Many hundreds of people hike to the top of England’s highest summit each year. Some of these people do so as part of the National Three Peaks Challenge, while others do so just for the Lake District adventure itself and for a whole host of other reasons. This mini blog series will outline my approach and method regarding how to hike this mountain.

I’ve been recently thinking about hiking this mountain again as the last time I did it was before I started preparing my Mountain Leader summer training, so a long time ago in other words! When we get a cold snap and some snow, it is very likely that the first area to get winter conditions will be Scafell area as it it will be first to enter the freezing level as it drops from a higher altitude. This is not always the case but it has a higher chance of being in condition first so it makes sense to do a short recce before going out to gain a QWMD. As I began looking at the map, I realised a few interesting things about not just the location but also the various routes up to the summit.

Firstly, it is quite hard to access, even with a car. The time I summited it was part of a north-south crossing of the entire Lake District with a friend so we had no issues there. But to do it just on its own is actually quite tricky. Many people start from Wasdale Head, but that road is very narrow, often crowded, and to access it you either have to negotiate an even harder road called Honister Pass or take a very long circuitous route around the peninsula road. Neither of these have any appeal to me.

I have decided instead for the long walk-in, from Chapel Stile in Langdale (13km). Much advice online suggests you do this via Bow Fell however this summit can be very tricky to navigate in poor weather, and there are better, clearer ways up via Angle Tarn on the north eastern side. It also means a very simple, short drive into Langdale, and more time hiking which is what these days are all about. The cons are that the start and end of the walk will be in darkness so a couple of well-charged head torches are key here as well as good organisational systems for my kit as the hike will be around 26km in total. In the mountains this is a very long day so I anticipate being on the move for a good ten hours. Much closer to the day, say Thursday evening or Friday morning, I will take a good look at multiple weather forecasts as well. Notice how I have done my research and have stacked the odds in my favour for a successful summit bid even in poor weather, and have made a plan to suit my circumstances. These skills are critical as a Mountain Leader and are fundamental to any kind of progression, with or without clients.

The map above is my ideal route to the summit of Scafell Pike. I will be doing a recce this weekend preparing to make a short film for C+K Careers and I’m quite excited about it. I have a kit list too which I’ll share with you tomorrow.