ROCKSTEADY RITSON
Taking in the highest peak in England and the birthplace of British rock-climbing, Hanna Lindon’s alternate route from the Wasdale Head Inn has plenty of rockstar appeal
Wasdale Head is a place of new beginnings. It’s a landmark location in the history of British rock-climbing. Pioneering Victorians such as Walter Parry Haskett Smith and Owen Glynne Jones spent their holidays at the Wasdale Head Inn, testing their muscles and their mettle in the surrounding mountains. My first memories of hillwalking were made here too. A stay at the inn, before the Three Peaks Challenge became a national obsession, opened my urban eyes to the addictive allure of high places.
I can remember thinking of Wast Water as a blissful Lakeland backwater, a pocket of unblemished serenity, away from the crowds of Coniston and Windermere. That isn’t exactly the case nowadays. As well as being a place of metaphorical beginnings, Wasdale Head is also a place of more prosaic ones. Routes up many of England’s highest mountains start here: Great Gable, Scafell, and, of course, Scafell Pike, with its evergrowing Three Peaks fan base. On summer weekends the path up Lingmell Gill bristles with Challengers, many of whom are in such a hurry to push on to Wales that they don’t even stop for a pint at the iconic inn.
But this isn’t summer and we’re not on the tourist trail. There’s a seasonal chill in the air, and the threat of rain. That’s no bad thing; in this unreliable autumnal weather, Wasdale has settled back into the comfortable solitude I remember from that very first visit. My partner and I have parked at the pub, ready for a post-walk pint, and tramped up the western flank of Lingmell. Our sights are set on Scafell Pike – my first attempt on England’s highest mountain – but a tip from the manager of the local National Trust campsite has guided us away from the tourist trail.
“Take the indirect route up Lingmell,” he said. “It’s a nice ascent, not much further but one hell of a lot quieter.”
He’s not wrong. Rainbows deck the hills as we climb steadily higher, stopping every now and then to drink in the views. Views that are surprisingly devoid of people. A white-out awaits at the 800-metre mark, but there’s plenty to look at from the top of Lingmell.
This small hill has mighty vistas. The summit panorama takes in the geological giants of Great Gable and Kirkfell, not to mention Lingmell and Mosedale Becks. I can’t draw my eyes away from the confluence of paths at Sty Head pass. Follow me, they seem to whisper.
Maybe another time. Today, we’re bound for the very roof of Lakeland. Scafell Pike has its head in the clouds, but it still feels significant to touch the summit cairn.
In due course we follow the well-walked route down Lingmell Gill towards the comfort and craft beers of the Wasdale Head Inn. We’re soon toasting our toes by the fire in the Ritson Bar. It’s named after 19th-Century landlord Will Ritson, who was famous for his fantastical fables. The World’s Biggest Liar competition is held in his honour at nearby Santon Bridge every November. No lie, though – it feels good to be toasting a summit tick in the same place where Victorian climbers gathered to celebrate their successes.