Walk Report: Scafell Pike & Sca Fell
Tuesday 29th March
Bright sunshine accompanied me for much of the walk today but despite the good weather I wouldn't rate today's walk as the highlight of the holiday. Last night I was trying to come up with an interesting walk to do today but nothing seemed to work so in the end I had to settle for my original plan: Scafell Pike. So, in glorious weather I began a four mile trudge along the road beside Wastwater to Wasdale Head; great views, but what a waste of a glorious morning. My plan, formulated last night, was to head up to Sty Head along the bridle path that runs up the lower slopes of Great Gable. Last year I had done a walk up this way but stayed at the bottom of the valley beside the river, which turned out to be a rather difficult route as the path pretty much disappears at the head of the valley leaving you with a steep climb in order to get up to Sty Head. This time I was able to take the main path up to Sty Head from Wasdale Head and naturally found it a rather easy path.
The main reason for my going through Sty Head to get to Scafell Pike (besides avoiding the crowds on Brown Tongue) was so I could take the Corridor Route to Lingmell Col. This is superb path is never boring that hugs the side of the hill below Great End weaving around the crags and across the gulleys as it climbs from Sty Head to join the tourist path at the col with Lingmell. I had lunch at the col with my back to the crowds passing up the tourist path gazing out on Great Gable and the surrounding scenery, which looked amazing on this sunny day. Bracing myself I headed up the tourist path up to the crowded summit with relatively little effort. The path was full of families with young children all climbing up to the highest hill in England, God help them; there are far more interesting hills in the Lake District. Clouds were beginning to cover the Pike but I was still able to see the views almost all around the summit, such as they are. I don't think the view from Scafell Pike is particularly noteworthy compared with others in the Lakes.
Quickly beating a retreat I headed across to Broad Stand and with a quick glance at the start of Lord's Rake I made a careful descent down the scree towards the Foxes Tarn route to Sca Fell. Let's face it, there is no easy route from Scafell Pike to Sca Fell; the foxes Tarn route may be the only recommended route given the poor state of Lord's Rake these days, but it's not easy. There is a very steep scree slope to descend and then a lengthy scramble up a gulley to Foxes Tarn, which is made more tricky by the stream coming down. Once at the small tarn you have yet another scree slope to walk up before you reach the summit. It took me an hour to get from one summit to the other, as the eagle flies it's just 900 metres! It may not be easy, but it's quite fun nevertheless.
By now the day had turned colder with the cloud descending everywhere; Sca Fell was now completely covered in cloud, but that didn't dampen my enthusiasm as unlike the pike this summit was almost bare of people. What a difference 14 metres makes! I now had ahead of me a slow descent over Slight Side down into Eskdale. As one looks out from Slight Side the route ahead looks like a rather depressing boggy landscape, but I didn't let that dampen my spirits and quite enjoyed myself as I made the descent. The path was clear for most of way and rather enjoyable once it got down to Catcove Beck and started weaving around the bogs and crags making for a very pleasant, if no-brainer descent into Eskdale. My target tomorrow is the Coniston Fells, but first I need to climb out of Eskdale and then cross the Duddon valley.
Bright sunshine accompanied me for much of the walk today but despite the good weather I wouldn't rate today's walk as the highlight of the holiday. Last night I was trying to come up with an interesting walk to do today but nothing seemed to work so in the end I had to settle for my original plan: Scafell Pike. So, in glorious weather I began a four mile trudge along the road beside Wastwater to Wasdale Head; great views, but what a waste of a glorious morning. My plan, formulated last night, was to head up to Sty Head along the bridle path that runs up the lower slopes of Great Gable. Last year I had done a walk up this way but stayed at the bottom of the valley beside the river, which turned out to be a rather difficult route as the path pretty much disappears at the head of the valley leaving you with a steep climb in order to get up to Sty Head. This time I was able to take the main path up to Sty Head from Wasdale Head and naturally found it a rather easy path.
The main reason for my going through Sty Head to get to Scafell Pike (besides avoiding the crowds on Brown Tongue) was so I could take the Corridor Route to Lingmell Col. This is superb path is never boring that hugs the side of the hill below Great End weaving around the crags and across the gulleys as it climbs from Sty Head to join the tourist path at the col with Lingmell. I had lunch at the col with my back to the crowds passing up the tourist path gazing out on Great Gable and the surrounding scenery, which looked amazing on this sunny day. Bracing myself I headed up the tourist path up to the crowded summit with relatively little effort. The path was full of families with young children all climbing up to the highest hill in England, God help them; there are far more interesting hills in the Lake District. Clouds were beginning to cover the Pike but I was still able to see the views almost all around the summit, such as they are. I don't think the view from Scafell Pike is particularly noteworthy compared with others in the Lakes.
Quickly beating a retreat I headed across to Broad Stand and with a quick glance at the start of Lord's Rake I made a careful descent down the scree towards the Foxes Tarn route to Sca Fell. Let's face it, there is no easy route from Scafell Pike to Sca Fell; the foxes Tarn route may be the only recommended route given the poor state of Lord's Rake these days, but it's not easy. There is a very steep scree slope to descend and then a lengthy scramble up a gulley to Foxes Tarn, which is made more tricky by the stream coming down. Once at the small tarn you have yet another scree slope to walk up before you reach the summit. It took me an hour to get from one summit to the other, as the eagle flies it's just 900 metres! It may not be easy, but it's quite fun nevertheless.
By now the day had turned colder with the cloud descending everywhere; Sca Fell was now completely covered in cloud, but that didn't dampen my enthusiasm as unlike the pike this summit was almost bare of people. What a difference 14 metres makes! I now had ahead of me a slow descent over Slight Side down into Eskdale. As one looks out from Slight Side the route ahead looks like a rather depressing boggy landscape, but I didn't let that dampen my spirits and quite enjoyed myself as I made the descent. The path was clear for most of way and rather enjoyable once it got down to Catcove Beck and started weaving around the bogs and crags making for a very pleasant, if no-brainer descent into Eskdale. My target tomorrow is the Coniston Fells, but first I need to climb out of Eskdale and then cross the Duddon valley.
posted by David Keates at 4:17 pm
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