Pen, Upper Eskdale

THIS IS THE big beast of our unknown hills. Perched aloft at 2519ft, Pen is a prominent knobbly noggin on the upper slopes of Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain.

Of course, it would be folly to pretend that you’d climb Pen for its own sake, when it so clearly belongs to the skyscraping peak above it. But what makes Pen deserving of special attention is its location. It is the lynchpin of what is easily Scafell Pike’s most spectacular set of crags, with Dow Crag and Esk Buttress lying beneath it. And together they loom out above the vast bowl of Great Moss, the uniquely beautiful wilderness that guards the less frequented rear flanks of these monster mountains. The long, long hike into Upper Eskdale from the bottom of the Hardknott Pass is arduous but incredibly rewarding, especially if you bypass Cam Spout (the usual ascent route to the Scafells from Great Moss) and continue up to Pen.

Pen is also a famously good place for wild camping, if you’re an intrepid soul. It offers natural shelter (much more than you get on the summit of the Pike), and dry ground. Best of all, it has that sensational view over Great Moss, which looks its very best in the golden glow of a summer morning.

Pen, then: small name, big character.

WALK HERE: From Brotherilkeld Farm, follow the Esk via Lingcove Bridge into Great Moss. Cross river and climb to Pen, thence to Scafell Pike. Return via Cam Spout and Sampson’s Stones.

NB: This is a long, strenuous day for good navigators.

“Pen looms out above Great Moss, the vast bowl that guards the rear flanks of these monster peaks.”