Scafell Pike, this was the second mountain we challenged ourselves to climb.
Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in the England, and the third highest in the United Kingdom. Lets just say after climbing Snowdon we thought this one was not as high so it should be easy, right? Guess again, we had underestimated Scafell… big time and found ourselves being pushed even harder than before.
Route – Wasdale Head
Reaching an elevation of 978 metres, this took us around 7 hours to hike via the Wasdale Path. The Wasdale route is 6 miles to the top and back, starting and finishing at the National Trust Wasdale Campsite car park. Not even halfway in and the views were amazing. This was one of the easy routes, but it honestly did not feel like it as the path was steep and the rock were jagged most of the way up. Some people actually complete this hike in less time than we did but we had a lot of water breaks as it was a hot day in September. We highly recommend getting to the Campsite car park early as you will need to find a parking spot and use the toilet. The que for the toilet can be half hour long as this is the only toilet in the area and in case your wondering, there are no hiding spots on this route to empty your bladder so be prepared for that.
Other Routes
Here are some of the other routes you could take. They all take roughly around the same time, some more difficult than others from what we have read.
- Corridor – The route difficulty is fairly easy, probably touching a grade 1 but more on the side of a rocky walk.
- Borrowdale – One of the most popular.
- Great Langdale – Is the longest.
- Eskdale – A cairn marks the start of a steep gully which leads down to Hollow stones and the path back to Wasdale Head.
What To Pack
As always the weather is unpredictable so dress warm and wear the right foot wear as this mountain is very jagged especially at the top. There is no café or any sign of civilization up there, so your going to want to pack enough food and drink. We packed double the amount of food this time then we did for Snowdon.
What we packed in our rucksack?
- Plenty of water
- Energy drink
- A victory drink
- Food
- Sandwich x 2
- Snacks
- Apples
- Chocolate
- Crisps x2
- Protein bars x2
- Torch
- Tissue
- Portable charger
- Camera
- Sunglasses
- First aid kit / Medication
Summery
Compared to Snowdon this mountain was a lot harder than we expected and we were not ready for how steep it was going to be. A little over half way there were no pathways, just big jagged rocks and when you reached the top it felt amazing, almost as if your on Mars. However, there was no order at the highest point as it was crowded and everyone was bundled on top of this rock trying to take that Instagram photo which was kinda uncomfortable, especially with Covid around. A few minutes wonder from the highest point you can find these man made rock circles that you can sit in and have some lunch whilst taking the view. This was the highlight of this hike, good weather, good views. What I can say is that I will not be climbing Scafell again, but it was a pleasure and a challenge I wont forget!
