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A Lingmell - Great End - Scafell Pike circuit from Wasdale

A Lingmell - Great End - Scafell Pike circuit from Wasdale


Postby john923 » Tue Oct 29, 2013 8:56 pm

Wainwrights included on this walk: Great End, Lingmell, Scafell Pike

Hewitts included on this walk: Broad Crag, Great End, Ill Crag, Lingmell, Scafell Pike

Date walked: 27/09/2013

Time taken: 7.5

Distance: 12.5 km

Ascent: 1233m

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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.
Image
Lingmell from Brackenclose by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
Mosedale from Lingmell by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
Wastwater from Lingmell by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
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.
Image
Pillar and Kirk Fell by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
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.
Image
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.
Image
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..
Image
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.
Image
On Round How by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
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..
Image
Great End from Round How by davisjx2, on Flickr

..and closer up.
Image
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.
Image
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.
Image
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.
Image
Derwentwater from Great End by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
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.
Image
Eskdale from Ill Crag by davisjx2, on Flickr

From here Scafell Pike and Broad Crag feel quite separate tops.
Image
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.
Image
Broad Crag stones by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
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.
Image
At Scafell Pike summit by davisjx2, on Flickr

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At Scafell Pike TP by davisjx2, on Flickr

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Coniston fells from Scafell Pike by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
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.
Image
Leaving Scafell Pike summit by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
Great Gable from Scafell Pike by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
Sca Fell by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
Descent to Wasdale by davisjx2, on Flickr

Image
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.

20130927ScafellPike.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

john923
 
Posts: 196
Munros:16   Corbetts:10
Fionas:6   Donalds:11
Sub 2000:17   Hewitts:237
Wainwrights:187   Islands:5
Joined: Apr 20, 2009
Location: Winchcombe, Gloucestershire

Re: A Lingmell - Great End - Scafell Pike circuit from Wasda

Postby colgregg » Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:53 pm

That's been a canny trek and what weather!! I like Lingmell and have headed there a few times on the Scafell pike circuit, before dropping down the corridor route, rather than linger amongst the crowds on the Pike. The views overlooking Wasdale and the "full frontal" of Great Gable are superb.
colgregg
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 2182
Munros:15   Corbetts:5
Fionas:5   
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:181
Wainwrights:214   
Joined: Aug 25, 2009
Location: Richmond North Yorkshire

Re: A Lingmell - Great End - Scafell Pike circuit from Wasda

Postby john923 » Fri Nov 01, 2013 8:40 pm

Thanks colgregg - we only get to the Lakes a couple of times a year so it was good to strike lucky for once. I agree with you about Lingmell - it's a great viewpoint and deserving of a fuller exploration on a future occasion.
john923
 
Posts: 196
Munros:16   Corbetts:10
Fionas:6   Donalds:11
Sub 2000:17   Hewitts:237
Wainwrights:187   Islands:5
Joined: Apr 20, 2009
Location: Winchcombe, Gloucestershire

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