Scafell Pike on Saturday

Last Saturday early morning mist shrouded the fells as Pete and Bella set off from Seathwaite for Scafell Pike with five ladies and a dog for company. We made good time to Sty Head Tarn and then took the Corridor Route to the col between Lingmell and the Pike itself. As we climbed the last stage from the col towards the summit the mist cleared almost instantaneously revealing the distant tops of the high fells poking up through the clouds below us, it was a rare sight of an extraordinary phenomenon. As the sky cleared the mood lightened, it was a busy day on the highest spot in England and the atmosphere on the summit cairn was jolly indeed. We walked back over Broad Crag, Ill Crag and below Great End, returning to Sty Head where the girls celebrated a successful day with an impromptu swim in the Tarn!

Sca Fell reveals herself as the mist clears... seen from the N shoulder of Scafell Pike above Lingmell Col.

To the NE Broad Crag emerges from her misty shroud with Great End clearing beyond.
 

Great Gable pokes her head through the clouds to the N.
 

The busy summit of Scafell Pike from the path leading up from the Lingmell Col.


 

The girls in celebratory mood take a summit selfie.

Scafell Pike in the distance

Bella licks her nose

I have posted up the final walks for the season.  Look under the separate pages for July, August and September walks and you will find the programme.

More Scafell Pike dates

We have interest in the 2nd and 3rd of November dates as well now for Scafell Pike, so there are now 3 dates which are possibles, so if you are interested email or ring us soon.

Scafell Pike

Give us a bit please, I've just walked to the summit of Scafell Pike and I'm starving.

We have a client who wants to do Scafell Pike on 30th October, is anyone else interested?

Scafell Pike

Sty Head Tarn at 430m was below the snow level yesterday, here we had our first view of our objective, snow covered Scafell Pike 978m centre, flanked by Great End and Broad Crag on the left and by Lingmell on the right.

Great Gable forms a dramatic backdrop with Sty Head Tarn just visible far below as we climb towards Lingmell on the Corridor Route. The path was increasingly icy and we donned out Kahtoola minispikes at this point which sped progress and ensured a safe footing.

Lingmell looms ahead dramatically, her SE ridge sweeps down towards the col between herself and Scafell Pike. We're at about 700m here and conditions on the Corridor Route as we gain height are becoming increasingly wintery, though visibility is still good.

Approaching Lingmell Col 740m with the tarn at Sty Head still visible in the distance far below. We took a break here, but noticed cloud moving in quickly from the west so we lost little time before setting out on the last push for the summit.

Cloud is moving in quickly driven by the wind which is increasing to near gale force . The shapely summit of Lingmell is to the NW in this view from the upper slopes of Scafell Pike.

I took this picture of Scafell over to the SW just before the cloud enveloped us and blotted out the view, the wind was howling and the wind chill was outrageous so we didn't prolong our stay at the inhospitable summit but beat a hasty retreat to safer ground. We arrived back at Seathwaite, our starting point, at 4' o clock after a 7 hour day... 4 hours out and 3 back, I thought it good going in the conditions.

On May 1st Pete is marking the start of his 2012 programme of guided walks with a rare outing to Scafell itself, over Slight Side from Eskdale, you'll need to give him a ring on 017687 71302 to get details of the adventure.

There will be an Easter programme of KR Guided Walks and further outings between Easter and May 1st, when the programme proper starts, so watch the Blog and Website for details.

Crampons weather

If you are thinking of venturing onto the hills then you should take crampons with you at the moment as the snow is laying ontop of ice. We went up onto Scafell Pike on Saturday and the ice was on the footpath going up the Corridor Route so we needed to use our Kahtoola's.  These, by the way are very good walkers crampons which are quick to fit and stay snugly in place. You can find them in most of the Keswick outdoors shops. They are ok for walking on the fells and if you are not contemplating any ice climbing then they are adequate. We even used ours in town last winter as our road had a thick sheet of ice on the pavements where the snow quickly compacted into a skating area. Don't forget a head torch too as we passed a group going up towards the top at a time of day when we were coming down knowing we had left ourselves plenty of time before dusk. They would almost certainly have to use head torches on their descent and it really is the case that getting onto the hills early rather than later is what you should plan for. Mind you on Saturday our biggest problem was getting the car to Seathwaite and then hoping we would be able to get back again! No photos on this trip folks as we did not have time to indulge given the goal and the conditions.

Keswick Guided Walks - The Moot Hall Rambles

Just joking, coz no, we are not changing our name, it's too famous; when you need a Keswick walking guide it has to be Keswick Rambles.  Shall I tell you why? Well actually, I don't have to because you do that for us, you our clients keep telling us that we are the best guides. So I want to thank you all for being such sports and coming out with us this past season.  Our walkers were sometimes singles and some of you were couples and many of you were groups but we all mixed well together and the chatter flowed.  Yes that is the secret of a good walk, not just the scenery but the conversations and the friendships to be made.  We love talking to you all and it shows.   I also need to remind you that our Christmas guided walks from Keswick Moot Hall will be appearing soon, so keep a watch out but meanwhile, if the weather is getting you down, here is a shot of me and Bella on Scafell Pike in blissful sun,      bye for now.

Sunny day in September

September 10 dawned warm and sunny and stayed that way for Cath's Scafell Pike walk. Here the lads are ascending The Band, just below the top of Great End and high above Styhead Tarn below in the distance.

Summit of Scafell Pike, top of England, 3210ft. The group seem pleased to have the place to themselves though I doubt it; perhaps Cath just chose her moment to take the picture well.



On the return along the Corridor Route there's an awkward rocky step to negotiate. It's quite alarming to see it looming ahead on a wild and windy day with the mist down. Today however the mood is benign, merely an upward turn of the rocky footpath leading to Styhead Tarn.

Scafell Pike in July

It was a warm sunny morning when I took this picture high above Stockley Bridge as we made our way up Grains Gill towards the looming cliffs of Great End above us. Nine of us set out and one small brown dog; Bella, a Border Terrier, she's with Lyn our leader. Pete; that's me writing this piece, took the pictures. Everyone else is in this shot; Bridget is on Lyn's right then there's Karen on Lyn's left, then Colin, Judith, Robert from Switzerland, Wayne, and Martin from Texas on the end. We're at the bridge over Ruddy Gill, marked FB on the OS 1:25000 map just above the point where it joins Allen Gill to become Grains Gill at 234099.









The summit of Scafell Pike was shaped by some mighty volcanic upheaval and is a barren rocky place covered in tourists having lunch, here's just a few of them.



I didn't catch what Judith was saying to Karen but I recognise the place, not far below Lingmell Col on the Corridor Route; it was getting hotter all the way. In the background, just left of Judith's finger is Styhead Tarn at the southern end of the Corridor Route, and it looks a long way off!



Same place; still above 2,000ft, this time with Great Gable as a backdrop.




Lyn and Bridget still managed to look cool, despite the increasing heat in the early afternoon, as we began our descent of the Corridor Route on the way back to Stockley Bridge.



We took a short break just below Styhead Tarn where the footbridge crosses Styhead Gill at 223102 before the final steep descent down to Stockley Bridge. It was Bridget's first ascent of Scafell Pike; she'll be a mine of information now on the ups and downs of England's highest peak; Colin looks pleased to have done it too.