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892 mWainwright — Western Fells+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

Pillar at 892m (2,928ft) is one of the great mountains of Lakeland, its tremendous northern face — dominated by the famous Pillar Rock — home to some of the longest rock climbs in England.

Summit conditions on Pillar

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 3°C, gusts to 64 mph, 11.1 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

73 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 50 mph times our exposure factor of 1.46. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 64 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

11.1 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like −2 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 26 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Routes up Pillar

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Extended Mosedale Horseshoe Not yet personally walked
17.75 km · ~1236 m ascent · ~5½–7½ h · loop · 7 summits
Severe effort Severe: steepness
Park: Wasdale Head village green car park (free)

Pillar, Scoat Fell, Steeple and Red Pike around the head of Mosedale, with Yewbarrow to finish — 1,236 m of ascent packed into 17.8 km, rated severe for steepness and hard for exposure. About 5½–7½ hours.

Distance and climb are measured from the route’s GPX track, and the time from them by Naismith’s rule; the route page says what each grade rests on. How we check →

Is Pillar hard to climb?

Hard for stamina, not technique. It is 892 m, the eighth-highest fell in the Lakes, and every approach is long and far from a road: our Extended Mosedale Horseshoe from Wasdale takes it with Scoat Fell, Steeple and Red Pike in 17.8 km and 1,236 m of ascent, about 5½–7½ hours, rated severe for steepness and hard for exposure. The standard walkers' line from Black Sail Pass has no scrambling. It is most dangerous on the High Level Route, or if you confuse the summit with Pillar Rock, which is a rock climb.

Sources: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 892 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
10° / 3°
64 mph
11.1 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
7° / 4°
44 mph
7.0 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
7° / 5°
27 mph
1.2 mm (26%)
Fri 30 Oct
7° / 4°
27 mph
0.1 mm (31%)
Sat 31 Oct
8° / -1°
9 mph
0.0 mm (25%)
Sun 1 Nov
7° / -1°
7 mph
0.0 mm (12%)
Mon 2 Nov
5° / -1°
17 mph
0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Pillar

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Wasdale Head village green car park (free) — at the start of Extended Mosedale Horseshoe
At Wasdale Head, about 0.3 km south of the Wasdale Head Inn; the National Trust's Pillar trail starts here and calls it the Wasdale Head Village Green car park (grid ref NY 1868 0852, read 17 October 2026). The 'Round Kirk Fell from Wasdale Head' and 'Extended Mosedale Horseshoe' routes start here; the Great Gable and Scafell Pike routes start at Lake Head, 1.3 km on foot. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
Gatesgarth Farm, Buttermere (paid) — 3.7 km from summit (straight line)
Farm car park at the foot of Haystacks, Fleetwith Pike and the High Stile ridge.
Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.

Buses

We don’t know yet. Wasdale Explorer (seasonal) serves this area, but we don’t hold its stop positions, so we can’t measure the walk from it — and we won’t tell you to drive on the strength of a gap in our own data. The Wasdale Action Group lists it as running Saturdays, Sundays and bank holiday Mondays from the start of May to the end of August (read 30 September 2026): check before you travel.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Pillar

Hazard & Incident Information for Pillar

Checked by Lee McCoy, . Draws on published material from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: High

A remote, serious fell ringed by steep crags, with long approaches from every side. The famous Pillar Rock on the north face is a major rock-climbing crag, completely separate from the walkers' summit and reached only by exposed, dangerous ground. Incidents involve walkers straying toward it, navigation errors on the high ground, and the consequences of remoteness on a long day.

  • Pillar Rock and the High Level Route: Pillar Rock is a serious climbers' crag, reached by the exposed Shamrock Traverse — not a walking objective. The High Level Route that approaches it is exposed; the standard ridge is the safer line for walkers.
  • North face / Ennerdale side: Steep crags drop from close to the summit. Keep to the ridge and away from the northern edges in poor visibility.
  • Remoteness and long approaches: Help is a long way off and every route is a serious walk in. Carry the kit, food and daylight for a long mountain day.
Who should attempt this fell: A remote, committing fell for experienced hillwalkers. Stick to the ridge line from Black Sail or Wind Gap rather than the exposed High Level Route, and leave Pillar Rock to the climbers. Start early and carry full kit — this is a long way from help.

What to watch for: Walkers straying toward Pillar Rock · Navigation errors on the high ground · Benightment and fatigue on long routes

Local Mountain Rescue: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team

Safety: Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information

Navigating in cloud

Severe

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of steep ground within half a kilometre of the summit. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Pillar compares with all 214: the Clag Index (experimental).

If you need Mountain Rescue

Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.

Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.

If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.

From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Pillar

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

0.3 km NPillar Rock780 m · Western
0.7 km SWBlack Crag828 m · Western
1.5 km ELooking Stead (Pillar)628 m · Western
1.9 km NESeat561 m · Western
2.7 km NHigh Stile (Grey Crag)807 m · Western
2.9 km SYewbarrow North Top (Stirrup Crag)617 m · Western

Routes over Pillar

Extended Mosedale Horseshoe
17.75 km · ~1236 m ascent · loop · ~5½–7½ h
Severe effort Severe: steepness
Summits: PillarBlack CragScoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell)SteepleRed Pike (Wasdale)Yewbarrow North Top (Stirrup Crag)Yewbarrow

Download GPX Not yet personally walked

Warnings: The ground here is broad and confusingly similar, and the path forks on the ascent of Red Pike; walkers have taken the wrong line in mist. The link between Red Pike, Little Scoat Fell and Pillar is easy to misjudge. Navigate deliberately by compass and account for the steep drops to the east. Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell): The short ridge out to Steeple is narrow and exposed, with a steep drop, and becomes serious when banked with snow or iced. Cross it carefully and avoid it in fierce wind; it is the spot most likely to catch you out here. Steeple: The link to the main ridge is a short, narrow crest with steep, rocky drops on both sides. A fall here can be fatal. It is straightforward in dry, calm conditions but genuinely exposed; take care with foot placement, and treat it with great caution in wind, wet or cloud. Red Pike (Wasdale): The summit and the ridge northward run along the lip of steep crags dropping into Mosedale. In wind or cloud a slip near the edge is serious. Keep to the western side of the crest and well back from the brink. Yewbarrow: The north end drops in a steep set of ledges and chimneys — a genuine scramble that catches people out, especially as a descent. Walkers regularly become cragfast here unable to climb down, and falls have caused head and leg injuries. Tackle it only if you are comfortable scrambling on steep rock; if in doubt, avoid the traverse and return the way you came. The steep scree slope off Dore Head (toward Mosedale) is severely eroded, loose and unpleasant — once a scree run, now a notorious leg-breaker. The steep ground beside it has left walkers cragfast. Avoid it as a descent; safer ground exists, and the screes are best left alone.

From the hazard notes for Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell) · Steeple · Red Pike (Wasdale) · Yewbarrow, each with its sources.

Route guide →

Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Pillar

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Extended Mosedale Horseshoe route:

possible water source (3 m off the line) shelter (weather shelter, mapped, not checked; 15 m off the line) Wasdale Head Green (12 m from the start, straight line) Wasdale Head Campsite (163 m from the start, straight line)

Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is not proof the water is drinkable, so carry your own or use a supply you know is safe. Never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock upstream and leave you seriously ill. Use a treatment method suited to what might be in the water, and follow the device’s own instructions. Boiling and ordinary filters do not make water with dissolved metals or chemicals safe: where that is possible, choose another source.

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

About Pillar

Pillar, a Lake District fell
Photo: Malcolm Morris, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wainwright devoted many enthusiastic pages to this fell, describing the High Level Route across the north face as one of the great Lakeland walks — a traverse below the Rock itself with dramatic views into the Ennerdale valley. The summit gives outstanding views of the Scafell group, Great Gable and the western fells. The approach from Black Sail Pass or via the High Level Route from Wasdale is superb. A true mountaineer's fell.

Classifications & hill data

Is Pillar a Wainwright?

Pillar is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list, the Marilyn list and the Hewitt list.

Selected lists

Wainwright
Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
Marilyn
Hewitt
892 m
Height
2,928 ft
In feet
NY 1712 1210
Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

The summit is also a Birkett.

Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →

The view from Pillar

The 360° skyline from Pillar

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys
Computed 360-degree skyline from Pillar36 labelled tops shown (25 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 7 kmScafell · 7 kmHelvellyn · 17 kmIll Crag · 7 kmSkiddaw · 19 kmGreat End · 7 kmGreat Gable · 4 kmRaise · 18 kmFairfield · 19 kmBlencathra · 22 kmGreat Dodd · 19 kmGrasmoor · 8 kmCrag Hill · 8 kmRed Screes · 23 kmJenkin Hill · 18 kmClough Head · 19 kmBlack Combe · 27 kmScoat Fell · 1 kmBlack Crag · 1 kmRed Pike · 2 kmSteeple · 1 kmHigh Stile · 3 kmHigh Stile · 3 kmGreen Gable · 5 kmSand Hill · 10 kmRed Pike · 4 kmCriffel · 54 km · clear daysSeatallan · 5 kmHarter Fell · 13 kmIron Crag · 5 kmStarling Dodd · 5 kmYewbarrow · 4 kmYewbarrow North Top · 3 kmGreat Borne · 6 kmWhite Maiden · 18 kmLittle Dodd · 4 kmBowfell · 9 kmNethermost Pike · 17 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 18 kmDollywaggon Pike · 18 kmStybarrow Dodd · 18 kmBrim Fell · 17 kmDove Crag · 20 kmLonscale Fell · 19 kmYoke · 27 kmBowscale Fell · 25 kmUllock Pike · 18 kmHaycock · 3 kmAllen Crags · 8 kmLooking Steads · 8 kmSail · 9 kmThunacar Knott · 12 kmCalfhow Pike · 18 kmIllgill Head · 7 kmHerdus · 7 kmSeat · 2 kmKnott Rigg · 7 kmWhin Rigg · 9 kmCrag Fell · 8 kmGreat How · 8 kmWatendlath Fell · 12 kmWhoap · 7 kmYoadcastle · 17 kmGreen Crag · 14 kmGrike · 9 kmHigh Pen · 9 kmGlade How · 7 kmBuckbarrow · 7 kmLittle Dodd · 8 kmRaven's Crag · 20 kmHigh Rigg · 17 kmEycott Hill · 28 kmBirker Fell · 14 kmBowness Knott · 7 kmBrown How · 7 kmSnowdon · 167 km · a handful of days a yearSlieve Donard · 175 km · a handful of days a yearMerrick · 104 km · a rare clear dayAran Fawddwy · 192 km · a handful of days a yearBroad Law · 112 km · a rare clear daySnaefell · 81 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 104 km · a rare clear dayThe Cheviot · 131 km · a handful of days a yearCairnsmore of Fleet · 87 km · a rare clear dayWindlestraw Law · 132 km · a handful of days a yearTinto · 124 km · a handful of days a yearSlieve Croob · 176 km · a handful of days a yearYr Eifl · 186 km · a handful of days a yearMoel y Gamelin · 166 km · a handful of days a yearDivis · 178 km · a handful of days a yearCairn Table · 121 km · a handful of days a yearBeneraird · 123 km · a handful of days a yearPen-y-ghent · 77 km · a rare clear dayAgnew's Hill · 176 km · a handful of days a yearCauldcleuch Head · 93 km · a rare clear dayColt Hill · 99 km · a rare clear dayWinter Hill · 109 km · a rare clear dayBlackwood Hill · 92 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 116 km · a rare clear dayMull Hill · 108 km · a rare clear day
The skyline as a list, by direction
  • North: Grasmoor (8 km), Crag Hill (8 km), Eel Crag (9 km)
  • North-east: Watson's Dodd (18 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (18 km), Skiddaw Little Man (18 km), Skiddaw South Top (19 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (19 km), Great Dodd (19 km), Skiddaw (19 km), Broad End (20 km), Knowe Crags (20 km), Gategill Fell Top (21 km), Blencathra (22 km), Atkinson Pike (22 km)
  • East: Helvellyn Lower Man (17 km), High Crag (17 km), White Side (17 km), Helvellyn (17 km), Nethermost Pike (17 km), Dollywaggon Pike (18 km), Raise (18 km), Stybarrow Dodd (18 km), Cofa Pike (19 km), Fairfield (19 km), Green Side (19 km), Hart Crag (20 km), St Sunday Crag (20 km), Dove Crag (20 km), Thornthwaite Crag (26 km), High Street (27 km), Rampsgill Head (27 km)
  • South-east: Great Gable (4 km), Scafell Pike (7 km), Broad Crag (7 km), Scafell (7 km), Great End (7 km), Ill Crag (7 km), Bowfell (9 km), Brim Fell (17 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (167 km, Wales), Slieve Donard (175 km, Ireland), Carnedd Llewelyn (156 km, Wales), Merrick (104 km, Scotland), Aran Fawddwy (192 km, Wales), Broad Law (112 km, Scotland), Snaefell (81 km, Isle of Man), Moel Siabod (164 km, Wales).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Pillar

Pillar sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (at midwinter) first light is only 1 minute after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

0°30°40°50°60°04:34
Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.
Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
First lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:34 BST ±5.0 min04:38-4 min
Equinox06:14 GMT ±5.0 min06:16-2 min
Midwinter08:35 GMT ±5.0 min08:34+1 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.54°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Pillar

Pillar holds the light. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does the sun leave this summit before almanac sunset — the ground falls away westward rather than standing over you, and at midsummer it is still in the sun 6 minutes after the valley has lost it.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:59 BST ±5.0 min21:53+6 min
Equinox18:33 GMT ±5.0 min18:27+6 min
Midwinter15:58 GMT ±5.0 min15:50+8 min

These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

What you can see from Pillar

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
102Wainwrights in view+13 marginal
180 kmFurthest sightlineSlieve Binnian · possible under favourable refraction
3Sea in viewIrish Sea, Solway Firth, Morecambe Bay

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.

Far horizons
  • Slieve Binnian Northern IrelandW · 180 km clear
  • Slieve Donard Northern IrelandW · 175 km clear
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 167 km clear
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 152 km clear
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 106 km clear
  • Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 81 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 64 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 58 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesENE · 56 km clear
  • Criffel ScotlandNNW · 55 km clear
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNNW · 44 km in view
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSE · 44 km in view
  • Irish Sea open waterWNW · 28 km in view
All 102 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Steeple, Red Pike (Wasdale), High Crag (Buttermere), Haystacks (Buttermere), High Stile, Kirk Fell, Haycock, Red Pike (Buttermere), Yewbarrow, Fleetwith Pike, Caw Fell, Brandreth, Great Gable, Green Gable, Grey Knotts, Starling Dodd, Seatallan, Base Brown, Lingmell, Robinson, Dale Head, Hindscarth, Great Borne, Scafell Pike, Scafell, Great End, Whiteless Pike, Illgill Head, Hen Comb, Knott Rigg, Allen Crags, Glaramara, Crag Fell, Wandope, Lank Rigg, Grasmoor, Gavel Fell, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Ard Crags, Sail, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Whin Rigg (Wasdale), Grike, Bowfell, Scar Crags, Blake Fell, Causey Pike, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Sergeant's Crag, Eagle Crag, High Raise (High White Stones), Thunacar Knott, Sergeant Man, Ullscarf, High Tove, Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, High Seat, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Harter Fell (Eskdale), Bleaberry Fell, Walla Crag, Green Crag, Grey Friar, Latrigg, Dodd (Skiddaw), White Side, Seat Sandal, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Raise, Carl Side, Watson's Dodd, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Skiddaw Little Man, Stybarrow Dodd, Great Rigg, Fairfield, Lonscale Fell, Great Dodd, Skiddaw, Clough Head, St Sunday Crag, Dove Crag, High Pike (Scandale), Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Red Screes, Bowscale Fell, Thornthwaite Crag, Great Mell Fell, The Knott (High Street), Froswick, Ill Bell, Sour Howes, Rampsgill Head, Yoke, Carrock Fell, Kidsty Pike, Sallows

How the view from Pillar compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Pillar. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. Corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

Places to stay near this fell

We have not verified an independent place near this fell — these are the chains and charities that serve it.

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions about Pillar

Is Pillar hard to climb? Answered above.

What is the easiest route up Pillar?
From Wasdale Head by Black Sail Pass: up Gatherstone Beck to the pass, then west along the ridge over Looking Stead to the summit, a clear path with no scrambling, about 800 m of ascent and 5 to 6 hours for the round trip. Our walked route is the bigger Extended Mosedale Horseshoe, 17.8 km and 1,236 m; Pillar can also be reached from Ennerdale on a long valley walk in. Whichever way, it is remote: carry full kit and start early.

Sources: National Trust — Pillar trail from Wasdale Head

How long does it take to climb Pillar? Answered above: Routes up Pillar.

Do you have to climb Pillar Rock to reach the summit?

No — and you shouldn't try to as a walker. Pillar Rock is a huge separate crag on the Ennerdale face, famous as the only summit on the main hill lists in England that requires actual rock climbing (a Grade 3 scramble / Moderate climb) to reach its own top. It is for experienced climbers only.

The walkers' summit of Pillar is a straightforward walk nearby. Admire Pillar Rock from the High Level Route or the summit — don't attempt to climb it without the skills, gear and experience.

Sources: Knowledge — Pillar

Is the High Level Route up Pillar dangerous?
Yes, for a walker in the wrong conditions: it traverses the steep Ennerdale face above Pillar Rock on narrow paths with sections of very steep, loose scree, and a slip in places could be serious. Our hazard notes for Pillar rate the Rock and the High Level Route as the fell's most severe ground and say the standard ridge is the safer line. Take it only if you are confident and sure-footed, in dry, clear, calm weather; otherwise use the Black Sail ridge. Pillar Rock itself is a climbers' crag, not a walking objective.

Sources: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team

Is Pillar suitable for beginners?
No, and not because of the ground, which has no scrambling on the walkers' route, but because of the distance from help. It is 892 m, remote on every side, with around 800 m of ascent on a long approach; our Mosedale Horseshoe over it is 17.8 km and 5½–7½ hours. Get some hill fitness and a few fells first. If you do go, pick a settled day, carry full kit with map and compass, and keep off the High Level Route and Pillar Rock.

Sources: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team

What should I take, and how remote is Pillar?
Full kit, because help is hours away: waterproofs and warm layers, plenty of food and water, a map and compass you can use, a charged phone and proper boots for rough, rocky ground. Pillar is a long way from any road whichever way you come; Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team covers it, and our hazard notes list remoteness and long approaches among the fell's hazards. Allow a generous margin, be ready to turn back, and check the mountain forecast; in winter it is full mountaineering ground.

Sources: MWIS — Lake District forecast

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-09-22 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near Pillar

Places nearby: Ritson's Force