Scafell Pike

The most direct popular approach starts at Lake Head in Wasdale, beside Wasdale campsite. Follow the path by Lingmell Gill, cross the beck, then take the left fork through Hollow Stones. Above Lingmell Col the route becomes rougher and less formal before the final boulder-strewn ascent. Other approaches from Borrowdale, Langdale, or Eskdale make a much longer mountain day.

This is a steep, tiring walk with scrambling over hard ground. The summit plateau is easy to misread in mist. Before descending, turn around and fix the route back in your mind. On the Wasdale approach, missing the junction above Lingmell Col can put you onto steep ground above Piers Gill.

Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, even if the path looks obvious. Bring sturdy mountain boots, waterproofs, warm layers, food, plenty of water, a torch, a whistle, and an emergency shelter. Keep dogs on a short lead where livestock are grazing, and stay on the path to protect the fragile high-altitude habitat.

The mountain is part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, hard lavas and ashes left by violent eruptions about 450 million years ago. That geology helps explain the stark, craggy high ground, while the memorial gives the summit a quieter historical weight.