Sat 4 Oct 2015
 |
| Lingmell, Sca Fell Pike, and Sca Fell |
Picked Andrew up at seven
o’clock and two hours later, a week after our ascent of Lingmell, we were back in
Wasdale. The highest fell summits were all free from hill fog and cloud. I was
there to witness Andrew’s ascent of Sca Fell, Illgill Head, and Whin Rigg.
After my hair-raising incident of last week I had decided to take it easy and
stay close to valley level! I parked beside the National Trust camp site, a
very different place from what I remember of it way back in the 1970s.
 |
| Andrew sets off for Sca Fell via Green How |
I accompanied
Andrew on the Burnmoor Tarn path from Brackenclose up to the place above the
intake wall where AW suggests there is a viable way of gaining the intermittent path on Green How over Rakehead Crag to Sca Fell. Andrew set off up the steep slope (if you look closely you'll see him in the centre of the picture) and I carried on along the old
corpse road. Soon I lost sight of him, and it became rather chilly as I
wandered up to the summit of the pass at 977 feet. There are a number of paths
from here leading to the slopes of Illgill Head and I used one of them to reach
an intake wall where I sat for a good while eating a snack and scanning the
slopes below Sca Fell. After some considerable time I gave up hope of being
able to meet Andrew on his way to Illgill Head, and becoming chilled I decided
to go back down to the car.
 |
| Illgill Head with Whin Rigg further back |
It was easily the most boring day I have
ever spent in the Lake District! The scenery was drab for most of the day, but
towards three thirty while I was taking photos down by the shore of Wastwater the
sun shone and colour flooded back over the fells. The views towards Wasdale
Head and Great Gable were particularly lovely.
 |
| Kirk Fell, Great Gable with Sca Fell on the right |
I was dozing in the car when after five
I saw Andrew returning down the track so went to meet him. He had visited Sca
Fell, Illgill Head, and Whin Rigg: quite an achievement! The mileage was in the
region of ten or eleven and the total ascent nearly 5,000 feet! He now has only
five summits to finish the 214.
