Scafell Pike or is the highest mountain in England, at an elevation of
978 metres above sea level. It is located in Lake District National Park,
in Cumbria. It is part of the Southern Fells.
Topography Scafell Pike is one of a horseshoe of
high fells, open to the south, surrounding the head of Eskdale,
Cumbria. It stands on the western side of the cirque, with Sca Fell to the
south and Great End to the north. This ridge forms the watershed between
Eskdale and Wasdale, which lies to the west.
The narrowest definition of Scafell Pike begins at the ridge of Mickledore in the
south, takes in the wide, stony summit area and ends at the next depression,
Broad Crag Col, c. 920 m. A more inclusive view also takes in two further
tops: Broad Crag, 934 m and Ill Crag, 935 m, the two being separated by Ill
Crag Col. This is the position taken by most guidebooks. North of Ill Crag is
the more definite depression of Calf Cove at 850 m, before the ridge climbs
again to Great End. Scafell Pike also has outliers on either
side of the ridge. Lingmell, to the north west, is invariably regarded as a
separate fell, while Pen, 760 m, a shapely summit above the Esk, is
normally taken as a satellite of the Pike. Middleboot Knotts is a further top
lying on the Wasdale slopes of Broad Crag, which is listed as a Nuttall.
The rough summit plateau is fringed by crags on all sides with Pikes Crag and
Dropping Crag above Wasdale and Rough Crag to the east. Below Rough Crag and
Pen is a further tier, named Dow Crag and Central Pillar on Ordnance Survey
maps, although known as Esk Buttress among climbers. Esk Buttress and Pikes
Crag are well known rock climbing venues.
Broad Crag Col is the source of Little Narrowcove Beck in the east and of Piers
Gill in the west. The latter works its way around Lingmell to Wast Water
through a spectacular ravine, one of the most impressive in the Lake District. It
is treacherous in winter, as when it freezes over it creates an icy patch,
with lethal exposure should you slip. Broad Crag is a small top with its
principal face on the west and the smaller Green Crag looking down on
Little Narrowcove. From Broad Crag, the ridge turns briefly east across Ill Crag
Col and onto the shapely pyramidal summit of Ill Crag. Here, the main crags
are on the Eskdale side, Ill Crag having little footing(clarify) in Wasdale.
Scafell Pike has a claim to the highest standing water in England, although
Foxes Tarn on Sca Fell is of similar height. The water body in question is
Broad Crag Tarn, which is on Scafell Pike proper, rather than Broad Crag. It
lies at about 820 m, a quarter of a mile south of the summit.
The summit ridge from Ill Crag to Mickledore is notoriously stony, the
surface being composed in many places of fields of boulders. Paths are not marked
by the usual erosion of soil, but by coloured marks on the rock following the
passage of many thousands of booted feet. The summits of Ill and Broad Crags
are bypassed by the ridge path, but it leads unerringly to the highest point.
This bears an Ordnance Survey triangulation column beside a massive
cairn, not now in the best of repair, but unmistakable from any distance,
still six feet high and much greater in diameter. A little distance away is the
lower south peak. Summit
The summit was donated to the National Trust in 1919 by Lord Leconfield "in
perpetual memory of the men of the Lake District who fell for God and King, for
freedom peace and right in the Great War 1914 – 1918 ...". There is a more
well-known war memorial on Great Gable, commemorating the members of the Fell &
Rock Climbing Club. Scafell Pike is one of three British
peaks climbed as part of the National Three Peaks Challenge, and is the
highest ground for over 90 miles. Geology
Scafell Pike consists of igneous rock dating from the Ordovician; it is
geologically part of the Borrowdale Volcanics. The summit plateau of Scafell
Pike, and that of other neighbouring peaks, is covered with shattered rock
debris which provides the highest altitude example of a summit boulder
field in England. The boulder field is thought to have been caused in part by
weathering, such as frost action. Additional factors are also considered
to be important, however opinion varies as to what these may be. James Clifton
Ward suggested that weathering with earthquakes as a secondary agent could
be responsible, while John Edward Marr and Reginald Aldworth Daly believed that
earthquakes were unnecessary and suggested that frost action with other
unspecified agents was more likely. To the north of the summit are a number of
high altitude gills which flow into Lingmell Beck. These are good examples
in Cumbria for this type of gill and are also biologically important due to their
species richness. Ascent routes
= From Wasdale = The ascent of the Pike is most often
attempted from Wasdale Head. This is at the north end of Wastwater to the west
of the Pike, and is at about 80 metres above sea level. There is a famous
climber's hotel here, the Wasdale Head Inn, made popular in the Victorian
period by Owen Glynne Jones and others. On summer weekends, crowds of people can
be found attempting this steep but straightforward walk. An alternative
ascent from Wasdale approaches up a hanging valley whose head is at
Mickledore, which is itself ascended, before following the path from Sca Fell
to the Pike. = From Borrowdale =
A more taxing, but scenically far superior, approach begins at Seathwaite
Farm at the end of Borrowdale, proceeding via Styhead Tarn, then taking
the Corridor Route, a delightful walk along the western flank of the Sca Fell
massif with intimate views of the fell, before joining the route from Wasdale
near the summit. The return journey can then be made along a high ridge, taking
in any or all of the neighbouring summits of Broad Crag, Ill Crag, Great
End, Allen Crags and Glaramara. An alternative route from Borrowdale,
longer but perhaps less taxing than that via the Corridor Route, runs from
Seathwaite via Grains Gill and the high pass of Esk Hause.
= From Langdale = A further ascent may be made from
Langdale. From the Old Dungeon Ghyll hotel, the route proceeds up alongside
Rossett Gill, past Angle Tarn, and then onto Esk Hause before joining a rocky
path to the summit. Energetic walkers can vary the return route by ascending
Esk Pike and Bowfell from Esk Hause and then descend Bowfell via The Band.
Another variant which avoids simply returning down Rossett Gill is to head
north at the Angle Tarn, over Rossett Pike to join The Cumbrian Way, and
descend via Stake Pass adding a mile to the walk. The total distance is about 21
kilometres. Esk Hause is also accessible from Styhead Tarn, making another
possible route from Seathwaite. = From Eskdale =
Another ascent can be made from Eskdale, the longest and most arduous way up but
it has some very fine scenery. The route follows the River Esk as far as the
Great Moss boggy plateau; walkers then have a choice of ascending steeply up to
Mickledore, the low ridge between Sca Fell and Scafell Pike, or following the
Esk to its source at Esk Hause. A third possible route up from Great Moss is
Little Narrowcove, a steep ascent which emerges onto the ridge a few hundred
metres north-east of the summit. Naming history
Scafell Pike is sometimes confused with the neighbouring Sca Fell, to which it
is connected by the col of Mickledore. The name The Pikes of Scaw Fell, or just
The Pikes, was originally applied collectively to the peaks now known as
Scafell Pike, Ill Crag and Broad Crag, which were considered subsidiary tops of
Sca Fell. The application of the name Scafell Pike or Scawfell Pike was a
compromise that occurred some time after 1818 but before 1856. Before then,
England's highest mountain did not have a name of its own. Until Scafell Pike
was measured early in the 19th century, many believed Helvellyn to be the
highest mountain in England. Prior to this compromise, the Ordnance Survey
called Scafell Pike and Sca Fell Sca-Fell Higher Top and Sca-Fell Lower
Top. The old spelling Scawfell was in common
use, except on Ordnance Survey maps, until about 1920 – see Sca Fell for a
fuller explanation. This may be the source of the belief that the OS made an
error in naming this mountain – but they simply chose an unusual spelling.
Survey point Scafell Pike was used in 1826 as a
station in the Principal Triangulation of Britain by the Ordnance Survey when
they fixed the relative positions of Britain and Ireland. Angles between
Slieve Donard and Snowdon were taken from Scafell Pike, as were angles
measured from stations on each of the other two mountains. Given the need for
clear weather to achieve these very long range observations, the Ordnance
surveyors spent most of the summer camped on the respective mountain tops.
Strangely, Scafell Pike was not used as a station in the earlier part of the
Principal Triangulation of Britain, even though Sca-Fell formed one corner of a
Principal Triangle. Gallery
Views from the summit = Summer =
= Winter = Visible "Marilyns"
As the highest ground in England, Scafell Pike naturally has a very
extensive view, ranging from the Mourne Mountains to Snowdonia. On a clear day,
the following Marilyns can be seen from the summit.
The data is from the first 'external link' below.
= North = Dun Rig, 77 miles, 2 degrees
Binsey, 18 miles, 2 degrees Turner Cleuch Law, 71 miles, 4 degrees
Dale Head, 5 miles, 5 degrees Wisp Hill, 58 miles, 11 degrees
Skiddaw, 14 miles, 12 degrees Roan Fell, 55 miles, 15 degrees
Knott, 17 miles, 17 degrees Peel Fell, 63 miles, 24 degrees
Blencathra, 14 miles, 28 degrees The Cheviot, 83 miles, 31 degrees
Cold Fell, 39 miles, 39 degrees = East =
Howgill Fells, 29 miles, 103 degrees Bow Fell, 2 miles, 105 degrees
Yorkshire Three Peaks, 36, 44 and 38 miles, 119 degrees
Boulsworth Hill, 63 miles, 135 degrees Pendle Hill, 55 miles, 138 degrees
Ward's Stone, 38 miles, 142 degrees The Old Man of Coniston, 7 miles, 149
degrees Winter Hill, 64 miles, 154 degrees
= South = Sca Fell, 1-mile, 228 degrees
Snaefell, 52 miles, 257 degrees Slieve Donard, 111 miles, 262 degrees
Slieve Croob, 112 miles, 268 degrees = West =
Beneraird, 80 miles, 303 degrees Merrick, 69 miles, 315 degrees
Pillar, 4 miles, 318 degrees Cairnsmore of Carsphairn, 68 miles, 326
degrees High Stile, 6 miles, 328 degrees
Criffel, 37 miles, 334 degrees Grasmoor, 8 miles, 342 degrees
Great Gable, 2 miles, 351 degrees See also
Langdale axe industry List of mountains and hills of the
United Kingdom Geology of the United Kingdom
List of fells in the Lake District References
External links Computer generated virtual panoramas
North South Index Scafell Pike is at coordinates
54.454435°N 3.210168°W﻿ / 54.454435; -3.210168