and then steeply up onto Rosthwaite Cam with a real scramble to get up onto the summit of the Cam itself.

Rosthwaite Cam views westwards to Dale Head and Seatoller far below ...

... and northwards towards Borrowdale ...

... and eastwards over to Ullscarf

Rosthwaite Cam views over 'The Combe' to Glaramara

For any budding Geologists 'The Combe' is one of the Lake Districts finest examples of a glacial hanging valley. It looks like a huge spoon has scooped a bowl shaped depression out of the side of Glaramara but it is of course formed by glacial erosion. Hanging valleys are formed when a smaller valley (which erodes more slowly) meets a larger glaciated valley (which erodes more quickly). The hanging valley is found perpendicular to and above the main valley and often forms spectacular waterfalls as streams from the overhanging valley spill into the main valley below. The waterfalls of Comb Gill are great example of this as they tumble downwards to feed into the River Derwent in the Borrowdale valley.

Steeps crags (truncated spurs) form the sides of hanging valleys and are perfectly illustrated here by Bessyboot and Thornythwaite Fell respectively.

Glaramara and the Borrowdale valley as seen from Grange Fell

My walk was essentially a horseshoe route circumventing The Combe. It's a great route to appreciate the geology of the region.

The Combe from the flanks of Glaramara

Zoomed in on Derwent Water

The steep crags of Glaramara

Looking back over to Bessyboot from the apex of the horseshoe route ...

... and over to Fleetwith Pike

The Borrowdale valley from Thornythwaite Fell

Looking over towards Green Gable et al

The Combe - Lakelands finest glacial hanging valley ...

... complete with waterfalls ...

,,, and spectacular views to the main Borrowdale valley below

Thanks for reading.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Glaramara & Great Gable from Seatoller

Date : June 29th 2011
Start/Finish : Seatoller
Wainwrights : Glaramara, Allen Crags, Great Gable, Green Gable, Brandreth, Grey Knotts
Distance : 10.5 Miles
Height Gained : 4400 feet

The route : anticlockwise from Seatoller

This is a great circular route which weaves its way around some of the most impressive Lakeland scenery before culminating at Great Gable (2949 feet), the ultimate vantage point from which to survey the very best of the Cumbrian fells.

The walks starts at Seatoller, a small village at the head of the Borrowdale valley and the foot of the Honister Pass. The route heads up Glaramara along a good path which reveals ever more impressive views with every step towards the summit.

Views back over the Borrowdale Valley

The glacial hanging valley at Combe Head

Looking over Base Brown to Fleetwith Pike & Dale Head

The summit of Glaramara is a long rocky plateau with a few small tarns dotted along the wide ridge. It occupies a great position overlooking the Seathwaite and Langstrath valleys with spectacular views east towards the Langdale Pikes, west to Great Gable and south towards Bowfell & Great End.

Glaramara summit panorama west


Glaramara summit panorama east

Lincomb Tarn with Bowfell and Esk Pike behind

Great Gable & Green Gable

Glaramara then morphs into Allen Crags which is really just a rocky pimple between Glaramara itself and Esk Hause. It is one of those fells which has questionable merits to justify its inclusion into the 214 although it does undoubtedly occupy prime position from where to admire Great End.

The aptly named 'Great End' from Allen Crags

Esk Hause

Great Gable and Sprinkling Tarn complete with wild campers

As usual, there was the usual smattering of tents beside Sprinkling Tarn. These folk obviously forgot about the wild camping etiquette of 'pitching only when the last of the day hikers are off the fells and pack up before they return'.

The mighty Great Gable

Piers Gill and Lingmell from Sty Head

Broad Crag and Scafell Pike from Sty Head

Styhead Tarn from the ascent path up Great Gable

The path up to Great Gable is a steep slog but the effort is well worth it. Great Gable summit views are just stunning in all directions.

Great Gable summit panorama east

Great Gable summit panorama west

Kirk Fell & Pillar from Great Gable

The Scafells from Great Gable

Haystacks, High Crag and Crummock Water from Great Gable

Allen Crags over Sprinkling Tarn from Great Gable

Views down to Wastwater from the Westmoreland Cairn

After spending 45 minutes exploring the summit it was time to move on. The steep decent to Windy Gap is an awkward affair on loose stone. There is a path of sorts but it is in poor condition and is no doubt on the radar of the 'fix the fells' team.