Scafell Pike


Bridge and road to Hall Farm 08:27 My car is parked nearby, I am kitted-up and ready to start walking   Scafell Pike at 977m (3,206ft) is England's highest mountain. Scafell, which was once thought to be higher, is only 964m. I am starting my walk from just beyond the north-eastern end of Wast Water and will follow Lingmell Gill uphill to Mickledore, the dip between the two high mountains, before turning left to reach Scafell Pike.

The forecast for the 16th October was good but you may notice the tops of both mountains had a fuzzy edge at the time the photograph was taken. This was due to wind accelerating over the tops and creating local cloud. It will clear later, I hope.

The route takes us along the farm road, over the girder bridge, past a campsite on the left and when the road bears right I continue ahead to find Lingmell Gill.


The path climbed steadily keeping to the left of Lingmell Gill. The lower part of the gill was tree lined but eventually I came to a gate that led out onto the open fellside.

Looking back, I could see Wast Water in deep shade and I was feeling the cold. The fells on the opposite side of the valley were in bright sunshine and I remember thinking how nice it would be if I were standing in the sunshine.

I could no longer see my car or the layby where I had parked. The lower slopes of Lingmell effectively blocking the view in that direction. 		  Looking back at Wast Water 08:55 Looking back at Wast Water in deep shade


Crossing Lingmell Gill 09:06 Fording Lingmell Gill with Wast Water in the distance   My path crosses the Lingmell Gill and then moves away from the gill. This part of the route is called Brown Tongue and the path splits at one point with the left hand path going below Scafell Pike towards Broad Crag. It is important that I keep to the right and head towards Hollow Stones.

I never did spot the path going off to the left. This section seemed quite forbidding, as I walked quite alone. In fact, I had seen nobody else at all since I started the walk.


A large cairn marked the path at Hollow Stones and encouraged me onwards. I could not see Mickledore at this time but I was slightly in awe of what I might find when the path turned a bit to the right at the top of the next rise.

Various books, including Wainwright, had described Mickledore as looking like a gate-house and being a somewhat forbidding place. 		  Cairn marks the path at Hollow Stones 09:41 Large cairn marks the path at Hollow Stones


Mickledore 09:57 Mickledore is now in sight   Mickledore does not look quite as frightening as I had expected. It is the dip in the rocks between Scafell Pike to the left and Scafell to the right. The entire area is covered with loose stones; not quite your traditional scree. I decided to try the left hand slope and it was a question of two steps forward and one backwards. Towards the top, where the slope got steeper, I found it advantageous to stay near the central rock and steady myself with hand-holds, wherever possible.

What I had not anticipated was the strength of the wind that whistled through the gap. Back at Hollow Stones there was no suggestion of wind and likewise later when well away from Mickledore. On a good day, I think any walker could scramble up Mickledore but it might not be the same story in heavy rain.


View from Mickledore 10:18 Looking back after gaining Mickledore   I am now standing on Mickledore in the sunshine and looking all the way back to the Hall Farm road, visible again over the slopes of Lingmell.

Just to the Scafell Pike side of Mickledore there is a box, soldily mounted and large enough to hold a person lying down protected from the elements and marked Mountain Rescue Kit.

All the rocks up here are very broken with deep fissures and the temptation to leap from one to another should be avoided, as it could easily lead to a broken leg or ankle.

The part of the photograph in deep shadow is part of the Scafell buttress.


Layby and cars Selective enlargement   The very first photograph showed Scafell Pike and Scafell with the dip between them being Mickledore. Now, at Mickledore, I can look back at the layby where I parked my car.

This selective enlargement from the centre of the previous photograph may give you some idea of the distance travelled and the height gained by me in under two hours.

I make no apology for showing the next photograph as large as possible. It is probably the most interesting of the whole series.


Scafell and Mickledore 10:32 Scafell and Mickledore seen from the Scafell Pike side


I did not immediately take a photograh on reaching the summit of Scafell Pike for it was in cloud and cold in a stiff breeze. Instead I sat with my back to the large circular cairn and drank a cup of coffee. I had still not seen another soul but that was about to change when another walker appeared out of the mist. My best guess is that I reached the summit at 10:50, so under two and a half hours using probably the most direct route to the summit. The wind dropped and the cloud dispersed giving me the opportunity to take the following two photographs in quick succession.


Scafell Pike trig point 11:11 Trig Point with Scafell beyond   Great Gable from Scafell Pike 11:11 Great Gable as seen from Scafell Pike


Descent path 11:20 Our cairned path passes to the right of Broad Crag   It is important to find the correct path for the descent. I headed in a north-easterly direction for about 100m and found a series of cairns marking the way. In the photograph, I am standing by one and several others are clearly visible.

The lower slopes of Broad Crag can be seen beyond the coll. The initial descent is quite steep but then the path descends more gradually passing to the right of Broad Crag and later Great End before approaching Esk Hause.

Esk Hause is a junction for many footpaths and can be confusing in poor visibility. The footpath I took goes off to the left before Esk Hause proper and leads to Sprinkling Tarn.


Sprinkling Tarn 12:48 Sprinkling Tarn with Great Gable and Green Gable   Sprinkling Tarn 12:48 Sprinkling Tarn - my lunchtime stop


Sty Head Tarn 13:20 Sty Head Tarn with Great Gable and Green Gable beyond   The tarn in this photograph is Sty Head Tarn alongside the old packhorse trail from Borrowdale to Wasdale. I will use the packhorse trail for my final descent to Wasdale Head.

Since starting my descent from Scafell Pike I have encountered increasing numbers of walkers going in the opposite direction. This is the more usual route to the summit and relatively few walkers will tackle the Mickledore approach. The climb may be less steep but I think many will still be on the mountain as darkness falls.


Looking back at Scafell Pike 13:24 A quick look back at Scafell Pike; photograph taken into the sun    


The packhorse train and Wasdale Head 13:39 The packhorse trail leads to Wasdale Head Several paths lead from Sty Head Pass and it is important to set off along the correct one. If the path appears to climb, even gradually, then it is not the right one. Another path descends rapidly to the left towards Lingmell Beck but that is not the packhorse trail, which descends quite gently over the lower slopes of Great Gable.

The village of Wasdale Head, set amongst the green fields of the valley floor, seems distant and almost out of reach but in an hour and fifteen minutes you can be in the Wasdale Head Inn with a well deserved glass of their locally brewed Wasdale Head Ale.


Bridge over Mosedale Beck at Wasdale Head 14:54 Bridge over Mosedale Beck in the village of Wasdale Head Well, I have reached Wasdale Head before 15:00. You will remember that my motor car is not in the village but in a layby nearly a mile away. I could certainly have completed the walk by 15:30 if I had just continued walking. So the whole walk would have taken me just 7 hours, which I think is not at all bad.

Of course, I did not do that but was tempted instead by a glass of beer along with pie and chips making the walk just that bit longer.

Editor: Peter J. Cosker   peter@the2coskers.com   other Lake District walks   Updated: 19/12/2017