Name of walk	A Circuit of Devoke Water via Six Outlying Fells
Date of walk	2014-09-19
Distance walked (miles)	6
Duration of walk	5 hours 5 minutes
Weather	Blue skies, then overcast.
Peaks on walk	Seat How, Woodend Heights, Yoadcastle, White Pike, Water Crag, Rough Crag.
Walked with	Ged and blind Kas
Parking	Birker Fell Road.

Having had a cold and then a sinus infection I hadn’t felt much like walking up mountains since my return from Ireland, but today was the last of the recent good weather, so I thought I’d best get off my backside and go and walk up a few hills. September has been very dry so I decided to do a walk where the terrain is often too wet for easy walking. I have not been to Devoke Water for a few years, so that is where Ged, Kas and me went. At Devoke Water you can just walk around the lake, or go around by the surrounding fells, or a bit of both. Today we were going via the fells, which would include Seat How (1020ft), Woodend Height (1597ft), Yoadcastle (1610ft), White Pike (1370ft), Water Crag (997ft) and Rough Crag (1049ft). This walk is in Wainwright’s Outlying Fell book (p144), but we did it in reverse, as I wanted the sun behind us on Seat How to make the most of the blue skies and sunshine.

The view from where we parked the car. Harter Fell and Green Crag on the right.

The sign post on the Birker Fell Road that marks the lane to Devoke Water.

Kas leads the way. Seat How our first fell on the left. Devoke Water now just peeking out.

The black blobs ahead are bullocks on the path so we have to make a detour around them. They watch us closely.

Devoke Water.

We head for the old Boathouse.

Ged decides not to go in for a dip, well it is nearly October!

I pose on the steps. It is very warm today, and no breeze, but we need to get on a few summits so we set off up Seat How.

Seat How summit has a great panorama for very little effort.

A great view down Devoke Water.

Great view, great sentiment!

We need to make our way back to the lake shore then up to the fell on the left, Woodend Height. Behind that we will then go on to Yoadcastle.

Back at the shore, it is very still.

We head up the grass, Seat How, our first fell, on the right.

We continue up. There are no paths.

Then up some more. It is never ending!

Finally we reach Woodend Heights summit cairn. Looking over Devoke water to Water Crag and Rough Crag our final two fells. It is now getting a bit hazy, and the clouds are coming in.

We stop for a brief rest. Yoadcastle summit is just behind Ged.

We head for Yoadcastle. Looks like a wheatear.

View out to Stainton Pike and Whitfell from Yoadcastle summit.

Yoadcastle summit cairn.

Our route over to White Pike our next fell.

Kas wants to sit on the cairn too!

Heading for White Pike, there is a track all the way.

White Pike summit cairn.

We head down across pathless ground towards the ancient cairns at the head of the lake.

The sun is back out on the Boathouse.

The shelter. There are several ancient cairns in proximity, so we go looking for them.

Here's one.

Another one on the left. We now head for the two fells on the other side of the lake.

There are more bullocks close to the track, but they stay sitting so we head past quickly and head steeply up to Water Crag summit on the left. Rough Crag ahead. It is now very overcast and hazy so no point in too many photos now.

Heading for Rough Crag.

Kas on Rough Crag summit.

A hazy view north to the western fells.

View back across the lake to the fells we have just visited.

We head back down to the lane.

My car and the sign post.

My GPS said our walk was 6.63 miles, Wainwright put it at 5.5 miles. The walk took us five hours and 5 minutes, Wainwright only took four. The GPS said our moving time was 3.39, so that means we must have spent a long time standing about admiring the views, having a breather, eating lunch, taking photos…..sounds about right! Why hurry? 😉

Jo.