The highest point of England, although lower than the summits of Scotland and Wales, is somewhat harder to reach. Ben Nevis has a tourist path which is very straightforward in summer conditions and Snowdon has a train. Scafell Pike on the other hand is relatively remote from any valley base and requires a modicum of navigational expertise. The correct name for the fell is really Scafell Pikes and this plurality hints at the problems. The approach from Langdale or Borrowdale via Esk Hause involves the traverse of the bouldery and bumpy shoulders of Broad Crag and Ill Crag two of the lesser pikes. To the south Scafell effectively blocks any direct approach. The drop between Scafell Pike and its slightly lower neighbour Scafell is just less than the 150m required for Scafell to enter the Marilyn list. The traverse from one to the other requires a much bigger drop however except for climbers skilled enough to tackle the notorious rock step of Broad Stand. The dramatic col between the two mountains is known as Mickledore and it can be reached most easily from Wasdale although this is not the most popular approach, this starting point being the most remote from good roads and population centres. Another superb approach which is reasonably direct is the Corridor Route which traverses from Styhead Pass along the western side of Great End before turning up onto Scafell Pike above the col with Lingmell.
Great Gable is one of the most striking and most popular mountains in the Lake District. These two pictures show it in very different moods. The first shows the eastern slopes of the mountain as seen from Sprinkling Tarn. This steep ridge, which actually rises from Styhead, the popular pass between Borrowdale and Wasdale, is probably the most frequently used route up the mountain. These dreadfully eroded slopes have recently been repaired by the National Trust, who own the mountain and have laid a pitched path through the scree. The second picture shows the view down into Wasdale from the Westmorland Cairn which lies just below the summit. The most exciting walker's route onto the hill comes up from this side via the climber's traverse. The pleasantest approach, and the least strenuous, is perhaps from Honister Hause by way of the excellent path known as Mose's Trod or over the summits of Brandreth and Green Gable (which is seen on the right of the first picture).
Pillar is a justifiably popular hill. The northern side is craggy and carries the pinnacle of Pillar Rock which is sufficiently separated from the parent peak to feature in most lists of Lakeland two-thousanders although not in the Marilyn list. The best route on Pillar is undoubtedly the traverse which contours along the northern side of the hill to Robinson's cairn and hence through dramatic rocky terrain to the col between Pillar Rock and the main summit. Pillar Rock itself is a 'moderate' rock climb by the easiest route and not advisable for unroped scramblers.
High Stile is the highest top of the long ridge which runs along the south side of Buttermere. The eastern end of this ridge above Scarth Gap is steep and stony and unpleasant. A far better ascent can be made by way of Sheepbone Rake on the north face of High Crag. Another pleasant way up is by the north-east ridge of High Stile itself although this has the disadvantage of making it inconvenient to walk all this lovely ridge. The first picture is taken from the lower reaches of this ridge and the second from the summit looking westwards towards Red Pike. Most walkers will continue this way and descend by way of Bleaberry Tarn which can be seen in the picture or, more easily and more rewardingly, by way of Scale Force, the highest waterfall in the Lake District.
The Langdale Pikes are some of the best known and most popular hills in the Lake District. Their familiar profile, seen across Windermere, is the first glimpse of the high hills for visitors coming in from the south. Unfortunately for the Marilyn bagger shapely Pike o' Stickle and Harrison Stickle, which overlook the Langdale valley, are topped, with very little intervening drop, by High Raise which is a boring grassy lump of a hill. It might claim distinction as perhaps the most central fell in the Lake District and it boasts the memorable height of 2500 feet which places it firmly at the foot of any table of 'furth Corbetts'. The best approach is over the more exciting hills mentioned above, perhaps by way of the popular and sensational scramble up Jack's Rake on Pavey Ark. The picture shows High Raise at it's best on a bright and stormy afternoon.
Pike o' Blisco is often incorporated into a long and rewarding circuit around the head of Langdale taking in Crinkle Crags, Bowfell and perhaps Rossett Pike and the Langdale Pikes as well. It is equally enjoyable as a short walk on its own. We went up the path above Brown Gill and hence up Pike o' Blisco from the back. This route gives superb views of the Langdale Pikes as shown in the picture above. The second picture was taken at the summit looking to Bowfell, one of Lakeland's finest mountains which oddly does not have enough reascent all round to enter the Marilyn list. Instead of following the direct path back to Langdale we used the less frequented ridge to Blake Rigg and came down with a bird's eye view onto Blea Tarn with Lingmoor Fell behind as shown in the third picture.
The northern slopes of Illgill Head form the spectacular Wastwater screes which sweep down from the summit into the lake and make this one of the most photographed hills in the Lake District. The summit in contrast is flat and grassy and the best views of course are downwards. For my reascent I left Keswick on a beautiful morning but by the time I reached Wastwater, mist was swirling around the top of the ridge as shown in the pictures above. Undeterred I climbed up beside the deep gorge of Greathall Gill and onto the summit of Whin Rigg, the western outlier of Illgill Head. This actually has better views of the lake far below and I was lucky to glimpse it, as caught in the shot below. It is obviously rewarding to keep as close to the edge as possible on the traverse to the higher top but eventually the ascent becomes a grassy trudge and on this day there was now thick mist and the actual top seemed rather indeterminate. There is in fact a discrepancy between the height of 1983' given in Wainwright's guide, which apparently applies to the large cairn on the west top, and the 'official' height of 1998', which seems to refer to the flat east top where there are a couple of smaller cairns. I was sorry to be in conditions which made it impossible to check this out. The 1998' or 609m height means that this hill, being only just below 2000', belongs to an exclusive group of hills, the furth sub-Grahams, which are between 600m and 609m high. There are just 2 of these in Wales and 4 in England. I dropped out of the mist to a superb view of Wasdale Head, as seen below, which on a clear day would be backed by the highest hills in the Lake District.
Hard Knott was the hill on which we completed our collection of all the 214 Lakeland Fells described in Wainwright's seven guidebooks. We camped on the banks of Lingcove Beck and went up to the summit for sunset as shown in the first picture. More recently we combined it in a splendid circuit from Brotherilkeld in Eskdale, first climbing Harter Fell and then crossing the road at the top of the Hard Knott pass. From here it is an easy climb to the summit of Hard Knott. The second picture shows the magnificent view of the Scafells from here. We came down over Border End to the impressive remains of a Roman fort on the slopes of this hill.
Mellbreak is a rather isolated fell on the southern side of Crummock Water as shown in the first picture which is taken from the lower slopes of Low Fell. It is a steep hill on every side and the best walk is probably to scramble up the western end and to come down the gentler east ridge with superb views into the heart of the western fells as shown in the second picture.
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