• Location
• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Maps
• Reviews

View Sample Route Map

34 Yewbarrow (628m, 2060ft)

Visitors to Wasdale Head adore the stimulus of the grand scenes that greet them. High ranking amongst the fells is the distinctive pyramid of Yewbarrow, witnessed on the lead-in road above Wast Water, packing a punch well above its modest height. In visual terms, Yewbarrow replicates the hull of an upturned yacht, covered with craggy barnacles – how you just want to climb it!

The vigorous growth of yew that once earned the fell its name may have gone, but the sense of impregnability lurking in the term ‘barrow’ endures. From all angles this fell maintains a dignity and resolution to repel the timid. A hard-won hill, there are no casual ways up. Many walkers involved in the Mosedale Horseshoe might have it in their mind as they come off Red Pike, but need to consider their fitness and the state of the day before committing to this strenuous addition. The excitement of seeing the fell on the approach to Netherbeck Bridge is muted when standing at Wasdale Green, as from this spot you see only a monster blank slope. Let’s therefore turn to the ascents that make sense, and these predominantly begin from Overbeck Bridge.

Ascent from Overbeck Bridge (2)

Via Great Door 580m/1900ft, 2.4km/1½ miles

1. Unless you are an accomplished rock climber Bell Rib, the peaked culmination of the south ridge, is definitely a no-go rock barrier to attain Great Door. However, this route exploits a weakness in the armour by running up a rough gully beside Dropping Crag. There is no acceptable way to the summit from the eastern side. Head up the valley from the car park and cross the fence-stile amid the gorse. The path now bends to task, climbing the south ridge beside the rising fence. A ladder-stile, as the first rocks intervene, places the path on the west side of the ridge. Contouring, you quickly come upon a definite fork. Turn up right, and bracken is soon replaced by shards of scree as you make determined progress up the torn trail between rock walls. It’s tough going, but on reaching Great Door the sense of achievement makes it all worthwhile. From this striking notch, set foot on the rising ridge, taking every opportunity to glance back over Wast Water and, in advance, survey the huge views to the Scafells, as you step up the grass ridge to the summit.

Via Over Beck 580m/1900ft, 4.1km/2½ miles

2 Having crossed the ladder-stile on Route 1, stay on the contouring path. This leads to a hand-gate in a wall directly beneath the characterful face of Dropping Crag. Go through, continuing N as towards Dore Head. All the talk of impregnability is leavened by the scope for a sneaky side-approach to the summit ridge. Find this higher up the valley, before a cluster of large boulders. Either step right up the rash of scree or follow the sheep trod from above the boulders tracking back S. By either option head up to the base of a short rock-wall and veer right, all upon a clear path which climbs naturally to the peaty ground in the fell-ridge depression. Turn right to reach the summit.

Via Stirrup Crag 590m/1936ft, 4.1km/2½ miles

3 Complete the journey up the Over Beck valley (Route 2) to arrive at the brink of Dore Head, from where you can spot the jagged-tooth pinnacle on the lower side of Stirrup Crag. Turn right and climb up to the base of Stirrup Crag and dig your spurs into the task of scrambling up the early cleft. Other gullies follow, making this a close-run thing to proper scrambling – certainly harder than normal ridge-path terrain. But it is nothing for the average fell wanderer to fear. The north top, at 617m/2024ft, feels as though it must be the fell summit after all that rigour. But on finding this not the case, one may wander S along a wonderful grassy ridge with a sense that the fell actually has two summits – two for the price of one, now that can’t be bad! 4 An alternative scramble-free ascent can be found short of the pass and before a cluster of large boulders. Find a path that heads up the stony slope and veers right under the outcropping, then works up onto the ridge at the saddle.

Ascent from Wasdale Head (1)

Via Dore Head 580m/1900ft, 4.1km/2½ miles

5 Notwithstanding the earlier comment that Yewbarrow looks uninviting from Wasdale Green, walkers have every right and reason to give it a go from the common. Follow the lane to the Wasdale Head Inn and, after passing the Barn Door Shop and Ritson’s Bar (both logged for later attention!), cross the single-arched stone bridge and advance along the walled drove-way to go through a gate. Coming by a wall, the thunderous sounds of Mosedale Beck will give cause for a brief diversion through the access gap to visit the embowered falls, named after a former inn publican, Will Ritson. Regaining the green drove, pass through the next hand-gate and advance beyond the trees into Mosedale, flanked by an abundance of bracken and with the wall bounding the beck to the right. At a sheepfold the path pitches left and climbs towards the foot of the obvious ribbon of scree. This travail is the remnant of an old and now infamous scree-run worn to oblivion. The path straddles across the river of stones and begins a far more stately climb on the grassy bank to the right of the scree scar. The slope is steep, and progress commensurately slow. Duly one arrives in the saddle of Dore Head and sets to work in harmony with Route 3 on the rocky headland of Stirrup Crag to the left. It looks decidedly unpromising until one gets to grips with it.

The summit

The general grassy countenance of the summit ridge belies the steely impression one gets of the fell from afar. From the top of Stirrup Crag to Great Door the spine of Yewbarrow is a fellwalking treat. It takes a particular kind of fellwalker to get here, and they are well rewarded. The view takes some matching, too – an all-round view of great mountains. The Scafells are magnificent; in the opposite direction Red Pike rises like a colossus; and set peerlessly in the midst is Great Gable.

Safe descents

Comfortable options are limited. The more secure route is the path least travelled. From the marshy depression, north of the summit, a path innocently forks that leads niftily down and under the shield of rocks to gain the free-running path in the upper part of the Over Beck valley. Turn left onto this to reach the shores of the lake. The ridge S to Great Door promises hope, but on the way down to the right passes the remnants of a sheep-deflecting crag-top wall and, down the loose gully beside Dropping Crag, is not a nice affair, although it does put you quickly onto firm ground and a honest path, again bound for Overbeck Bridge.

Ridge route

RED PIKE (W) descent 210m/686ft, ascent 366m/1200ft 2.8km/1¾ miles

Scrupulous ridge-abiders will head N, passing the cairn on top of Stirrup Crag and, taking their time, will shuffle and squeeze, stretch and grapple their way down the clefts to Dore Head, dusting themselves down to follow on naturally up the regular scarp-edge trial NW onto Red Pike. It’s a big climb, but hugely rewarding. Less strict fell-folk will take heed of the opportunity to avoid Stirrup Crag, described in the safe descents above, thereby gaining Dore Head unruffled, with not a hair out of place, except for gusts of wind from the west!