This walk is from December 2009. It was a cold and frosty day. The ground was frozen and crispy which made for great walking on the grassy parts but it was a bit hairy on the rocky descent.
I had elected to tackle Pillar from Bowness Knott in Ennerdale. The road down from the north can also be a bit hairy in icy conditions but today it wasn't too bad.
The Bowness Knott car park is a good starting point for the Ennerdale Fells or for a gentler walk around the shore of Ennerdale Water.
This was a walk with my dog, Oscar. He emigrated to Australia a bit after this. It's a long story but he's currently enjoying a less active retirement with the in-laws.
"Ok, let's get going"
looking back towards Ennerdale, Angle Crag on the left.
starting to climb now
still climbing - met no other soul yet
I think he's just realised that this is another walk that will
bring out his vertigo
still climbing. Walking on frosty grass, one of the
best things in life (that are free)
that's where we are heading - pretty cold up here, I had
a balaclava and a wooly hat on at this stage
one last look back towards Ennerdale
over Wind Gap and then the final climb to the top before the real fun starts
on top of the world. It's rare to get to the top of a fell
without seeing another person. Bloody cold up here!
that there is Pillar Rock. It's pretty famous. You can't really get up it without climbing gear but you need to go around it on the way down. Conditions were really icy and I took some risks that I probably shouldn't have done. I also had to drag a dog with vertigo along with me which didn't make the journey any easier. If it's not icy, and your dog is ok with heights, this is a really fun route up or down Pillar. The lack of photos is a reflection of the difficulties that I had but we both got down in one piece. Some further links to Pillar and Pillar Rock below:
don't EVER take me there again!
have to try this one day (without Oscar)
starting to run out of light but nearly back to Bowness Knott now
I reckon he's had a good day - what do you think?
route map, check out that descent!
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