Yesterday we had the pleasure of introducing Jesse and Nadine to the Lake District mountains, and in particular, Scafell Pike.
The weather had started grey and misty, but dry. Good walking conditions now that temperatures had dropped a little. There were many walkers out enjoying the mountain, so in order to escape the crowds, we veered off towards the narrow saddle of Mickledore. This track stays close to the impressive crags of Scafell, adding drama to the day in the form of huge cliffs. The ascent to Mickledore is steep, and at times loose, so care is required. The rewards are worth it though. A little while before arriving at Mickledore the thick mist rose and the clouds parted in dramatic fashion to reveal the wider mountain landscape all around us.

Our route remainder quite all the way to the summit of Scafell Pike. After a leisurely lunch stop here, we began the descent via Lingmell Col and into Hollowstones. 

As the photos show, conditions and views were about as good as it's possible to have, what a treat. It was an absolute must to stop for lots of photos, so rare are these conditions.

Thanks to Jesse & Nadine, hope to see you again soon.

After a pit-stop at the Wasdale Head Inn, I was back at the base of Scafell Pike and preparing to meet a 3 Peaks challenge team on behalf of Fitways Adventure. A 40 strong group and their guides had made fantastic progress on Ben Nevis, all achieving sub-5 hour times on the Ben. My group began well, then got even better and finally managed a time of 3 hours 20 minutes, fantastic.
Thanks to Simon and Nick for this one.

​Mark
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I’ve been lucky to be out enjoying the amazingly good weather in the beautiful Lake District over the past week rock climbing, running and walking with friends and family.  On top of this I’ve been working with three ascents up Scafell Pike, two of them in one day with the first one starting in the early hours of the morning.  This time of day is an incredible time to be out in the mountains – quiet and peaceful, and watching the sun appear on the mountains is a very uplifting experience. 

I was guiding a group of 6, part of a large team of several groups from MV Kelly doing a National Three Peaks Challenge, organised by Activus Outdoors.  The only downside was that we set of too late to see sunrise from the summit of the mountain – this is an awesome sight and something you should aim to see at least once in a lifetime.  So we started off, going at good pace but for two of the guys with us it wasn’t fast enough – they were on an agenda to get under their previous time and had been on the mountain several times before, so after staying with us for a short while and after consulting with me they decided to head off up the mountain on their own.  As it was the rest of the group were on the summit in a very respectable two hours and down again in another hour and three-quarters before heading down south for their last peak of the challenge, Snowdon.

With an hour to spare before meeting my next clients I stopped on the shores of Wastwater – the deepest lake in England (79m) – for a quick nap and to enjoy the views.  The view down Wastwater with Yewbarrow, Great Gable, Lingmell, Scafell Pike and Scafell at its head and with the steep slopes of the Wastwater Screes on its right is probably one of the finest and most photographed views in the Lake District and certainly one of my favourite scenes.

Rejuvenated by my short nap I headed over to the Bower House Inn to collect my next clients Gemma and her daughter Lauryn.  This was not only a birthday weekend for Lauryn who’s 12th birthday was on the following day but it was also time for some important mother daughter time.  There’s not many 12 year olds who ask to walk up England’s highest mountain for their birthday but what a great way to celebrate! Lauryn was a great walker and ascended the mountain easily with just a few stops along the way for snacks, photos and later on, lunch.  It was quite chilly as we neared the summit as it was a windy day but we all had sufficient clothing with us and just layered up as we got higher.  We had planned to take a different route back down via Lingmell but during one of our stops Gemma had unfortunately dropped one of her favourite tops.  As it turned out it was fairly near the start of our walk and some kind person had picked it up and placed it on a rock.  We were relieved to find it on our return even though many other walkers had passed by!

My next client was Kevin, a New Zealander now living in Australia and over in England on holiday.  Kevin was a keen walker but having heard how unpredictable the weather can be in the Lakes decided to be guided…just in case the cloud was down.  As it was, the weather was perfect but I was able to point out all the mountains and landmarks to him on the walk which he had either seen on TV thanks to Julia Bradbury or read all about them thanks to Wainwright!  We took a quiet route down from Scafell Pike via Lingmell – a less frequented route and much easier on the feet and legs as most of it is on grassy paths.  It’s also good to see slightly different views – those down to Wasdale Head and the Inn where we had started, and also over to Mosedale.  However, the best view has to be that looking straight down Wastwater whilst descending the green, grassy shoulder and we took our time, stopping every now and then for photos and to soak up all the scenery.

Many thanks to all who came with me on these walks this week, Gemma, Lauryn, Kevin and the group from MV Kelly. Also to Richie for swapping groups with me so that I was off the mountain earlier and to Tony for the work!

Kate

A busy weekend for Climb Scafell on Scafell Pike and pretty good weather too. 

On Saturday we had a group of 20 from the Buckinghamshire Young Farmers club and local guide Richie Torrence worked with me.  This was a training day for a national 3 Peaks Challenge which the group are doing in June.  They’d already been training hard which showed as we were up and down the mountain in 3 hours 40 minutes – a very respectable time, stopping only briefly for photos and adding or removing layers of clothing! It was a tad chilly on the summit and very busy so we didn’t hang around, just a quick team photo.

Sunday morning I met Karen and Patrick at the Wasdale Head Inn.  The sun was shining, the lambs were playing in the fields and Wasdale was looking beautiful!  This was a Christmas present from Karen to Patrick and they were looking forward to a good day out in the mountains and reaching the summit of Scafell Pike.  We headed up the main path, over the river crossing, up the steep steps and through the boulder field of Hollowstones all reasonably sheltered from the strong winds until we got to Lingmell Col.  From here it was very blustery so extra layers went on and we didn’t stop long on the summit – just a quick few photos and then a short descent to a sheltered spot for lunch.  From here we looked across to Lingmell and decided that we would take this route down, away from the crowds.  This is a lovely route following small grassy paths and down a steep, grassy ridge.  All the time Wastwater - the deepest lake in England at 79m - is straight ahead of us.  To our left we could see the busy path which we had ascended and to our right we could see down to the Wasdale Head Inn and the lush green fields where the walk finishes.

Thanks to the Young Farmers group, Karen, Patrick and Richie for a superb weekend on England’s highest mountain!

Kate

This weekend has been a busy one for us at Climb Scafell. Kate will be writing a separate blog about the walks she's been guiding during both days.

On Sunday I was in Wasdale to meet David & Nick for a Scafell Pike day. The weather forecast was fine and dry, but due to be very windy. We discussed the various route choices whilst still at Wasdale Green, then set off towards Brown Tongue. Once at the top of Brown Tongue and at the edge of the huge boulder-field of Hollowstones, we again discussed route choice. A consensus was reached and the Mickledore route chosen. This meant from here to the summit it would be a quieter walk for us. The huge crag of Scafell also afforded us some welcome shelter from the wind, but once at the saddle of Mickledore we were awoken with a rather feisty wind battering us. We adjusted layers and continued towards the summit.

Visibility was incredibly good, so we were sure to stop plenty and absorb our magnificent surroundings. As expected on a bank holiday weekend, the summit was busy, loads of folk out enjoying the fine weather and glorious conditions in the mountains.

We began our descent to Lingmell Col and once at the col decided on a less travelled route back to the valley. A vague track crosses over towards Lingmell and follows a grassy ridge back to Wasdale. From here all the way back we saw only a handful of other walkers. 

Thanks very much to David & Nick for good company on Sunday.

For those wanting to explore more 'off the beaten track' routes, or be guided on any mountains in the Lake District, please get in touch anytime, we can put a plan together just for you.

Thanks for reading.

Mark