Seathwaite and its eponymous Fell, in the pleasant evening light that ended walk 146.
Height: 1970 feet above sea level is the height of the ‘recognised summit’, though there are higher points on the fell’s broad top.
Volume: Book 4 (The Southern Fells)
Date climbed: 19th May 2012 (walk 56)
Bagged as number: 176 out of 330. [ << Brock Crags (175) (177) Scafell Pike >> ]
Seathwaite Fell summit cairn
Route of ascent and descent: Ascended from Seathwaite via ‘Route B’, as depicted on Wainwright’s ascent diagram. Route A, surveyed from below, looked too difficult. Left along the top to Sprinkling Tarn, before going on up Scafell Pike.
What Mr Wainwright says (from page 1 of his chapter): “[Seathwaite Fell] is completely surrounded by much-used pedestrian highways, but the fell itself, with few attractions to compare with those of the greater mountains around, is rarely visited — except by the custodian of the infamous rain gauges, which record, to its shame, that the fell and its vicinity has much the highest rainfall in the country.”
What I say: Seathwaite Fell was not a bad climb, but it is never going to be a well-frequented fell what with far greater attractions on all sides. It was definitely an add-on to the main events of this walk. The view of the Seathwaite valley is quite good, but nothing to warrant a special visit. At least – bearing in mind the comment quoted above – it was dry on the day I visited.
