High Stile
Encyclopedia
High Stile is a mountain
in the western part of the Lake District
in northwest England
. It is the eleventh highest English Marilyn
, standing 807 metres (2,648 ft) high, and has a relative height
of 362 metres (1,187 ft).
It is the highest in the range of fells extending north west from Great Gable
towards Loweswater
, and together with its satellites, Red Pike
and High Crag
, forms a trio of fells overlooking the lake and village of Buttermere
. On this side are high crags, wild combes and a small tarn, Bleaberry Tarn
. High Stile is most easily ascended as part of a traverse of the three fells.
occupy a triangular sector of the Lake District, bordered by the River Cocker to the north east and Wasdale
to the south east. Westwards the hills diminish toward the coastal plain of Cumberland. At the central hub of the high country are Great Gable
and its satellites, while two principal ridges fan out on either flank of Ennerdale
, the western fells in effect being a great horseshoe around this long wild valley. The highest section of the northern branch is formed by the trio of Buttermere
fells, High Crag
, High Stile and Red Pike
.
The Buttermere Fells, also known as Buttermere Edge, form the watershed between Buttermere
and Upper Ennerdale
. The Ennerdale flanks are steep and rough with areas of crag, the lower slopes being planted with a ribbon of conifers. Across the narrow ridge-top to the north are deep corrie
s and dark walls of crag, glowering down over the lake. The ridge continues south east to Haystacks and the Great Gable group. Beyond Red Pike to the west are Starling Dodd
, Great Borne
and the Loweswater Fells.
All three Buttermere Fells throw out a short spur towards the lake with deep combs hollowed out between them. North west of High Stile is Bleaberry Comb, backed by the wall of Chapel Crags. Nestled deep within is Bleaberry Tarn, a pool which is on continual shadow from November to March. Despite the steep contours of the rock walls above, the tarn is only about 15 ft (4.6 m) deep, and is well stocked with trout. Bleaberry Tarn is drained into Buttermere by Sourmilk Gill, reaching the lake mere yards from its outlet. A belt of trees has been planted along the shoreline. Birkness Comb, also called Burtness Comb on Ordnance Survey
maps, lies between the truncated and unnamed northern ridges of High Crag and High Stile. The lack of a retaining moraine
means that this hollow has no tarn, Comb Beck running uninterrupted to the Lake. Grey Crag and Eagle Crag are the main faces on High Stile. These corries being scooped out of the northern face result in the connecting ridges between the three Buttermere Fells being fine and narrow.
The Ennerdale flanks have a tier of crag at around 2000 ft (609.6 m), The Knors and Raven Crag being the principal features. At the foot of the slopes are the massed conifers of the Ennerdale Forest, all contributing to the difficulty of access. There are no paths on the southern flank of High Stile.
, sandstone
, conglomerate, tuff
, lapilli
-tuff and andesite
sills of the Eagle Crag Member. The northern slopes display the underlying olistostrome
of disrupted, sheared and folded mudstone
, siltstone
and sandstone
of the Buttermere Formation. In the direction of Red Pike are intrusions of the granophyric granite
.
There are the remains of a small copper
mine near the shore of Buttermere. This was worked from 1569 to 1570 and again in the 1820s.
. The highest point on the main ridge is only 3 foot (0.9144 m) lower and was regarded as the summit by Alfred Wainwright
, the maps available at the time not deciding the issue. This top has two main cairns side by side. In an attempt to avoid confusion some guidebooks refer to the summit as Grey Crag and the top on the ridge as High Stile.
The view is extensive, the highlight perhaps being the North Western Fells
across the Buttermere valley. Ennerdale Water
and Crummock Water
are in view and careful steps toward the brink can also add Bleaberry Tarn to the picture. Fine views of the crags of the surrounding combs complete the foreground.
(through forest
and steep bracken
) is not found in guidebooks. The fell is climbed as part of Variation 1 on the Coast to Coast Walk
.
Direct ascents can be made if desired via either of the northern combs. From the shore of Buttermere a path runs up into Birkness Comb from where the northern spur can be gained. From Buttermere village the path to Bleaberry Tarn can be used, branching off to find a line around the eastern end of Chapel Crags. If climbing from Ennerdale the route up Red Pike may be used.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the western part of the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
in northwest England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is the eleventh highest English Marilyn
Marilyn (hill)
A Marilyn is a mountain or hill in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or Isle of Man with a relative height of at least 150 metres , regardless of absolute height or other merit...
, standing 807 metres (2,648 ft) high, and has a relative height
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
of 362 metres (1,187 ft).
It is the highest in the range of fells extending north west from Great Gable
Great Gable
Great Gable is a mountain lying at the very heart of the English Lake District, appearing as a pyramid from Wasdale , but as a dome from most other directions. It is one of the most popular of the Lakeland fells, and there are many different routes to the summit...
towards Loweswater
Loweswater
Loweswater is one of the smaller lakes in the English Lake District. The village of Loweswater is situated at the foot of the lake.The lake is not far from Cockermouth and is also easily reached from elsewhere in West Cumbria. The group of fells to the south of Loweswater is known as the Loweswater...
, and together with its satellites, Red Pike
Red Pike (Buttermere)
Red Pike is a fell in the High Stile range in the western English Lake District, which separates Ennerdale from the valley of Buttermere and Crummock Water. It is high...
and High Crag
High Crag
High Crag stands at the southern end of the High Stile ridge which divides the valleys of Ennerdale and Buttermere in the west of the English Lake District. It is often climbed as part of a popular ridge walk, from Black Sail youth hostel, or from Buttermere via Scarth Gap...
, forms a trio of fells overlooking the lake and village of Buttermere
Buttermere
Buttermere is a lake in the English Lake District in North West England. The adjacent village of Buttermere takes its name from the lake. Historically within the former county of Cumberland, the lake is now within the county of Cumbria. It is owned by the National Trust, forming part of their...
. On this side are high crags, wild combes and a small tarn, Bleaberry Tarn
Bleaberry Tarn
Bleaberry Tarn is a small natural mountain tarn near Buttermere in the English Lake District. Located at NY165154 , it lies in a corrie below the Lakeland fells of Red Pike and High Stile, backed by Chapel Crags on the ridge between them...
. High Stile is most easily ascended as part of a traverse of the three fells.
Topography
The Western FellsWestern Fells
The Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Centred on Great Gable they occupy a triangular area between Buttermere and Wasdale...
occupy a triangular sector of the Lake District, bordered by the River Cocker to the north east and Wasdale
Wasdale
Wasdale is a valley and civil parish in the western part of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. The River Irt flows through the valley to its estuary at Ravenglass. A large part of the main valley floor is occupied by Wastwater, the deepest lake in England...
to the south east. Westwards the hills diminish toward the coastal plain of Cumberland. At the central hub of the high country are Great Gable
Great Gable
Great Gable is a mountain lying at the very heart of the English Lake District, appearing as a pyramid from Wasdale , but as a dome from most other directions. It is one of the most popular of the Lakeland fells, and there are many different routes to the summit...
and its satellites, while two principal ridges fan out on either flank of Ennerdale
Ennerdale
Ennerdale may refer to:* Ennerdale, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa* Ennerdale Water, a lake in the Lake District in England**Ennerdale Bridge, a nearby settlement...
, the western fells in effect being a great horseshoe around this long wild valley. The highest section of the northern branch is formed by the trio of Buttermere
Buttermere
Buttermere is a lake in the English Lake District in North West England. The adjacent village of Buttermere takes its name from the lake. Historically within the former county of Cumberland, the lake is now within the county of Cumbria. It is owned by the National Trust, forming part of their...
fells, High Crag
High Crag
High Crag stands at the southern end of the High Stile ridge which divides the valleys of Ennerdale and Buttermere in the west of the English Lake District. It is often climbed as part of a popular ridge walk, from Black Sail youth hostel, or from Buttermere via Scarth Gap...
, High Stile and Red Pike
Red Pike (Buttermere)
Red Pike is a fell in the High Stile range in the western English Lake District, which separates Ennerdale from the valley of Buttermere and Crummock Water. It is high...
.
The Buttermere Fells, also known as Buttermere Edge, form the watershed between Buttermere
Buttermere
Buttermere is a lake in the English Lake District in North West England. The adjacent village of Buttermere takes its name from the lake. Historically within the former county of Cumberland, the lake is now within the county of Cumbria. It is owned by the National Trust, forming part of their...
and Upper Ennerdale
Ennerdale
Ennerdale may refer to:* Ennerdale, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa* Ennerdale Water, a lake in the Lake District in England**Ennerdale Bridge, a nearby settlement...
. The Ennerdale flanks are steep and rough with areas of crag, the lower slopes being planted with a ribbon of conifers. Across the narrow ridge-top to the north are deep corrie
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
s and dark walls of crag, glowering down over the lake. The ridge continues south east to Haystacks and the Great Gable group. Beyond Red Pike to the west are Starling Dodd
Starling Dodd
Starling Dodd is a fell in the western part of the English Lake District, located between the valleys of Ennerdale and Buttermere, on the ridge between Great Borne to its west and Red Pike to its east...
, Great Borne
Great Borne
Great Borne is a fell in the English Lake District with a height of . It is a rather secluded hill situated at the western end of the long ridge which divides the Ennerdale and Buttermere valleys.-Name:...
and the Loweswater Fells.
All three Buttermere Fells throw out a short spur towards the lake with deep combs hollowed out between them. North west of High Stile is Bleaberry Comb, backed by the wall of Chapel Crags. Nestled deep within is Bleaberry Tarn, a pool which is on continual shadow from November to March. Despite the steep contours of the rock walls above, the tarn is only about 15 ft (4.6 m) deep, and is well stocked with trout. Bleaberry Tarn is drained into Buttermere by Sourmilk Gill, reaching the lake mere yards from its outlet. A belt of trees has been planted along the shoreline. Birkness Comb, also called Burtness Comb on Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps, lies between the truncated and unnamed northern ridges of High Crag and High Stile. The lack of a retaining moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
means that this hollow has no tarn, Comb Beck running uninterrupted to the Lake. Grey Crag and Eagle Crag are the main faces on High Stile. These corries being scooped out of the northern face result in the connecting ridges between the three Buttermere Fells being fine and narrow.
The Ennerdale flanks have a tier of crag at around 2000 ft (609.6 m), The Knors and Raven Crag being the principal features. At the foot of the slopes are the massed conifers of the Ennerdale Forest, all contributing to the difficulty of access. There are no paths on the southern flank of High Stile.
Geology and Mining
The summit area is formed of the siltstoneSiltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
, sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, conglomerate, tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
, lapilli
Lapilli
Lapilli is a size classification term for tephra, which is material that falls out of the air during a volcanic eruption or during some meteorite impacts. Lapilli means "little stones" in Latin. They are in some senses similar to ooids or pisoids in calcareous sediments.By definition lapilli range...
-tuff and andesite
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
sills of the Eagle Crag Member. The northern slopes display the underlying olistostrome
Olistostrome
The term olistostrome is derived from olio - a dish of many ingredients or stew; a mixture of heterogeneous elements; hodgepodge. and stroma - a bed covering...
of disrupted, sheared and folded mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
, siltstone
Siltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
of the Buttermere Formation. In the direction of Red Pike are intrusions of the granophyric granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
.
There are the remains of a small copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
mine near the shore of Buttermere. This was worked from 1569 to 1570 and again in the 1820s.
Summit and view
The highest point lies a little way out onto the northern spur at the top of Grey Crag, marked by a cairnCairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
. The highest point on the main ridge is only 3 foot (0.9144 m) lower and was regarded as the summit by Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
, the maps available at the time not deciding the issue. This top has two main cairns side by side. In an attempt to avoid confusion some guidebooks refer to the summit as Grey Crag and the top on the ridge as High Stile.
The view is extensive, the highlight perhaps being the North Western Fells
North Western Fells
The North Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Including such favourites as Catbells and Grisedale Pike, they occupy an oval area beneath the Buttermere and Borrowdale valley systems...
across the Buttermere valley. Ennerdale Water
Ennerdale Water
Ennerdale Water is the most westerly lake in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is a glacial lake, with a maximum depth of 45 metres , and at 700 to 1,500 metres wide and 3.9 kilometres is one of the smallest lakes in the area...
and Crummock Water
Crummock Water
Crummock Water is a lake in the Lake District in Cumbria, North West England situated between Buttermere to the south and Loweswater to the north. Crummock Water is two and a half miles long, three quarters of a mile wide and 140ft deep. The River Cocker is considered to start at the north of the...
are in view and careful steps toward the brink can also add Bleaberry Tarn to the picture. Fine views of the crags of the surrounding combs complete the foreground.
Ascents
The fell is usually ascended as a traverse of the 'Buttermere Three', as the north eastern flank is very steep and rough. Strong walkers may continue the walk towards Haystacks, four miles (6 km) to the south east. The direct ascent from EnnerdaleEnnerdale
Ennerdale may refer to:* Ennerdale, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa* Ennerdale Water, a lake in the Lake District in England**Ennerdale Bridge, a nearby settlement...
(through forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
and steep bracken
Bracken
Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...
) is not found in guidebooks. The fell is climbed as part of Variation 1 on the Coast to Coast Walk
Coast to Coast Walk
The Coast to Coast Walk is a 192-mile unofficial and mostly unsignposted long distance footpath in Northern England...
.
Direct ascents can be made if desired via either of the northern combs. From the shore of Buttermere a path runs up into Birkness Comb from where the northern spur can be gained. From Buttermere village the path to Bleaberry Tarn can be used, branching off to find a line around the eastern end of Chapel Crags. If climbing from Ennerdale the route up Red Pike may be used.