Wastwater to Borrowdale

Sunday 4th April 2010

When I set off on this walk I didn't know how I was going to get to Borrowdale. Originally I had an idea to climb up beside Piers Gill, but this challenging route would have been very tricky under snow so I had already decided against it. All I knew for certain was that I would start by going across the Wastwater Screes. The start of this path is opposite the hostel so I always have a strong temptation to do this walk whenever I stay at the Wastwater Hostel. The Wastwater Screes is a fabulous path of great variety (not just clambering over large boulders) and I enjoyed it tremendously even though it took me a lot longer to complete the traverse than I had expected. Eventually I reached Wasdale Head at the northern end of Wastwater where I decided that rather than going through the village of Wasdale Head I would go up the Brown Tongue path towards Lingmell Col. I was avoiding the crowds in Wasdale Head by going up the most popular path in the Lake District!

I had never been on this path before, but I found my enjoyment of it mixed, as the path was, as expected, quite busy. I had long avoided this path due to its huge popularity and due to the horrible nature of its surface at the Lingmell Col, but I found a good, rough surface in the narrow gorge of Lingmell Gill that was quite fun to climb. The path deteriorates on Brown Tongue itself but then improves dramatically when Scafell Crag comes into view. Underfoot, the path is still boring, but the scenery all around is stunning and the snow that still clung to the rocks made the sight totally spell binding. At the Lingmell Col I had to decide where I would go, whether to walk along the wonderful Corridor Route path as planned, or just follow the crowds. Despite my desire to walk along the Corridor Route the opportunity to climb through the snow up to the top of the highest hill in England, Scafell Pike, proved too much of a temptation. It was worth the change of plans as it was a great experience to be up there in wintry conditions.

A couple of months ago I would never have considered going up there, but I didn't think crampons were essential now (though it may have been recommended if you had them). My two walking poles were sufficient for me, but the tourists on the path didn't have any such help, and they still managed to reach the summit, though for some, with difficulty. Rather than return to the Corridor Route, (since I was now at the top of the ridge it seemed rather pointless) I decided to take the direct route along the Scafell Pikes ridge. This was a great walk, and probably the best I've ever had along the ridge as the snow actually made things easier than usual while crossing the rocky terrain, and added to the beauty of the scenery. It was wonderful being in Calf Cove at the end of the ridge, where the scenery was stunning, there was no wind and it was sunny. There were some people sliding down the steep, snowy slope, clearly thoroughly enjoying themselves; it was easy to be enthralled by it all. Rather than slide down the steep slope I carefully walked down to Esk Hause.

Following the usual Scafell Pike path I headed towards Grains Gill, which is a great path, especially at the top, around Ruddy Gill, where the path climbs across the native rock, but it deteriorates lower down where the path is heavily manufactured. The weather during my descent was amazing; after the grey, overcast, slightly rainy start to the day I was ending the day with blue skies and bright sunshine as I walked down the valley and through Seathwaite where some of the fields were rather muddy, across a road and a river, and on to the youth hostel, where for the first time on this holiday I was on the official coast to coast route. This was a great walk over a truly great mountain, under quite spectacular conditions where a generous covering of snow was adding to the fun. From the wonders of the Wasterwater Screes to the snowy summit of Scafell Pike and the joys of Calf Cove, this walk had everything.