The direct route from Langdale comes up the notoriously rough and tiring Rossett Gill and joins at Esk Hause a path which has come from Seathwaite in Borrowdale up Grains Gill. This route now crosses the shoulders of the other two pikes of Scafell, Ill Crag and Broad Crag with short descents between. Those intent on bagging all the 3000 foot tops of England must turn aside to each of these summits, a short but very rough diversion in each case. Even the walker bound straight for the highest top must cross awkward boulder fields where there is little sign of a path. Broad Crag especially is very rough and ankle twisting. There follows a short sharp scramble up the north ridge to the summit. This can be quite tricky in winter as snow seems to linger here and may become very icy.
A slightly shorter route from Seathwaite is to come to Styhead either via Stockley bridge or by Taylor Gill which involves a little rocky scrambling and gives good views of the waterfall. Here starts the famous Corridor Route to Scafell Pike, so called because for a lot of the way it follows a fairly level contour around the western side of the mountain. There is one easy rock step which you must climb down if you are ascending Scafell Pike by this route. The path crosses three gorges, each one more impressive than the last, and then above the col with Lingmell turns steeply up over the inevitable stony ground to the summit.
An excellent outing is to ascend by Esk Hause and to come down the Corridor Route (or vice versa). Here are some pictures taken on a splendid May day when the short diversion up Lingmell was also included in my circuit.
The panorama below was created from pictures taken at the summit on this same walk. Click on the image to view a larger version or select a labelled panorama
Walking the World Index