Wed 14 May 2014
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| Left to right: Sca Fell, Scafell Pike (from Crinkle Crags) |
Up at 5 a.m. and off to Langdale after a sudden decision came
upon me yesterday to climb Scafell Pike again after many years*. I reckoned
that if I found it too tiring, and too far, I could always cut it short and
visit, say, Rossett Pike instead. It would also act as a recce for when Andrew comes with me. I decided not
to weight myself down with my big boots, so wore my lightweights. I spoke with
Mrs Rawlins at Stool End for a few minutes and then set off on the south side
of Mickleden Beck by about twenty past eight.
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| The only part of the old pony route I could find |
After wandering about
on the lower slopes of Bowfell I could find no trace at all of the old pony
route that I located with comparative ease some years ago, apart from about
five yards of it before it joins the stepped route from Rossett Gill. I did
locate the ‘secret sheep fold’. I was surprised that the hard slog on the pathless
fellside hadn't tired me, so the weather not being too warm I felt quite
comfortable.
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| Great Slab on Flat Crags from near Angle Tarn |
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| Path reconstruction |
On the way up to the shelter below Esk Hause I came across a gang of three workmen restoring the path. They walk up from Mickleden each morning before they start work. Then they need to locate suitable stones and move them to the path before securing them in the ground to form a stable new path surface. What a job! Chatting with the boss I learned that they loved the outdoor work, rain or shine.
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| It's a long walk to work every day! |
At Esk Hause I took some photos looking down into Eskdale
and then over to Ill Crag. As I proceeded over the gravelly part of that crag
the weather changed, mist descending and threatening to obscure the view, causing
me to wonder about the wisdom of continuing. However, the path was clear and
the mist wasn’t very thick, so I moved on.
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| Ill Crag from Esk Hause |
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| Ill Crag Col |
My heart sank a little, though, when across Ill Crag col I
saw the steep loose scree leading up to Broad Crag. It wasn’t too diffult, but
I knew that I wouldn‘t like descending it on the way back! Making my way over
the boulders in the mist where only marks made by thousands of hiking boots
indicated a path, there were places where the route was in doubt; but there
were a fair number of walkers about and no real risk of losing my way.
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| Looking back to Broad Crag |
Broad Crag col, though narrow, presented no difficulty and the final section of the ascent was easy. I reached the summit and the large platform cairn where a couple of dozen other walkers were standing, chatting, taking photos, sitting eating their lunches. A guy obliged me by taking my photo with my camera. I was genuinely surprised that the walk had been relatively easy, and I wasn’t really tired.
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| The summit trig column and cairn |
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| Who does he think he is? |
I decided not to hang
about for too long, the low cloud obscuring the view, so after some refreshment
I set off back. The loose scree path down to Broad Crag col was accomplished using
three, four, sometimes five points of my body on the ground!
Some views on the way back. From left, top to bottom: Great Gable and Kirk Fell from Ill Crag; looking into the head of Eskdale from Ill Crag; Lingmell; Esk Pike with Bowfell behind
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| Angle Tarn |
I began to
feel rather tired by the time I reached the shelter below Esk Hause, and sat
down to finish my remaining snack and drink. It was then that I discovered I
hadn’t put my painkiller tablets in the rucsack! It was a big mistake, as
although I made the next section of the route as far as Rossett Pass without
any signs of real fatigue, my right foot began to complain as I started the
descent of Rosset Gill path. This route has steps all the way down, and the
risers are too high for such a distance and the pressure on my toes and knees
was causing much pain. I contemplated going down by the route I had used on the ascent,
but the unremitting steepness would have been too much for my toes in the
lightweight walking shoes. I should have worn the boots!
It was with enormous
relief that I at last reached the valley. I dragged myself in some pain along
Mickleden, crossing the beck at the weir to return thankfully to Stool End and the
car.
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| The ford over Mickleden Beck near Stool End |
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| Looking back along Mickleden |
I was back home just after nine. I rang Andrew and told him about my walk; he was a little put out by my having been to the top of Sca Fell Pike without him. But now I have renewed my knowledge of the route we shall be able to accomplish the ascent together with more confidence on my part.
Wainwright says it's five and a half miles from Dungeon Ghyll Old Hotel to the highest peak in England; from Stool End is about a mile less, making a round trip today of nine miles, with 3,400 feet of ascent (and descent, a fact of which my feet were very much aware).
Tired, yet happy, after a much needed shower and a fish and chip supper I got to bed by midnight.
*My last visit was 12 August 1982
