This walk at the entrance to Wasdale takes us up Seatallan, one of the quieter fells in the area, via Buckbarrow, the dramatic crags that loom over the road into the valley. This can be a quiet area, although I reached the summit of Seatallan at the same time as hundreds of people doing a Mountain Marathon!
Ascent: 2000ft
Length: 5.5 miles
Map: 
Last Walked: July 2012
We start at the small parking area just to the east of the buildings at Greendale, on the northern side of the road.
Turn right out of the parking area and head along the road (walking away from Wasdale Head). We follow this road for about 8/10ths of a mile, with the crags of Buckbarrow above and to our right.
road. Half way through the woods we reach Gill Beck. Turn right onto a footpath that climbs up to the right of the beck. This path climbs up through the woods, then emerges onto the open hillside, where it curves away to the right. The path crosses a stream and then climbs up towards the top of Buckbarrow, with the crags to its right and the grassy fellside to the left. At the top of Buckbarrow there are three main summits, two above the crags and a third a little further from the edge. Paths link all three, and all three are worth visiting, starting with the two nearer the edge. Our route onwards starts at the third and highest of these summits. A clear path heads north across the grassy slopes of Seatallan towards the rocky outcropping of Cat Bields, marked by a cairn.
Turn right at Cat Bields and follow a clear path that runs all the way to the top of Seatallan. There are now two possible routes. Our suggested route heads away from the paths at this stage, and requires good visibility. The alternative route is to retrace your steps to Cat Bields and Seatallan.
To follow our preferred route take a 90 degree right turn at the summit of Seatallan and head towards Middle Fell. Head in this direction until you reach the top of an area of steeper rocky ground.
Turn right at the stream, but don't cross it. A reasonably clear path heads down towards Tongues Gills, becoming clearer as it goes. The last part of this path is a well constructed set of zig-zags that bring us down to the foot of the gills. At this point cross over Greendale Gill, and follow the path that heads downhill and back to the car park.