Pillar routes, easiest to hardest: times, distances and GPX

Peakify lists 2 measured routes up Pillar, traced on OpenStreetMap paths from the start to the summit. Distances and ascent are one way, to the top.

Pillar routes, easiest to hardest

Sorted by grade, easiest first: Easy, Moderate, Hard, then Scramble. Routes with the same grade keep the order in which Peakify's editors listed them.

Pillar route times by Naismith's rule

The times above use Naismith's rule: 5 km/h on the flat plus 10 minutes for every 100 m of ascent, rounded to the nearest 5 minutes. "There and back" doubles the distance and counts the ascent once, for coming down the same way. Naismith assumes a fit walker and no stops, so add time for breaks, a heavy pack, rough or snowy ground, and a group that moves at its slowest member's pace.

Each Pillar route

Wasdale Head via Black Sail Pass

Walk up Mosedale to Black Sail Pass, then follow the ridge west over Looking Stead to the summit. It starts from Wasdale Head (National Trust car park). 6.0 km one way with 819 m of ascent. About 2h 35m to the summit and 3h 45m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

High Level Route

From Looking Stead, traverse the Ennerdale face past Robinson's Cairn to the foot of Pillar Rock, then climb to the summit. It starts from Wasdale Head (National Trust car park). 5.9 km one way with 913 m of ascent. About 2h 40m to the summit and 3h 55m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Hard.

Pillar route GPX

This page doesn't offer a GPX download. To get a GPX file for a Pillar route, use the Peakify iPhone app: open Pillar, plan the route in the route planner (or import a GPX you already have), save it, then choose Export GPX on the saved route. GPX export is part of Peakify Pro.

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Before you pick a route

The grade describes the ground in fair weather. Wind, rain, cloud and ice change it: a Moderate path can be hard to follow in mist, and a scramble in strong gusts is a different proposition from the same rock on a calm day. Check whether it is safe to climb Pillar today and the Pillar 14-day forecast before you set off, and allow for the walk out in daylight.

Planning a day on Pillar routes

The walking times above use Naismith's rule, which assumes a fit walker on good paths with short stops. Most groups take longer: add a quarter for a mixed group, more for children or heavy packs, and plan the descent as carefully as the climb, because tired legs and fading light cause more trouble on the way down than on the way up.

Start early. Car parks at popular starts fill by mid-morning in summer and at weekends, and an early start leaves spare daylight if the weather turns or the walk takes longer than planned. In winter, work back from sunset and leave a margin of at least an hour.

Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, even on a well-trodden path; a phone battery fails fastest in cold, wet weather. Pack a waterproof jacket and trousers, a warm layer, a hat and gloves in every season, plus food, water and a head torch. Tell someone your route and when you expect to be back.

If you are new to Pillar, choose the easiest route in the table for a first ascent and save the harder lines for a settled day when you know the mountain. Turning back is always an option; the summit will still be there.

Questions about Pillar

What is the easiest route up Pillar?

From Wasdale Head, walk up Mosedale to Black Sail Pass and follow the ridge west to the summit.

How much time does each Pillar route take?

Wasdale Head via Black Sail Pass: about 2h 35m up and 3h 45m there and back. High Level Route: about 2h 40m up and 3h 55m there and back. Times are by Naismith's rule (5 km/h plus 10 minutes per 100 m of ascent), before stops.

Can I get a GPX file for a Pillar route?

Not from this page. In the Peakify iPhone app, plan the route in the route planner (or import one), save it, then choose Export GPX on the saved route. GPX export is part of Peakify Pro.