Seatallan: Height (693m), Walks and Western Fell Views

Seatallan is the broad, grassy counterpoint to the craggier fells around Wasdale. At 693m, it stands west of Wast Water, with Middle Fell and Buckbarrow nearby and higher ground stretching towards Haycock. Its rounded summit can look unassuming beside the Scafells, but that openness is part of its appeal: generous sky, a spacious upland landscape and a different perspective on the western Lakes.

A broad summit above Wasdale

Seatallan’s defining feature is its rounded, grassy bulk. Seen beside the broken rock of neighbouring Buckbarrow or the sharper profiles across Wasdale, it has a notably softer outline. That appearance should not be confused with a small fell: its summit reaches 693m (2,274ft), and the climb from the low ground around Greendale involves a substantial height gain. The summit grid reference is NY140084.

A trig point marks the broad summit area. The outlook takes in the Scafell massif and the surrounding western fells, with a more open aspect towards the coastal lowlands to the west. This contrast between high, rocky ground inland and the lower country towards the Irish Sea is central to Seatallan’s character. It belongs to the mountain landscape of Wasdale without sharing the narrow ridges or conspicuous rock architecture of its most familiar summits.

Seatallan in The Western Fells

Seatallan appears in The Western Fells, Book Seven of Alfred Wainwright’s pictorial guides. It ranks 94th by height among the 214 Wainwrights. Its neighbouring Wainwrights are Middle Fell, Buckbarrow, Haycock and Caw Fell, placing it within the western uplands between Wasdale and Ennerdale rather than among the higher summits at Wasdale Head.

Those neighbours help explain its place on the map. Middle Fell and Buckbarrow occupy the ground closer to the lower end of Wast Water, while Haycock and Caw Fell belong to the higher country farther north. Greendale Tarn lies in the hollow between Seatallan and Middle Fell. Together, these features give the area considerable variety: grassy upland, rocky outcrops and a small tarn within a relatively compact group of fells.

Walks and the appeal of quieter ground

Greendale is a familiar starting area for walks on Seatallan, and the fell is often combined with Middle Fell and Buckbarrow. Such combinations offer contrasting terrain and viewpoints rather than three versions of the same summit. Longer outings can connect Seatallan with the ground towards Haycock, but these require a different assessment of distance, ascent and conditions.

Seatallan’s appeal is less about a single celebrated feature than the experience of open fell country. Its grassy surfaces can be wet, and the broad upper slopes demand careful navigation in cloud. A dedicated route guide and an appropriate map are useful companions: an apparently straightforward skyline is no substitute for checking the terrain and the day’s weather.

Where Seatallan stands

Summit at grid reference NY140084 · open full map

The real Seatallan

Walking Seatallan

We make artwork, not route guides — these are the guides we'd point a friend to:

• Seatallan walk - Middle Fell walk - Buckbarrow walk (andrewswalks.co.uk)
• Middle Fell, Seatallan, Buckbarrow - a Greendale round (walklakes.co.uk)
• Middle Fell, Seatallan and Buckbarrow from Nether Wasdale (alltrails.com)

Weather on Seatallan

Conditions estimated at summit height (693 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Seatallan on your wall

A painting of Seatallan brings the quieter shape of Wasdale into a room: broad grass slopes, an open skyline and the darker presence of neighbouring fells. As a print or canvas, it can recall a familiar round above Greendale, rather than only the district’s best-known summits.

Own “Sunlit Seatallan Dome and Crags” — our painting of Seatallan → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Western Fells

• Middle Fell 582 m
• Haycock 797 m
• Buckbarrow 423 m
• Caw Fell 697 m

Part of our guide to all 214 Wainwrights — see the full index.