What a contrast in weather between yesterday and today.  Today I woke up to snow whereas yesterday was a beautiful spring day with lots of sunshine! 

Luckily yesterday was the chosen day for a guided walk up Scafell Pike with Steve and Louise! Both are keen hillwalkers and regular visitors to Ambleside and the Lake District. This time however Steve was celebrating a ‘big’ birthday, so they opted for the luxury of booking us to guide them up England’s highest mountain.  As they said, it took any worry out of the day and allowed them to soak up the views with no need to worry about the weather changing or getting out the map!

We started at the Old Dungeon Ghyll in Langdale with clear blue skies making this valley seem prettier than ever.  This is the longest route up Scafell Pike, but for those staying in Ambleside the most accessible.  It has a lovely flat start along Mickleden to warm you up before a steep ascent next to Rossett Ghyll, and then a more gentle section up past Angle Tarn and on up to Esk Hause.   Up to now it had been fairly quiet, but became busier as walkers ascending from Borrowdale joined our path. 

As we got higher a great panorama of views opened up and although we now had a patchwork of clouds, it somehow added to the beauty of the views with beams of sunlight highlighting different mountains.  We walked over small patches of soft snow which added to the atmosphere to the walk, passing Great End to our right and a short while later Ill Crag on our left.  From here the great bulk of Scafell Pike came into view.  Not far now…the rocky summit of Broad Crag on our right before a short descent and final steep ascent to the summit. 

A well-deserved lunch stop was had on top and lots more photos were taken then back the way we came.  It never feels quite the same though as the views are so different in reverse.  By the time we were walking along Mickleden in the late afternoon we were once again treated to clear skies with brilliant sunshine lighting up the fells.

Thank you Steve and Louise for a lovely day out in the mountains.  Hope you enjoyed your well-earned curry!

Kate

An early in the season hike up Scafell Pike for us, whilst guiding this fine team from T K Maxx head office.

They had originally chosen to do the 3 Peaks Challenge even earlier in the year, but had delayed things until now, good thinking.

Their ascent of Ben Nevis sounded amazing, with clear blue skies and those big 'Scottish' views that go on for ever. A rare day indeed for the West coast of Scotland.

Arriving at Wasdale Head around 9pm the team were feeling tired but ready for what lay ahead. They had taken the opportunity to have a hot meal en-route, something we'd always recommend and will make a big difference to energy levels and moral.

Wasdale was also offering stunning views, albeit night-time panoramas rather than the blue skies experienced earlier. During the ascent we needed to make regular stops to enjoy the stars above, countless millions of them made for a glorious night.
If that wasn't enough, we witnessed a number of shooting stars too.

So that's a completely clear sky, shooting stars, cool temperatures, no wind, and small amounts of snow to add a touch of 'Alpine-ness' - feeling lucky? Oh yes. These conditions are rare on Scafell Pike, visibility is more typically less than 20 metres no matter how good your head torch is (they don't penetrate through mist / cloud).

A group of guys set off about 20 minutes before us from Wasdale, we later saw them at Mickledore - shining their torches all over the place and looking lost - when then think we saw them trying to descend from between Scafell Pike & Broad Crag. So a few navigational mistakes going on there, hopefully all it cost them was time. But this is a serious place, and in the dark, even in good visibility the ability to use a map & compass is essential for safety.

And if you're unsure about map & compass, consider hiring a guide. Our fees are very reasonable and we take all the strain of route finding leaving you to enjoy the walk.

So a big well done to T K Maxx - we hope more fine weather follows you to the summit of Snowdon and may the cafe be open for you!

Mark & Kate

 I was out on Scafell Pike for my first trip up the mountain this year (Kate seems to have been getting most of the trips over that way).
Bruce, from New York State, was keen for an interesting route up the mountain and the original idea had been to go from Langdale and include some scrambling. However, it turned out Bruce was staying over in Eskdale, so I pointed out the reasons why we may change our plans and climb via the Wasdale route, which is what we then did.

Choosing the Mickledore path allowed for dramatic views of the Scafell crags, the occasional falling ice sheet adding to the atmosphere of the day. The climb up to Mickledore was covered in snow with small sections of ice, so we put crampons on for this section (but otherwise crampons weren't needed).

The wind howled around us and threatened to blow us from our feet, but thankfully never did! Clouds were swept in on these strong winds, thus adding further to the atmosphere of our surroundings.

After stopping for lunch at Mickledore, a short walk saw us arrive on a snowy Scafell Pike, the summit rocks coated in hoar frost.

Our return route was via Lingmell Col. Underfoot the snow was mostly soft (and melting), so crampons not required, although the axe came out a couple of times, just in case.

Thanks for a fantastic day Bruce.

Mark