Seatallan

Seatallan is a grassy fell in Wasdale, part of the Lake District’s Western Fells. It stands as a broad, rounded hill with a wide upland plateau stretching five miles to the south-west. The River Bleng forms its western boundary, looping south-west before joining the Irt near Ravenglass. To the east, Nether Beck flows down to Wastwater, separated from Seatallan by Middle Fell. The fell’s most striking feature is Buckbarrow, a 120-metre crag overlooking Greendale and Wast Water. Seatallan is classed as a Marilyn because the col connecting it to Haycock is low. Its name comes from Cumbric, meaning ‘Aleyn’s high pasture’. The summit bears a large tumulus and an Ordnance Survey column, though the view is mostly blocked by higher fells. Wastwater can be glimpsed by walking north-east from the top. The fell’s geology includes Seatallan Dacite, diorite above the Bleng, and andesite near Buckbarrow. Visitors find a broad plateau and a steep ascent from Pots of Ashness, a grassy depression south of Haycock. The summit cone slopes away to the south, and Middle Fell’s ridge curves around to the east. Greendale Gill leads up from Greendale Tarn, a deep pool in a narrow bowl beneath huge boulders. Buckbarrow’s crags dominate the southern edge, while conifer plantations line the Bleng and Irt valleys. The fell offers quiet paths through open fells and wooded gills, with few crowds.