Scafell Pike stands 978 metres above sea level and is the highest ground in England, but height is rarely what catches people out. The real tests are loose scree, sudden cloud, a cold wind that arrives from nowhere and a day that turns out longer than it looked on the map. A first ascent is well within reach for most reasonably active walkers. What it needs is a sensible route, an honest forecast, broken-in boots and a plan for turning back. Here is how to make your first trip up the mountain a good one.
Choosing your route
There is no single way up. Each approach has a different character, and the right one depends on how far you want to walk and how confident you are on rough ground.
Wasdale Head: the shortest way
From the car park at Wasdale Head the path climbs Brown Tongue, crosses the boulder fields above Hollow Stones and reaches the summit by way of Lingmell Col. It is roughly five kilometres of walking each way with around 900 metres of ascent, so four to six hours there and back for most people. It is also the busiest route in the Lake District on a fine weekend, and the final section is loose and eroded. Start early; the car park fills by mid-morning in summer.
Seathwaite and the Corridor Route
From Seathwaite in Borrowdale, the path runs up to Sty Head Tarn and then follows the Corridor Route, a rockier traverse beneath Great End and Lingmell that joins the summit ridge from the north-west. It is longer — around eight kilometres each way — but the gradient is kinder and the views are superb. Budget seven to eight hours. There is a short section of easy scrambling where you will want your hands free, and it is not a place to be in high wind.
Langdale and Eskdale: the long way
From Great Langdale the path climbs Rossett Gill, crosses Esk Hause and follows the ridge past Broad Crag to the summit. That is a genuine full day, seven to nine hours, and you will feel it in your knees on the way down. The Eskdale approach from Boot, by way of Burnmoor Tarn or the Great Moss, is quieter and just as long. Both are excellent choices if you want to lose the crowds, and both demand an early start.
Is your fitness ready?
If you can walk steadily for four or five hours on rough ground with a small pack, you can do this. The climb is not technical, but it is relentless, and the descent does more damage than the ascent. Two or three weekends on fells such as Catbells, Loughrigg or Place Fell will tell you more than any amount of time on a treadmill, and they will also break your boots in properly.
Pace yourself from the first step and take short, frequent rests rather than one long collapse. If you have a heart or lung condition, or you are returning to hill walking after injury or illness, speak to your GP before you commit to a summit day.
Weather decides the day, not your plans
Check the mountain forecast the evening before and again on the morning. Cloud can sit on the summit while the valleys bask in sunshine, and rain is possible in any month of the year. Expect the top to be noticeably colder and windier than the car park, whatever the season.
In winter conditions the mountain becomes a different proposition. Snow and ice on the upper slopes demand an ice axe, crampons and the experience to use them; without that, choose another day. Wintry conditions can linger into spring, particularly in the gullies and on north-facing ground. Set your turn-back point before you set off — a time, a wind speed, a visibility limit — and honour it. Turning around is a decision, not a failure.
What to wear and carry
Dress for a wet, windy day and you will be comfortable in almost anything. Cotton is useless once it is damp, so leave the jeans at home.
- Waterproof jacket and trousers, plus a warm mid-layer and a spare fleece
- Hill-walking boots with good grip, worn in before the day
- Hat, gloves and a spare pair of socks
- Paper map (Ordnance Survey OL6 covers the area) and a compass
- Headtorch, even if you plan to be down by teatime
- Plenty of water and food you actually want to eat
- Small first aid kit, whistle and an emergency foil shelter
- Charged phone, a power bank and a printed copy of your route
Navigation: the path is not a promise
On the popular routes you will usually be following cairns and worn ground, and in clear weather that is enough. In mist it is not. The boulder field above Lingmell Col and the ridge between Broad Crag and the summit are confusing places, where cairns seem to lead in several directions at once. Being able to take a bearing and follow it is a genuine skill, not a formality.
Do not simply follow the person in front. Keep the map out, check it at each junction and note landmarks on the way up so you recognise them on the way down. If visibility closes in and your navigation is shaky, descend the way you came.
Staying safe, and knowing when to turn back
Tell someone at home your route and expected return time, and message them when you are back. Phone signal on the mountain is patchy, so do not treat it as your safety net. In an emergency, dial 999 and ask for the police, then mountain rescue; you may be asked for a grid reference, which is another good reason to carry the map.
Take all litter home, keep to the main paths where erosion is a problem, and leave the cairns alone. The mountain is a working landscape as well as a playground, and it looks after the people who look after it.
Your summit day, step by step
- Check the forecast the night before and again over breakfast.
- Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
- Start early — aim to be on the summit by early afternoon at the latest, so you have daylight left to descend.
- Eat and drink little and often rather than saving it all for the top.
- Layer up before you get cold whenever you stop, particularly at Lingmell Col or Esk Hause.
- On the summit, take your photographs, eat something and move on. It is no place to sit and cool down in a wind.
- Descend deliberately. Most mishaps happen on tired legs going down, so shorten your stride and watch your footing on scree.
Do that and you will come off the mountain tired, muddy and quietly pleased with yourself — which is exactly how a first ascent of England's highest peak should end.
Photo: Erik Schereder / Pexels
