Scafell Mountain
For far too long now, I've walked past the crags of Round How whilst following the Corridor route to Scafell Pike, and not given these crags the attention they deserve. Knowing the terrain above these crags would also be satisfyingly rocky, I suspected a fine day of scrambling could be had in the area by linking a number of routes.
So yesterday that was the aim. Setting out in the afternoon with my friend Tony, who was also keen to explore these rocky knolls and Combes. We left Seathwaite at about 1.30pm and once above Taylor Gill Force opted for the cooler route of getting close to the watercourse and scrambling along the cascades of Styhead Gill, this was fairly short lived but a good choice as it helped keep us cool on this very hot day.
From Styhead we joined the Corridor Route heading towards Scafell Pike, this path leads directly below the beautifully sculpted slabs of Round How. Our scramble started at the extreme right hand end of these slabs. The rock was wonderfully grippy and solid throughout, an absolute pleasure to be on. This coupled with the truly epic scenery all around and Wasdale as backdrop, yes we did have to pinch ourselves to be sure it was all real.
The scramble finished on a small summit that revealed yet more fabulous scenery and from here we could see our onward route as well as various other rocky routes up onto the summits. We were like a couple of kids in a sweet shop!
The next route lay over to the left of the large Combe, and formed a well defined rocky skyline. After more play on the rocks around the Combe we headed over to this next route, Long Pike ridge.
As is so often the case with scrambling terrain, there was much variation possible and we opted for maximum time on rock throughout. Much to our delight, the texture of the rock was very similar to what we had encountered on Round How. This scramble took in some quite exposed positions and gave us so many more fine views, including the cute Lambfoot Dubh tarn.
With a few more routes scoped out whilst ascending these scrambles, this felt like a very productive day all round. And whilst I had been feeling slightly under the weather, my energy levels had picked up and I felt fully recovered, which was a bonus.
We skirted around the flanks of Great End to pick up the descent route to Sprinkling tarn before following Ruddy Gill back to Seathwaite.
Both of these routes are well worth including into an itinerary on the Scafell range. If going for the summit of Scafell Pike then adding these routes would add at least an hour to the day. For those feeling fit and raring to go, being used to rough, rocky terrain, then getting off the beaten track and touching rock can make a great day into a fantastic day.
These are routes we will be adding to our already extensive offerings. If you're looking for a guided day out in the mountains, be it a walk or something more, please do let us know and we'll put together a plan just for you.
Note: Whilst the Lake District mountains are now open and welcome visitors. We urge everyone to take extra care if venturing out into the mountains. Be self sufficient, have enough food and water, carry spares, take a torch and a 1st aid kit. Be sure to have map & compass too and know how to use them. If you're unsure of your navigation skills we can run a course to help you improve your knowledge and confidence.
And finally, we are now OPEN FOR BUSINESS 🙂
Initially catering for same household groups up to 5 participants and we hope to be able to extend this further by July.
So if planning a day trip to the Lake District and you'd like to try some fun activities, please get in touch, let's make it happen.
Thanks for reading
Mark
