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Another walk from our late September week in the Lakes. The forecast for the Friday was particularly good so the decision was made to go for the big one, Scafell Pike. We’d last done this from Seathwaite back in August 1998 (way before we’d started ticking off hills in earnest) but although the day had been warm and dry the visibility higher up was poor. So we were definitely hoping for better things this time.
Nevertheless, getting to Wasdale always seems to take longer than you’d think, so it was getting on for 10:30 by the time we parked up in the NT carpark just before Wasdale Head. Surprisingly it was almost empty – with only 3 other vehicles there. The plan was to head up Lingmell first of all – a very steady pull over grass, but one which gains height quickly and giving good views into Mosedale and back along Wastwater.
Lingmell from Brackenclose by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Mosedale from Lingmell by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Wastwater from Lingmell by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Heading up Lingmell by
davisjx2, on Flickr
The weather wasn’t quite playing ball yet - there was a very stong wind which was starting to make walking difficult. We stopped for a breather and were caught up by a fellow walker (younger, fitter, banana-fuelled) and we had a chat about why the hell it was blowing a gale which wasn’t predicted. Thinking that a day of struggling to keep upright wouldn’t be much fun we nevertheless decided to continue for a bit and over the next half-hour the wind miraculously died down to almost nothing and the grey cloud of earlier vanished leaving blue skies all round. After the grassy approach the top of Lingmell is rocky in an interestingly good way and is a great vantage point.
Pillar and Kirk Fell by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Great Gable by
davisjx2, on Flickr
The highest point is on the edge of the crags on the eastern side and this was a good opportunity to scan our onward route to Great End.
Great End and Broad Crag by
davisjx2, on Flickr
We descended to Lingmell Col and then picked up the remnants of a stone wall which took us to the main Corridor Route path. Before Great End we wanted to tick off the Nuttalls of Middleboot Knotts and Round How and the col was a good place to pick them out. Middleboot Knotts is the small tor on the left hand side of the pic below, on the other side of Piers Gill. Round How is the more prominent lump directly in front of Great End.
Great End from Lingmell Col by
davisjx2, on Flickr
We followed the Corridor Route across the head of Piers Gill, here looking back to Lingmell’s crags..
Lingmell and Piers Gill by
davisjx2, on Flickr
..and then made the short detour to the rather inconsequential top of Middleboot Knotts. After that, it was only a short further distance down the CR before we branched off again. There seemed to be a steady stream of folks coming up by now and one hardy-looking chap asked if we’d already been to the Pike. I explained that would come later but we were going up there first, casually pointing towards Great End with my walking pole. “Are you seasoned moutaineers?” he asked “there’s no route up there”. I said we’d take a look anyway (and the answer to his question is no, by the way – I mean, do we look like mountaineers – I think not). And so on to Round How – a craggy face on its NW side but an easy grassy slope on the other leading to a small cairn. And this was actually a very nice spot, well away from the crowds. Being circled by the steep sides of Great End and Broad Crag it’s hard to believe this is higher than, for example, any of the Langdale Pikes.
On Round How by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Great Gable from Round How by
davisjx2, on Flickr
We had a bite to eat whilst we surveyed the next bit, following Greta Gill up to Great End, the green bit on the far right in this pic..
Great End from Round How by
davisjx2, on Flickr
..and closer up.
Route up Great End by
davisjx2, on Flickr
There was a faint path by the gill, which was nice and grassy for most of the way. From halfway up, this was the view back, with the green dome of Round How directly in front of Lingmell’s dark crags and one of several good stands of
cryptogramma crispa in the foreground.
Lingmell from Greta Gill path by
davisjx2, on Flickr
There was a little loose material towards the top, but no difficulty and then very quickly we popped up right next to the main path to Great End and a new panorama.
Towards Esk PIke and Bowfell by
davisjx2, on Flickr
There wasn’t much ascent left to do to get to Great End’s three cairns and we laboriously went to each one. This was Judith’s 100th Wainwright (for various reasons, she is 4 behind me) and a fine choice on a day like today.
Derwentwater from Great End by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Langdale Pikes from Great End by
davisjx2, on Flickr
The next hour or so was slow going. I’d forgotten just how stony and uneven the main route over Ill and Broad Crags is. Both require detours to bag the Hewitt summits. Ill Crag first; this is the longer detour of the two but considerably easier, flat for most of the way with even the occasional patch of solid ground until you get to the jumble of stones at the edge, and worth it for the view down into Eskdale.
Eskdale from Ill Crag by
davisjx2, on Flickr
From here Scafell Pike and Broad Crag feel quite separate tops.
Scafell Pike and Broad Crag from Ill Crag by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Next up is Broad Crag and another jumble of stones, all at odd angles, and easily the most awkward 25m of the day. Since the main path goes so close it must be a real temptation to tick this off as done anyway because there doesn’t seem to be any quick way to the top. It’s not difficult – just time consuming.
Broad Crag stones by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Great End from Broad Crag by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Things were more straightforward after that, a dip down to Broad Crag Col and then steeply up to Scafell Pike summit. It was 4pm now and there were only half-dozen others left up there – but at least someone was there to take a pic of the two of us. Then after the traditional TP pic and a few others we had a well-deserved rest with a flask of tea as we watched the sun start to dip.
At Scafell Pike summit by
davisjx2, on Flickr
At Scafell Pike TP by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Coniston fells from Scafell Pike by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Great Gable and Styhead Tarn by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Finally it was time to make tracks back to Wasdale by the standard tourist route. The path is well made in places, and where so the steps give some relief, but much of the rest is as stony and uneven as the summit area, which made it a bit of a trudge at the end of a longish day.
Leaving Scafell Pike summit by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Great Gable from Scafell Pike by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Sca Fell by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Descent to Wasdale by
davisjx2, on Flickr
Wastwater sunset by
davisjx2, on Flickr
It was getting on for 6:30 by the time we got back to the car, tired but very chuffed at having had such a real cracker of a day.