My Lake District Christmas Tradition
It has become a bit of a tradition now, every December I’ll set a date close to Christmas, chuck on the Christmas jumper and festive hat, and hike up a mountain in the Lake District. It all began quite a few years back with my cousin and it has stuck with me ever since. Buttermere was the chosen location, I remember it well – an incredible hike up to High Stile to enjoy those stunning vista views. What a trip that was. I don’t get to see Buttermere as much as I’d like to these days, it’s such a special place. Anyway, back to this year’s Christmas hike.
Wasdale, Landscape Photography Heaven
This time around I’d chosen a very special place to me, home to some of the giants of the Lake District and the deepest lake in England, Wast Water. Driving into Wasdale and seeing the iconic frame that is Yewbarrow, Great Gable and the Scafells is just one of those scenes that no matter how many times you see it, will always give you goosebumps. I parked up in the Scafell Pike National Trust car park, but unlike the various groups of other hikers preparing themselves, my destination wasn’t Scafell Pike. Instead, I’d opted for a mountain I had climbed many times in the past, each time failing to see the breathtaking views from the summit due to a range of poor weather conditions. This time felt different, I’d studied the weather forecasts from multiple sources religiously, and I was hopeful! I grabbed my gear, including my camera and lightweight tripod, this time opting for my Osprey pack to ensure I had everything I needed for the day and what it might throw at me and headed towards the Wasdale Head Inn. My route began behind the Inn, up into the depths of Mosedale Valley, onwards to Black Sail Pass and up towards my target for the day, Pillar.
Pillar, An Iconic Lake District Fell
Standing at 892 metres tall, Pillar forms part of the ‘Mosedale Horseshoe’ and is located between Ennerdale and Wasdale. The views from the summit are spectacular, and up until this point, I had yet to see them. It was a pretty relaxed walk along Mosedale Valley, stopping only briefly to remove some layers. The weather was great, and as I’d find out the next day, just happened to be the day before the first snow of the season fell. I made good time moving through Mosedale Valley and up towards Black Sail Pass, it was around 1 pm that I reached the top of Black Sail Pass which left me with plenty of time to stop and soak up the views whilst enjoying some lunch. I didn’t stop too long as I was aware that it was the depths of winter and although it was early in the day, daylight hours were very limited with sunset being just before 4 pm. Packing up my things and leaving no trace, I continued onwards up towards the summit of Pillar. Now and then I stopped to turn around and admire the view, my luck was finally in! No low cloud base, fog or otherwise to mask the day’s views. Just below the summit was where I recognised my first photograph. Probably one of the more obvious shots, looking back down Mosedale Valley towards Wasdale Head and the Scafells in the distance. I put this in the memory bank, one I’d return to on the descent when the sun was lower in the sky.
The View Back To Yewbarrow and Burnmoor Tarn
My first photograph of the day was taken close to the location as the scene I had scouted for sunset. This time however, my composition was focussed on the view of Yewbarrow and its striking curves with Burnmoor Tarn visible in the distance. The light was still a little harsh, maybe I should have waited a little longer, but I still quite liked the shot. Anyway, the first shot of the day is added below.
Moving Towards The Summit Of Pillar
It was time to push on, to the trig point and receive my reward which was the 360-degree vista views. Levelling out at the top after a pretty straightforward scramble I was there, and to my surprise, there was nobody else, not a soul. How on a day like this that was possible was beyond me. I almost wanted to see people there, so that they too could admire exactly what I was seeing then. It was worth the wait. The sun was beginning to drop lower and lower in the sky, and the various grasses and surrounding rocks began to glow warm shades of orange. I ventured around the summit as long as I could, soaking up the views in all directions, I didn’t want to leave but I knew that I had to, I had one last shot to get and time was running out. Reluctantly I left the summit and dropped back down to the location I’d banked earlier. By now, the sun was in a perfect position, light was beaming along Wast Water and into Wasdale Head and beyond. Wow! Even though I already had my composition lined up, I still turned into a bit of a headless chicken as I watched in awe as the light got better and better.
Sunset Approaching Over Wasdale
I grabbed my camera from my pack, opting for the 24-70mm and lined up the shot. I fired a couple of shots off at various points as the light moved throughout the scene. I also fired off a bracketed set just for peace of mind – my histogram was telling me everything was okay but my mind was telling me different. It’s a funny thing when you get amazing conditions, the little things you have done countless times before with full confidence become clouded with doubt. 15 minutes or so later, the light had all but gone. I was so happy, after countless trips to Pillar in the past, I finally got to experience the gorgeous vista views and I couldn’t have asked for better weather! I didn’t want to leave, I’m extremely fond of Pillar and I had to force myself to head down. I could feel the northerly winds picking up and the temperature dropped incredibly fast so it wasn’t a bad idea to start the descent. By the time I had reached Black Sail Pass, I was reliant on my head torch, light levels had faded and it was dark by this point. The remainder of the hike down was pretty relaxed, still on a high from the day’s events, that was until the crossing at Gatherstone Beck. The water levels were higher than usual after so much rain, I’ve never crossed a Beck so tentatively in my life, needless to say, the trekking poles came out for the extra contact points, I wasn’t about to get wet now! Panic over, reaching the other side, breathing a sigh of relief after taking my last step – onwards to the car for the drive home. My shot of the day is added below and you can also see this in my gallery. Until next time, Pillar!
