2 best Scafell Pike Walks, with route maps & other essential information for climbing Englands highest mountain
Read on to discover all you need to know about planning a Scafell Pike Walk in the Lake District with the 2 best walking routes
2 best Scafell Pike Walk routes to climb the Highest mountain in England
Scafell Pike is a mountain the English Lake District and is the highest point in England. Scafell Pike's height is 978m above sea level. This is why so many people want walk to it’s summit. It’s the 3rd highest mountain in the United Kingdom - with Ben Nevis being the highest point in the UK at 1,345m and Mount Snowdon in Wales the 2nd highest at 1085m.
Here you can see the distinctive south summit of Scafell Pik, the highest point in England at 978m. The dip of Mickledore separates Scafell Pike from Scafell - so make sure you head for the right Scafell summit or you will add lots more time & effort to your walk!
Where is Scafell Pike?
Scafell Pike is in the Lake District in Cumbria, North-West England. The Lake District is the most mountainous area of England (and you guessed it - full of lakes) - so it’s not straightforward getting to the base of Scafell Pike to start your walk - which is why you need to plan which route you want to walk before deciding on which roads to travel on to get there.
The 3 most popular places to start your Scafell Pike walk (and park the car) are either Wasdale (from the west), Borrowdale (from the East) or Eskdale (from the South) - a drive from each of these points is an hour plus!
The map pins hows exactly where Scafell Pike is in the Lake District, Cumbria, North-West England.
How long does it take to walk Scafell Pike?
The fastest Scafell Pike walk is around 3.5 hours from Wasdale Head. The best Scafell Pike walk route in my opinion is from Seathwaite and will last around 6 hours. Unless you are doing a Three Peaks challenge or are pushed for time - I really recommend doing the more interesting, scenic and longer route from Seathwaite as the route from Wasdale is a bit of a boring slog uphill!
How many miles is it to walk up and down Scafell Pike?
The shortest Scafell Pike walk is from Wasdale Head, it's 5.8 miles and can be done in about 3.5 hours at a push This is the route for those doing the Three Peaks challenge or who don't have much time. The best route is from Seathwaite and is 8.4 miles.
The distinctive south summit of Scafell Pike to the right of centre, the highest point in England at 978m. With the summit to the left being Sca Fell - the 2nd highest point in England.
The 2 best and most popular Scafell Pike walk routes:
The 2 most popular Scafell Pike walks are from Wasdale (quickest) or from Seathwaite in Borrowdale (best in my opinion) However the starting point for both these walks is quite different and to drive between them would take 1 hour 30 mins - so make sure you plan ahead.
#1. Scafell Pike walk from Wasdale Head - quickest route (Also the 3 peaks challenge route):
This is a straight up and down route and a bit of a slog - where you come back down the same way you went up - it will take maybe 3.5 hours and there is no let up when ascending.
As you can see this fast route is straight up and down and can be quite strenuous on the ascent as it's up hill all the way for around 2 hours so you will need to be fit.
#2. Scafell Pike walk - Corridor route from Seathwaite in Borrowdale (best & longer route):
This is a longer Scafell Pike route from Seathwaite in Borrowdale and is likely to be quieter for the majority of it than the popular quick route from Wasdale. It's the route I would recommend to anyone walking up Scafell Pike for the first time and who has more time on their hands as it will take around 5-6 hours. This walk starts in Seathwaite, Borrowdale and goes anti-clockwise via Styhead Tran and the Corridor Route to the summit - and back down via Broad Crag, Esk Hause and Grains Gill.
This is my preferred & best walking route up Scafell Pike from Seathwaite, Borrowdale. You'll need time on your hands for this one as this walk is 8 miles. It's most often tackled anti-clockwise - taking in the Scafell Pike corridor route en-route to the summit and back down via Broad Crag, Esk House & Grains Gill. It's a long route - so I advise viewing the interactive OS map on the link below.
If you don't have a Phone Map App - I really recommend the one by Ordnance Survey. For walking routes such as this one where multiple paths cross and you can easily take a wrong turn and end up in a different valley, the App means you can download route maps to your phone, such as this one, and the app will show you exactly where you are on the route even when you have no signal!
Here you can see the full elevation of the walk starting on the left at Seathwaite and rising to a height of 978 metres (3,209 ft) at the summit of Scafell Pike
Video introduction to the best Scafell Pike walk from Borrowdale:
Have a watch of this short video below to give you a little taster on what to expect on my recommended Scafell Pike walk:
Planning your Scafell Pike walk
Scafell Pike Weather
The weather in the lake District is very changeable, and it’s well known that you can experience 4 seasons in one day! It’s hard to predict the best time to climb Scafell Pike - (and the Lake District can be quite wet with all the rain) but due to the length of the walk, the lighter months of the year where the days are longer with more sunlight will give you more time and will generally be drier and clearer. As with planning any walk in the Lake District - check the weather forecast in the days and morning before before your trip to plan ahead and take the right clothing and equipment. The best online place to get the Scafell Pike weather forecast is through the Mountain Weather Information Service over at http://www.mwis.org.uk/english-welsh-forecast/LD
Scafell Pike - Maps
Make sure to take a printed map and compass and know how to use them, as well as a gps map if you have one, as it is very easy to take a wrong turn on a walk to Scafell Pike and you could end up miles away from where you intended if your not careful! It's well know that some people have started their walk from one valley and came down into a different valley with an expensive taxi ride of over an hour to get to where their car is. But as long as you are prepared - its a walk every keen hiker should have completed!
As ever I hope you have found this blog post useful and it inspires you to want to tackle Scafell Pike!
Happy Hiking!
Post by Stuart Hodgson
'The Hiking Photographer'
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Thanks for taking an interest in my blog, all comments and questions are welcome! Best, Stuart