ACROSS LAKELAND - A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay - page 23

Of a vast building made of many crags,
And in the midst is one particular rock
That rises like a column from the vale,
Whence by our shepherds it is called the Pillar.

Pillar Rock, thankfully you might say, is not on the route of the Coast to Coast Walk,
but its presence draws the eye for quite a while as the way ventures deeper and deeper
into the valley. Its parent mountain, Pillar, is a 'mighty mass of natural Gothic architec-
ture', a monument to nature's creation.

Great Gable and Green Gable from upper Ennerdale

Above Ennerdale Water is the River Liza, its name thought to have derived from the
Icelandic river Lysá, meaning 'the bright water', and suggestive of the area having been
settled by Norsemen. The tumbling waters of the Liza, half-hidden among ferns and
trees, are a bold contrast with the high fells that look down on it.

Black Sail Youth Hostel to Borrowdale (Rosth-
waite)

Distance 8.8km (5½ miles)

Height Gain 340m (1115 feet)

Black Sail Youth Hostel, surely, lies in one of the most dramatic and awe-inspiring
locations in the Lake District, a perfect base for mountain adventurers wanting to cut
their teeth on the ring of craggy, challenging summits that surround it. Well-estab-
lished routes leave the youth hostel for the heights, though none of the principal lines
is used by the Coast to Coast Walk, which prefers the crumbly confines of Loft Beck