Parking
Use the Wasdale Head village green and car park beside the Wasdale Head Inn. Valley parking is very limited; National Trust car parks do not allow overnight parking.
Overview
About Pillar Trail from Wasdale Head
An out-and-back mountain walk of 7.5 miles (12 km) round trip from Wasdale Head to the 892 m summit of Pillar, returning by the same path. Typical time is about 4 hours 30 minutes. Distances here count the full return journey, while the mapped line shows the one-way corridor once, roughly 6.4 km.
Why go
- Big summit views over Ennerdale and the Scafell massif
- Direct, clearly staged route from Wasdale Head
- Mosedale and Black Sail Pass add real mountain character
Heads up
- Over 800m ascent with rough bouldery upper ground
- Gatherstone Beck ford can be hazardous at high water
- Limited valley parking and dogs are not suitable
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation75–889 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
8 active Lake District alerts
- ClosureChapel Stile footpath closed for retaining-wall riskPart of Footpath 543030 between Chapel Stile and Baysbrown campsite is closed because a retaining wall beside the path could collapse and material it supports could fall across the footpath.Official details
- ClosureStanley Ghyll Lower Falls footpath closed for rockfallThe section of Footpath 408037 leading towards Stanley Ghyll Lower Falls is closed because severe rockfall damage has made the path unstable and further rockfall remains a danger.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake District Tour Guide
Your drive to Pillar Trail from Wasdale Head, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Wasdale Head and Great Gable0:00 / 1:24
“Up ahead is Wasdale Head, the starting point for a demanding walk up Great Gable or a much shorter wander beneath the mountains.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Scafell Pike from Lake Head
- Wast Water at Overbeck
- Greendale: Middle Fell or Three Summits
- Seathwaite and the Corridor Route
- 298 audio storiesacross Lake District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Eurasian Otter, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 265 trails, 89 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Pillar Trail from Wasdale Head
The way upStart at the Wasdale Head village green and car park and walk towards the Wasdale Head Inn,…
Start at the Wasdale Head village green and car park and walk towards the Wasdale Head Inn, passing between the Inn and the Barn Door. Continue by the packhorse bridge and Row Head farm along the river, then turn into Mosedale and follow the valley for about 1.7 km. Cross the rocky ford at Gatherstone Beck, climb the zig-zags past Gatherstone Head, and take the pitched path up to Black Sail Pass. Turn for Pillar, cross the saddle below the steep upper section, work up through crags and boulders, then cross the rising plateau to the summit before retracing your steps.
How hard it isThis is a challenging mountain walk with over 800 m of ascent.
This is a challenging mountain walk with over 800 m of ascent. The route is mostly single-track footpath with pitched sections and steep, rocky ground higher up. The rocky ford can be hazardous when river levels are high, and the upper fell is rough and bouldery underfoot.
SceneryMosedale sets the tone with becks, dry-stone walls and open fell.
Mosedale sets the tone with becks, dry-stone walls and open fell. From the top the views open out broadly over Ennerdale and the Scafell massif.
Navigation and exposureThe upper ground is open and rocky, and poor visibility makes mountain navigation noticeably…
The upper ground is open and rocky, and poor visibility makes mountain navigation noticeably harder. Keep track of your position on the climb from Black Sail Pass so you can follow the same line back down.
Access, parking and dogsParking in the valley is very limited, so arrive early
- Parking in the valley is very limited, so arrive early
- No overnight parking in National Trust car parks
- Dogs are not suitable on this route
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake District
81 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
13 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
76 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
51 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
233 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
176 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
