The Glaramara Wainwrights

This is a 10.3-mile (16.5 km) circular route from the Seatoller National Trust car park, with that distance covering the complete loop back to the same place. The route visits Bessyboot, Glaramara, and Allen Crags, then descends by Ruddy Gill and Grains Gill, crosses Stockley Bridge, and returns to Seatoller by the Seathwaite road.

The opening climb leaves the road for fields and Combe Gill, then rises to Bessyboot and Tarn at Leaves. From there the walk crosses a rough, fascinating ridge of rocky outcrops, boggy hollows, and small tarns. The path becomes intermittent around Combe Head and the approach to Glaramara, with some pathless ground before the summit. The ridge to Allen Crags is clearer but still rocky and undulating. The descent turns steep and loose before reaching the ford on Ruddy Gill, a gravelled path, and the wooden footbridge above Grains Gill.

This is a hard mountain day, not a casual fell walk. The route has about 942 metres of ascent, hands-on rock, steep and loose sections, wet ground, a ford, and several stretches where good navigation matters more than following a clear path. In return, it gives you a varied tour of the Borrowdale high ground, with views toward Langstrath, Great Gable, the Langdale Pikes, the Scafells, and the surrounding fells. Allow around six to seven hours for ordinary walking, route-finding, rests, and photographs. The higher ridge is most forgiving in the longer daylight of late spring through early autumn, but weather can change quickly in any season.

Start at Seatoller and follow the road toward Seathwaite before turning into the fields. The route is a public-access mountain circuit and does not have a dedicated trail permit. Keep dogs under close control and use a lead around livestock. The steep drops, rough ridge, ford, and loose ground can also make this a poor choice for an inexperienced dog. The walk is best started early, when there is more time to deal with cloud, wet ground, and the faint sections of path.