Walk                           :  Glaramara (2,560 feet) from Seatoller via Thornythwaite Fell

Date                           :  12th August 2017

Weather                    :  Cloudy, Dry @ 14°C – very cold and windy on top

 

Distance                   :  6 miles round trip

Time Taken              :  2 hour 40 mins to summit, @ 6 hours in total

 

Which part of Lakeland is this walk situated

 

Terrain Overview

 

Overview

 

The weather forecast predicted that this weekend would be the best weather for the coming week, having not been up to Lakeland for a full three weeks, withdrawal

symptoms were beginning to kick in so we decided on a day jaunt and chose Glaramara with the option of Allen Crags ridge walk. Situated in the beautiful Borrowdale

Valley this climb is quite typical of fells in the area where you don’t really see the object you are climbing until well into the walk. We had climbed Blencathra three

weeks prior and Glaramara is some 300 feet smaller but in truth, Blencathra was by far the easier fell to climb than this.

 

The terrain was hard going in parts and the route sometimes pathless over very boggy ground, its not a fell I would recommend to do in mist, but there can be no doubt

that its geographical position amongst all the “big uns” make this a summit that really should be visited

 

 

The National Trust car park at Seatoller is the start point for this walk, at the time of writing this it cost £7.50 for a full days parking

 

 

Out of the car park and turn left to head down the road walking past the rather magnificent Glaramara Country House and grounds on your left

 

 

After about a quarter of a mile down the a lane on opposite the cottages a foot path leads down to Thornythwaite Farm

 

 

The path is only followed for a short distance

 

 

A barred gate on the left gives access to a path that runs up alongside Combe Gill towards Thornythwaite Fell, this must be scaled to get on to the ridge path to Glaramara

 

 

Starting along the path

 

 

Further along the path as we approach a small tree plantation and to the left a good view of Rosthwaite Fell

 

 

Dense heather – but believe it or not there still is a discernable path to follow

 

 

Past the plantation and a good view of Combe Gill in full speight after the recent periods of heavy rain

 

 

A prominent landmark – the cairn which signifies a branch off to the right where the track now starts to climb steeply

 

 

Its about at this point that the track tends to become a bit sketchy and fades in and out. The objective though is to gain the ridge of Thornythwaite Fell on your right hand side

so aiming for the solitary tree is as good a strategy as anything

 

 

The imposing Combe Head and Combe Door from the path to the ridge of Thornthwaite Fell

 

 

Once the ridge is gained (fairly strenuously) the views start to open up quite dramatically, here looking at the sharp nose of Fleetwith Pike over Honister

 

 

Looking back towards Derwent Water and Skiddaw (central) Blencathra to the far right. Tiny Castle Crag (the smallest of all the Wainwright Fells) sits slightly left of centre

 

 

More climbing to do before we are on the ridge proper, again the track fades in and out with the occasional marker cairn

 

 

The object of the days climb is not yet in sight but the track improves somewhat as it sweeps round a series of rocky outcrops

 

 

The massive bulk of Great Gable from over the ridge

 

 

At last !! – Glaramara comes into view – it’s the small bump in the middle of the two outcrops. Still a fair way to go yet and over now treacherous boggy ground

 

 

Looking across to Great Gable with Green Gable in the foreground

 

 

The path on Windy Gap leading up to the summit of Great Gable

 

 

The final approach to Glaramara summit … this can be achieved by a moderate scramble up the rock face OR by following a narrow path that’s skirts around the base to the

right which leads to an easier climb up the gentle slope around the rear face

 

 

The summit cairn from the path

 

 

Sue making her way to the summit with the Langdale Pikes in the background

 

 

Made it !! – Sue and Ste on the rocky summit. The shot being taken from quite a comfortable (and much needed) wind shelter just behind

 

 

Lunch in the wind shelter and something seems to have tickled Wallace and Grommit (Hope it wasn’t me putting on a dry Tee Shirt )

 

Click here for a 360 degree panoramic view from the summit … https://youtu.be/0hQljfGiK4o

 

 

The Langdale Pikes from “behind” so to speak

 

 

Glaramara`s second summit. Wainwright acknowledged that there was no difference in actual height but seemed to favour this one. The summit of Great End in the background

 

 

In the far distance the Irish Sea as the sun breaks in and out of the gathering clouds

 

 

To the north and Skiddaw over Derwent Water bathed in sunshine

 

 

Looking towards Fleetwith Pike and Dale Head …. and in the faint background… Bonny Scotland  !!!

 

 

As we journey back down and Ste pauses the descent to take in the breath taking view to the north. A tough walk all in all but none the less a cracking day out

 

 

 

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