Lake District
CHALLENGING LAKELAND LOOP
1 NY187087 Start at the Wasdale Head Inn and take the footpath to the east, passing the diminutive St Olaf’s Church, the smallest parish church in the country. Turn left onto a bridleway (Moses Trod), heading north and skirting the buildings of Bunrthwaite Farm. Immediately after crossing the footbridge over Gable Beck, take the track to the left, heading steeply up onto the flanks of Great Gable. The path alternates between grassy trod and boot-sinking scree, so a steady approach is needed rather than racing up. Eventually the steepness begins to ease as you reach the saddle by Beckhead Tarn.
2 NY207106 A rough track continues to climb out of the saddle, avoiding the worst of the boggy ground. The trail then bears to the right and begins to climb steeply again up the northwestern arête of Great Gable. There are numerous paths and false tracks here, so care is needed in order to avoid straying round too far to the north onto Gable Crag. In poor visibility a compass bearing is essential. The climb can seem relentless but eventually the summit plateau is reached, with a marker cairn beyond. The track north-east down through the scree and into Windy Gap is ill-defined to begin with, although there are cairns to show the way. Again, a compass bearing could be useful to find the right line. On reaching the gap, head down the obvious route to the south-east and Styhead Tarn.
3 NY222100 Take the obvious path to the south-west, passing the tarn and reaching the Mountain Rescue stretcher box at Sty Head. 50m along to the east is a cairn marking the way on to the Corridor Route; follow this path around a small knoll and then curving around to meet the well defined corridor route, shortly before the distinct gully of Skew Gill. Continue to follow this obvious track steadily uphill, with some short sections of scrambling – including a careful downclimb at one point – until you reach the 3-way track junction almost midway between Greta Gill and Piers Gill.
4 NY215079 Take the track heading almost due south, climbing up through a small gully, before reaching the steep, scree-filled bowl separating Scafell Pike from Broad Crag. Continue up the gully, taking particular care on the sections of smaller rocks and looser ground.
When the path reaches the saddle above, continue round to the right for the final ascent to Scafell Pike’s summit.
5 NY215072 From the trig point on Scafell Pike, descend to the north-west, soon picking up marker cairns and a more well-laid path. Before the main tourist track bends sharply to the left, continue onwards on a grassy path into Lingmell Col, where the route proceeds uphill and onto Lingmell. The rocky outcrops here offer some shelter from both wind and sun. Head to the west now, where a faint path skirts the edge of the slightly higher ground of Goat Crag, before crossing a wall and becoming a more established route down towards Lingmell Gill. After crossing the second distinct boundary, turn left at the next true path junction and continue back down to Wasdale once again.