The Lakes, day 4 – Scafell Pike

Thursday 18th July 2002

On my fourth ever day in the Lake District I completed my greatest walk to date and one that wasn’t surpassed for several years walking right over the top of the greatest and highest mountains in the Lake District from one great valley to another, from Eskdale to Borrowdale. This was the big one, the one that I had been looking forward to for ages and the highlight of the holiday. I left Eskdale Youth Hostel early, before 9 a.m., in brilliant sunshine with hardly a cloud in the sky, but the good weather didn't last long as it clouded over during the morning getting rather dark over the hills, though without actually raining. I was following the Terrace Route up Scafell, a route that is fabulous in its early stages where, as Wainwright says, “a charming path winds amongst the bracken and granite outcrops,” but the middle stage of the climb was a real slog across drab grassy slopes until finally the gradient steepens for the climb up to Slight Side. The terrain improves immensely after this Wainwright top with a real mountain feel to the surroundings and great views across the gathering grounds of the River Esk to the great mountains that encircle this most delectable of places. I have since fallen in love with Upper Eskdale and the mountains that surround it and on this walk I was seeing them for the first time.

It took me three hours to get up to the top of Scafell, but once I got there I didn't stop - I didn't even realise I was there! I had my eyes on only one thing as I immediately headed for Scafell Pike, but that's not easy from where I was. The safest, easiest and the only recommended route between Scafell and Scafell Pike involves a difficult scramble down a scree slope to Foxes Tarn and then a tricky climb down a steep, wet gully before another scramble up a scree slope. The direct route between the second and highest hills in England is blocked by the cliff-face of Broad Stand that forces long diversions either side. When I first went up in 2002 there had recently been a big rock-fall in the alternative route via Lord’s Rake that made the local Mountain Rescue Team worried about further rock-falls and more particularly that the large rock that had become wedged at the top of the rake would soon fall down the rake taking with it anyone who was in the rake at the time. More than ten years later the rake is very slippery and the large rock is still wedged at the top, but I guess it will eventually fall down the rake.

In 2002 I wasn’t taking any chances so I took the Foxes Tarn route eventually managing to get up to Scafell Pike at lunchtime, but only to find it covered in low cloud. Over the years I’ve been quite unlucky with the clouds at the top of Scafell Pike; on this occasion the clouds weren't there before I got there and they disappeared soon after I left. That is just my luck. From the Pike I proceeded along the rocky ridge passing Broad Crag, Ill Crag and eventually ending at Great End. This ridge is really tricky to walk along as it is predominately large boulders that are not easy to walk upon, but are easy to hurt yourself on. Great End is a lot easier underfoot and I remember standing on the edge of the summit plateau gazing at the stunning views towards Borrowdale and Derwent Water. This is one of those great scenes in the Lake District and I was seeing it for the first time on this great walk. I needed to go in that direction, but it is impossible to climb straight down the cliff that I was standing at the top of, so I needed to turn around and head back to the top of Calf Cove returning to the Scafell Pike path to take me down to Esk Hause. Instead, I made straight for Esk Hause across an abominable boulder field, which Wainwright warns against, but I didn’t know that back then.

After reaching Esk Hause by the difficult way, I stuck to the path below the tall crags of Great End down to Sty Head where I decided to take the less popular route past Taylorgill Force. I didn’t know it at the time but I was now actually following Wainwright's advice to take the narrower path on the northern bank of the stream. This route is a lot trickier than the broad bridlepath, but that just means it’s more fun as you scramble across the rocks with a close up view of Taylorgill Force that makes it all worthwhile. At Seathwaite I once again took Wainwright's unseen advice by taking the footpath to the road at Mountain View, but while walking along that path a lace on my boots caught on the other boot, which had happened before, earlier that same day in fact, but most of the time my sense of balance was able to prevent me from falling over. But not this time. The waist strap on my rucksack happened to come apart at that time letting my rucksack swing up over my head hurling me forwards and down. Before I knew it I was on my hands and knees and my head was hitting the stone covered floor. Luckily nothing was damaged and I was not particularly hurt, but it could have been a lot worse. That was a scary experience and not something that I would want to repeat. Despite my small accident at the end, this was a great walk over a great mountain that is surrounded by stunning scenery. There is nothing in the Lake District to compare with a traverse of Scafell Pike.