Seathwaite is a remote hamlet at the head of Borrowdale, famous for its rainfall records and long association with Lakeland mining. It once served the nearby Seathwaite Wad Mine, source of the pure graphite used to make some of the earliest pencils in Europe. The narrow lane to Seathwaite is England’s wettest road, often flooded by run-off from the encircling slopes of Base Brown, Green Gable, Great End and Glaramara. Today Seathwaite is the jumping-off point for countless ascents — from family walks to Scafell Pike via Styhead Tarn to the Coast to Coast traverses over Greenup Edge or Honister.

Seathwaite Fell, a 601 m Wainwright, occupies a dramatic position at the heart of the central fells, enclosed by a ring of higher peaks — Green Gable (801 m) and Great Gable (899 m) to the west, Glaramara (783 m) to the east, and Great End (910 m) to the south. Beyond rise the giants of Scafell Pike, Lingmell, and Kirk Fell, forming a skyline that draws walkers from every corner of the Lakes.

On the lower declivity of Seathwaite Fell’s volcanic flank lies an uplifted terrace known as Greenhow Knott. Below it, a dark belt of conifers marks the course of Styhead Gill, which plunges 140 feet through a narrow chasm to form Taylorgill Force — one of the Lake District’s tallest waterfalls. Fed by the outflow from Styhead Tarn, the fall descends in a white torrent between mossed rock and fern, echoing through the hollow before joining the infant River Derwent.

Black Waugh is a prominent outcrop of volcanic lava on the northern flanks of Seathwaite Fell, lying beneath the sharper buttress of Aaron Crags. From the footpath that links the Grains Gill valley to Styhead Gill, the sandstone-and-andesite ridge of Black Waugh rises steeply to the cairn-marked crest of Seathwaite Fell. Ancient field-walls and enclosure-intakes cling to the slopes of the knoll, hinting at centuries of sheep-grazing high above Borrowdale.

Hind Crag forms the rugged mid-slope bastion of Glaramara’s western face, overlooking the deep trench of Grains Gill between Seathwaite Fell and Glaramara. The fell rises to 783 m, with its twin summit, Looking Steads, at 775 m to the north. From this vantage, Hind Crag shows its volcanic anatomy in full — steep rhyolitic cliffs broken by scree and water-worn gullies that descend toward the glacial trough below. The darker belt of cliffs to the south is Hind Side, a stark contrast to the smoother ridges leading toward Borrowdale.

From Patterson’s Fold, near the footbridge over Styhead Gill, there is a commanding view up the west face of Seathwaite Fell toward its 601 metre summit, which lies just beyond the brow of the ridge and is hidden from view. Seathwaite Fell has three recognised tops — at 601 m, 631 m, and 632 m — of which the northerly 601 m summit offers the finest panorama over Borrowdale and the Derwent valley. The western slopes seen here are heavily indented by rain-cut gullies that feed into Styhead Gill below.

Great Slack is a rocky rake cutting through the craggy south-west flank of Seathwaite Fell. A rake is a natural passage or terrace running through a broken slope of rock. Great Slack lies above and east of Styhead Tarn, with Sprinkling Tarn further to the south-east, just below the 631 m summit of Seathwaite Fell. From the path above the tarn, Great Slack can be seen rising steeply through the volcanic crags — a rugged breach in the fellside leading toward higher ground.

Sprinkling Tarn rests on the 630m contour on the south end of the Seathwaite plateau, below The Band, the line of vertiginous cliffs comprising the North West face of Great End. The plateau is honeycombed with small tarns and pools, all cradled within a ring of crags.

From the higher ground near the fords and Ruddy Gill, a view north toward Sprinkling Tarn reveals the rugged, crag-strewn plateau of Seathwaite Fell. The tarn is partly divided by a narrow isthmus near its northern corner, with crags rising steeply around its rim.

From the top of Ruddy Gill, where it carves the deep valley between Rosthwaite Fell and Glaramara, there opens a tremendous view northwards — from the corner of Sprinkling Crags down to Derwent Water. The vista spans the length of Borrowdale, taking in Rosthwaite and Castle Crag, and continues beyond to the distant summits of Skiddaw and Blencathra.

Sprinkling Crags runs along the south-east brow of Seathwaite Fell, forming the western wall of Ruddy Gill’s deep valley. Opposite, Hind Side rises in a long band of dark cliffs — the steep western face of Glaramara. Between them, a beautifully stone-pitched path descends beside the gill toward Seathwaite, offering one of Borrowdale’s most dramatic valley views.

Allen Gill descends from the tarns and pools scattered along the ridge between Allen Crags and Glaramara, cutting through a deep gulch before merging with Ruddy Gill. Numerous smaller gills flow from the flanks of Allen Crags and are gathered into Allen Gill along its descent. The united waters of Allen Gill and Ruddy Gill form the Grains Gill, which soon receives Red Beck from the Glaramara ridge — together creating one of Borrowdale’s finest upland river systems.