On this High Seat walk, Paul Richardson takes in Derwent Water from above before getting closer to the lake with a boat ride back

Lakeland hillwalking is always a pleasure, and it’s an added bonus when I don’t have to drive to the start of the walk. It’s better still when the sun is shining and, on top of all this, if I can squeeze a boat ride in, I start to wonder if it’s all just a dream, and reality is just a rapid eye movement away.  Well, if it was a dream, I was still going to milk it for all it was worth. The planned walk: 16km/10 miles, 570m/1870ft of ascent, and around 6 hours from Keswick. What could be better?

The sun shone brightly as we left Keswick, passing the campsites at Castlerigg on our way up the hillside above Walla Crag, towards Lady’s Rake. Here, we made the most of the clear skies and spent a few minutes absorbing the views to the west across Derwent Water with Cat Bells and Maiden Moor beyond, and the Skiddaw range towering over Keswick to the north. Just beyond Lady’s Rake at the head of Cat Gill, Bassenthwaite Lake came into view and I made a mental note, probably not for the first time, to plan a route overlooking this neglected (by me anyway) lake.

Bleaberry Fell

A steady uphill plod soon saw us arrive at the top of Bleaberry Fell and a panoramic treat with the surrounding hilltops and lakes clearly visible, as the weather continued to stick to the fine forecast. The craggy knoll of our next hill, High Seat, was also obvious and inviting, about a mile to the south. A clear and reasonably well-defined track leads across the peaty plateau heading southwards, with grass and heather covering the fell approaching High Seat. Cotton grass began to take over as we walked further along the track, a sure indication of boggy conditions and a sign of things to come as the peat gradually became soggier and the soggy bits deeper.

Armboth Fell

High Seat summit is a rocky outcrop that serves as a magnificent viewpoint, and so it was a bit of a wrench to leave our vantage point to head gently downhill across Armboth Fell. With no track across this part of the fell and the cotton grass becoming ominously more abundant and even slightly menacing, we guessed that this section might take a bit longer than we had planned.

In warm weather, a hat is worth carrying on the hill. Check out our buyer’s guide here.

Although there are several swampy areas on this section, the worst ones have fence posts placed across them, so some nifty balancing should see you across them. My walking buddy, Les, decided to speed things up by racing at the bogs and using sheer speed to see him across. Over many years of bog hopping, I’ve noticed that this tactic often works – but I’ve also noticed that when it fails, it does so in spectacular fashion. Today it failed. Les’ bottom half was submerged as he went up t’spuds in peaty slime. It didn’t seem to help when I suggested that blokes in gentlemen’s clubs probably paid a small fortune for something similar (allegedly), so I retreated to a safe distance while he dried off.

The Watendlath Tearoom

With some relief we joined the track down from High Tor to the superbly situated community of Watendlath, and its ever-popular tearoom. After some welcome refreshment we followed Watendlath Beck through this idyllic valley, passing Caffel Side before taking the path through Mossmire Coppice. A steep descent lead out of the woods, where a short road section soon had us walking briskly to catch our ferry back to Keswick.

For me, a return trip by boat always makes a great ending to a day in the hills, especially when, like today, it means travelling the length of the same lake you’ve just been admiring from the hills above.

If you’re interested in the ‘other’ High Seat, between Sedbergh and Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales, check out this mapped walk here.

ROUTE DESCRIPTION

  • From Keswick, head towards Castlerigg, turning R down Springs Road into Springs Wood. In the woods turn R to go uphill and at the small road turn R then R again over the small footbridge. The track follows the wall to Lady’s Rake.
  • Continue S for a few hundred metres then turn L up the small track, past the sheepfold before reaching the summit of Bleaberry Fell. Veer R on a well-defined track S over peaty terrain for about 1.5km then follow the path up the craggy slope of High Seat. Cross the stile just beyond the summit of High Seat and keep to the left of the fence to High Tor. This section can be extremely boggy although the worst sections have rocks or fence posts in them to help you across.
  • High Tor is marked with a cairn; turn R here, through the gate and follow the track downhill into Watendlath.
  • From the café, cross the stone footbridge and take the right-hand path along the valley bottom (signed to High Lodore), keeping to the left of the stream.
  • Do not cross the footbridge to the right but instead turn L on the path leading into woodland. After the waterfalls veer L and keep to the good path as it drops steeply through the woods and onto the road. Turn R and follow the road to the landing stage at Lodore.

Photo: ShutterstockLake District, High Seat

On this High Seat walk, Paul Richardson takes in Derwent Water from above before getting closer to the lake with a boat ride back

Lakeland hillwalking is always a pleasure, and it’s an added bonus when I don’t have to drive to the start of the walk. It’s better still when the sun is shining and, on top of all this, if I can squeeze a boat ride in, I start to wonder if it’s all just a dream, and reality is just a rapid eye movement away.  Well, if it was a dream, I was still going to milk it for all it was worth. The planned walk: 16km/10 miles, 570m/1870ft of ascent, and around 6 hours from Keswick. What could be better?

The sun shone brightly as we left Keswick, passing the campsites at Castlerigg on our way up the hillside above Walla Crag, towards Lady’s Rake. Here, we made the most of the clear skies and spent a few minutes absorbing the views to the west across Derwent Water with Cat Bells and Maiden Moor beyond, and the Skiddaw range towering over Keswick to the north. Just beyond Lady’s Rake at the head of Cat Gill, Bassenthwaite Lake came into view and I made a mental note, probably not for the first time, to plan a route overlooking this neglected (by me anyway) lake.

Bleaberry Fell

A steady uphill plod soon saw us arrive at the top of Bleaberry Fell and a panoramic treat with the surrounding hilltops and lakes clearly visible, as the weather continued to stick to the fine forecast. The craggy knoll of our next hill, High Seat, was also obvious and inviting, about a mile to the south. A clear and reasonably well-defined track leads across the peaty plateau heading southwards, with grass and heather covering the fell approaching High Seat. Cotton grass began to take over as we walked further along the track, a sure indication of boggy conditions and a sign of things to come as the peat gradually became soggier and the soggy bits deeper.

Armboth Fell

High Seat summit is a rocky outcrop that serves as a magnificent viewpoint, and so it was a bit of a wrench to leave our vantage point to head gently downhill across Armboth Fell. With no track across this part of the fell and the cotton grass becoming ominously more abundant and even slightly menacing, we guessed that this section might take a bit longer than we had planned.

In warm weather, a hat is worth carrying on the hill. Check out our buyer’s guide here.

Although there are several swampy areas on this section, the worst ones have fence posts placed across them, so some nifty balancing should see you across them. My walking buddy, Les, decided to speed things up by racing at the bogs and using sheer speed to see him across. Over many years of bog hopping, I’ve noticed that this tactic often works – but I’ve also noticed that when it fails, it does so in spectacular fashion. Today it failed. Les’ bottom half was submerged as he went up t’spuds in peaty slime. It didn’t seem to help when I suggested that blokes in gentlemen’s clubs probably paid a small fortune for something similar (allegedly), so I retreated to a safe distance while he dried off.

The Watendlath Tearoom

With some relief we joined the track down from High Tor to the superbly situated community of Watendlath, and its ever-popular tearoom. After some welcome refreshment we followed Watendlath Beck through this idyllic valley, passing Caffel Side before taking the path through Mossmire Coppice. A steep descent lead out of the woods, where a short road section soon had us walking briskly to catch our ferry back to Keswick.

For me, a return trip by boat always makes a great ending to a day in the hills, especially when, like today, it means travelling the length of the same lake you’ve just been admiring from the hills above.

ROUTE DESCRIPTION

  • From Keswick, head towards Castlerigg, turning R down Springs Road into Springs Wood. In the woods turn R to go uphill and at the small road turn R then R again over the small footbridge. The track follows the wall to Lady’s Rake.
  • Continue S for a few hundred metres then turn L up the small track, past the sheepfold before reaching the summit of Bleaberry Fell. Veer R on a well-defined track S over peaty terrain for about 1.5km then follow the path up the craggy slope of High Seat. Cross the stile just beyond the summit of High Seat and keep to the left of the fence to High Tor. This section can be extremely boggy although the worst sections have rocks or fence posts in them to help you across.
  • High Tor is marked with a cairn; turn R here, through the gate and follow the track downhill into Watendlath.
  • From the café, cross the stone footbridge and take the right-hand path along the valley bottom (signed to High Lodore), keeping to the left of the stream.
  • Do not cross the footbridge to the right but instead turn L on the path leading into woodland. After the waterfalls veer L and keep to the good path as it drops steeply through the woods and onto the road. Turn R and follow the road to the landing stage at Lodore.

Photo: Shutterstock