Route: Scafell Pike and Lingmell
Area: Southern Lake District
Date of walk: 19th June 2013
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 7.4 miles
Ascent; 2,900 feet
I parked at Brackenclose just before Wasdale Head and followed the path up beside Lingmell Gill. I’d made an early start and thought I’d be ahead of the pack, but there were numerous youngsters already back down, having started the walk at 4.30 am as part of the 3 Peaks Challenge – good on them
The going was relatively easy, until I turned off the main path to head up to Mickledore, a more attractive but also more strenuous route. To gain the ridge I had to scramble up a steep scree slope – at times it was a case of two steps up, one step down
Eventually I made it up to the roof of England and as I did so, the clouds disappeared, and were gradually replaced by blue skies and sun
I then made the easy descent to Lingmell Col and the equally easy ascent of Lingmell. By now it had become a glorious day. The descent of Lingmell was dangerous, but only because the view ahead was so stunning it was hard to concentrate on where I was putting my feet
There were clear views back up to Scafell Pike, which had been obscured by the earlier indifferent weather, and I felt privileged to have been up there in such conditions – it had been a red letter day
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Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Shortly after leaving the car and about to cross Lingmell Beck - Scafells ahead
Climbing up Brown Tongue in the direction of Scafell
The Scafells welcome me with open jaws
Pulpit Rock and Mickledore Buttress on the left and Scafell Crag on the right - I’m aiming for Mickledore in the gap between them
Heading for Mickledore ridge, the going gets tougher
Scafell Crags - the camera is horizontal, the Crags aren’t
The rocky climb up to Mickledore
A view back along Mickledore ridge. I couldn’t decide whether the box was comforting or alarming
Looking back down Mickledore again towards Scafell
Meagre pickings for these Herdies, it was a surprise to see them so high up
Summit shelter on the top of Scafell Pike - the highest ground in England!
Cairn on the summit looking in the direction of my line of descent
Lingmell is my next port of call, below and to the left
Styhead Tarn with Derwent Water in the background
Lingmell ahead with Great Gable looking over its shoulder
Lingmell summit cairn
…and again, this time looking over Wastwater
A view back from Lingmell along the path from Scafell Pike
Looking north east to Styhead Tarn
I’m not going any closer to the edge than this
A full frontal photo of Great Gable
On the way down from Lingmell, I look back up to Scafell Pike and Scafell - the gap between the two was my ascent route
Wastwater
Wasdale Head and Mosedale
Wastwater again, from the lower slopes of Lingmell
Another view back up my ascent route
This wonderful view was in front of me all the way from the the top of Lingmell
Looking back up towards Lingmell
Lingmell and Scafell Pike
Crossing Lingmell Beck and almost back to the car now
After driving a short distance I stopped the car to have one final look back and savour the memory of a fantastic day out in the fells
Postscript: this walk brought back some happy memories of an earlier time up here, 16 years ago, with Gilly, Lucy and James……. 1997 - Lucy aged 9
1997 - James aged 7
2013 - the old man
