The nicest way to climb Seat Sandal is via the path above Tongue Gill to Grisedale Hause, and then climb the steep east ridge beside the wall. This way most of the view is in front of you whilst coming down the ridge towards Grasmere. Here you should look out for kestrels hovering above the fields, hunting.
If descending from Grisedale Hause to Grasmere via Tongue Gill, be aware of the stone pitched path as it is very slippery when wet.
Parking near the start of this walk is limited to laybys above and below, on the main A591. The lower layby has the advantage that whilst it's further it is downhill back to your car, and there is a pavement. There is also plenty of pay and display parking in Grasmere, or if you have accommodation in the village, the start point can be reached by taking Easedale Road to Goody Bridge. Just after the bridge, turn right signposted to Thorney How, go all the way to the junction at Low Mill Bridge and turn right up to the A591 and the start point.
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This walk takes you to the top of the following hills: Seat Sandal; and includes 1 Wainwright, 1 Birkett, 1 Marilyn, 1 Hewitt, 1 Nuttall, and 1 HuMP.
Walk height profile
note that gradients are usually grossly exaggerated
Take the lane next to Tongue Gill house, between the outbuildings, which is signposted "Public Bridleway Patterdale".
Continue past the cottages and follow the track to the gate at the end.
Go through, bear right over the footbridge, and right again to the second bridge.
Climb past the empty reservoir on your right, and bear left on to the footpath. When the path splits keep right to climb a small rock step and then keep above the wall.
Follow the path all the way to the large cairn below the waterfalls at the head of the valley.
Continue a little beyond the cairn onto the stone pitched path climbing the headwall towards Grisedale Hause.
Cross the beck below the upper falls and continue along the path, climbing above Hause Moss before reaching Grisedale Hause. Go through the gap in the wall. Grisedale Tarn is below you, with Dollywaggon Pike beyond. To your right is the path to Fairfield.
Turn left to the wind shelter beside the wall at the bottom of the crags.
Climb the path as it first tackles the rocky scree, then through a short rocky section. It looks worse than it is, at least in ascent! An alternative is to ascend the grass slopes to the right a little way.
The difficulties are quickly over. Continue on the grass path on either side of the now broken wall. You soon end up on the right hand side.
Approaching the summit cross the wall again to the cairn.
Continue over the summit. Two cairns close together mark the top of the faint grass path down the ridge towards Grasmere. Bear left and follow the path as it meanders across the vague ridgeline in the general direction of Grasmere. You may have to look ahead some way to spot it again if it disappears.
Keep left. The path makes for a small more pronounced ridge just above the fields, and traverses the left hand side.
Drop down to the gate in the wall.
It is here you can divert left to avoid cattle in the fields by following the enclosure wall, and then bearing right onto the bridleway and back to the footbridges at the top of the lane.
Go through the gate and cross the field. Go through another gate and continue on the path, bear left to yet another gate. Go through and follow the track right to the barn beside the lane. As you cross the field the small gate over to your left is wired shut and cannot be used to gain access back to the lane. Go through the wooden gate beside the barn and into the lane. Turn right, and drop back to the main road.
If you like this walk then why not try one of our other nearby walks:
Name | Rating | Starts |
---|---|---|
Allan Bank Woodland Walk | 1.5km (0.9 miles) away | |
Easedale Tarn, Codale Tarn, and Tarn Crag | 1.5km (0.9 miles) away | |
Silver How | 1.6km (1.0 miles) away | |
Easedale Tarn | 1.6km (1.0 miles) away | |
Steel Fell, Calf Crag, Gibson Knott and Helm Crag | 1.7km (1.0 miles) away | |
Helm Crag | 1.7km (1.1 miles) away | |
Stone Arthur, Great Rigg, Heron Pike and Nab Scar | 1.8km (1.1 miles) away | |
A circuit of Grasmere | 1.8km (1.1 miles) away | |
Alcock Tarn | 1.8km (1.1 miles) away | |
Grasmere and Rydal Water | 1.9km (1.2 miles) away | |
Grisedale Tarn | 2.5km (1.6 miles) away | |
Loughrigg Fell from White Moss | 3.0km (1.9 miles) away | |
Red Bank from White Moss near Ambleside | 3.0km (1.9 miles) away | |
Nab Scar and Alcock Tarn | 4.2km (2.6 miles) away | |
Loughrigg Fell from Rydal | 4.3km (2.7 miles) away | |
An Elterwater Stroll | 4.5km (2.8 miles) away | |
Waterfalls and the Cathedral Cavern, from Elterwater | 4.5km (2.8 miles) away | |
A Journey from Dungeon Ghyll over the Fells to Ambleside | 5.0km (3.1 miles) away |
Unless otherwise stated the text in this walk is the copyright of Hug Solutions Ltd trading as The Hug and the photographs are the copyright of Elizabeth Oldham. Hill data is derived from Database of British and Irish hills which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Maps contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2011 and paths © OpenStreetMap Contributors,CC-BY-SA, 2011