Seatallan

About Seatallan

Rising as a broad, grassy dome above Wasdale, Seatallan offers a gentler profile than its craggy neighbours. Known for its smooth slopes and expansive summit, it provides a grandstand view of the Scafell massif and Great Gable across the valley, while the coastal plain and the Isle of Man stretch out to the west.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is likely derived from the Old Norse 'Sætr-Alan', signifying the shieling or summer pasture belonging to a man named Alan.
• •Alfred Wainwright described the fell as a 'heavy, hulking fellow', noting that while its slopes are largely featureless grass, the summit area is remarkably spacious and provides an excellent sense of isolation.
• •The summit is marked by a large, ancient burial mound or tumulus, which is thought to date back to the Bronze Age and sits just a few metres from the modern Ordnance Survey trig pillar.
• •The view from the top offers one of the best perspectives of the 'Wasdale V', where the steep flanks of Yewbarrow and Lingmell frame the distant, jagged peaks of the Scafell range.
• •Seatallan is most frequently climbed as part of a three-peak circuit starting from Greendale, usually combined with the craggy outcrops of Buckbarrow and the rocky ridges of Middle Fell.
• •Despite its impressive list of classifications, including Marilyn and Hewitt status, Seatallan’s primary defence against visitors is its uncanny ability to be both relentlessly steep and remarkably boggy at the same time.