Scafell Pike
978m (3210ft)
The Southern Fells, The Lake District, Cumbria, England
Scafell Pike is the highest point in the county of Cumbria, the highest point in The Lake District National Park and the highest point in England. It was also the highest point in the old county of Cumberland.
Scafell Pike means 'the highest point of 'The Pikes of Sca Fell'. This was the collective term for all the lumps and bumps on the top of the Sca Fell Massif (namely Sca Fell Pike, Sca Fell, Symonds Knott, Broad Crag, Ill Crag and Great End) when it was donated to The National Trust by Lord Leconfield in 1919. Sca Fell Pike became Scafell Pike (without the space) due to an error by the Ordnance Survey and the name stuck.' and is pronounced 'Though Scafell Pike is usually pronounced 'Skar Fell Pyke', the Lake District locals pronounce it 'SKOR-fall Pyke' with the emphasis on the first syllable. Indeed, many older texts spell it 'Skawfell Pike'.
The summit of Scafell Pike is marked by an Ordnance Survey Trig Point.
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 6.25ml (10km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,187ft (971m) |
| Time: | 5½ hrs |
| Grade: |  (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Wasdale Head - Lingmell Gill - Brown Tongue - Hollow Stones - Mickledore - Scafell Pike - Mickledore - Lingmell Beck - Wasdale Head - Wast Water.
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 7.5ml (12km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,218ft (981m) |
| Time: | 6 hrs |
| Grade: | (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Wasdale Head - Lingmell Gill - Brown Tongue - Hollow Stones - Mickledore - Scafell Pike - The Corridor Route - Sty Head - Lingmell Beck - Gable Beck Bridge - Wasdale Head - Wast Water.
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 7.5ml (12km) |
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| Ascent: | 4,195ft (1,279m) |
| Time: | 7 hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Wasdale Head - (National Trust Campsite) - Wast Water - Lingmell - Corridor Route - Scafell Pike - Mickledore - Foxes Tarn - Symonds Knott - Sca Fell - Lingmell Gill - Wasdale Head - Wast Water.
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 8.5ml (13.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,289ft (1,020m) |
| Time: | 6½ hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Seathwaite (Borrowdale) - Stockley Bridge - Grains Gill - Ruddy Gill - Sprinkling Tarn - Esk Hause - Scafell Pike - Esk Hause - Grains Gill - Stockley Bridge - Seathwaite (Borrowdale)
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 9ml (14.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,696ft (1,126m) |
| Time: | 7 hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Wasdale Head - Wast Water - Lingmell - Lingmell Col - Scafell Pike - Broad Crag - Ill Crag - Great End - Esk Hause - Sty Head - Lingmell Beck - Gable Beck Bridge - Wasdale Head - Wast Water.
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 9ml (14.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,236ft (986m) |
| Time: | 6.75hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Seathwaite (Borrowdale) - Grains Gill - Stockley Bridge - Styhead Gill - Styhead Tarn - Sty Head - The Corridor Route - Skew Gill - Greta Gill - Piers Gill - Scafell Pike - The Corridor Route - Sty Head - Stockley Bridge - Seathwaite (Borrowdale)
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 9.5ml (15km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,477ft (1,060m) |
| Time: | 7 hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Seathwaite (Borrowdale) - Grains Gill - Styhead Gill - Styhead Tarn - Corridor Route - Scafell Pike - Broad Crag - Ill Crag - Great End - Esk Hause - Grains Gill - Seathwaite (Borrowdale)
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 9.75ml (15.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 5,140ft (1,567m) |
| Time: | 8.75hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Wasdale Head - (National Trust Campsite) - Wast Water - Lingmell - Middleboot Knotts - Round How (Scafell) - Great End - Ill Crag - Broad Crag - Scafell Pike - Mickledore - Foxes Tarn - Symonds Knott - Sca Fell - Wast Water.
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 11ml (17.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 5,409ft (1,648m) |
| Time: | 9½ hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Wasdale Head - (National Trust Campsite) - Wast Water - Lingmell - Corridor Route - Great End - Ill Crag - Broad Crag - Scafell Pike - Mickledore - Foxes Tarn - Symonds Knott - Sca Fell - Slight Side - Broad Tongue - Hardrigg Gill - Wasdale Head - Wast Water.
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 11.25ml (18km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,883ft (1,183m) |
| Time: | 8 hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Great Langdale - The Old Dungeon Ghyll - The Cumbria Way - Mickleden Beck - Rossett Gill - Rossett Pike - Angle Tarn (Langdale) - Esk Hause - Scafell Pike - Ill Crag - Broad Crag - Great End - Esk Hause - Angle Tarn - Rossett Gill - Mickleden - Mickleden Beck - The Cumbria Way - The Old Dungeon Ghyll - Great Langdale
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 12.5ml (20km) |
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| Ascent: | 4,684ft (1,428m) |
| Time: | 9.25hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Great Langdale - The Old Dungeon Ghyll - The Cumbria Way - Mickleden Beck - Mickleden - Rossett Beck - Rossett Pike - Angle Tarn (Langdale) - Esk Hause - Great End - Ill Crag - Broad Crag - Scafell Pike - Esk Hause - Esk Pike - Ore Gap - Bow Fell (Bowfell) (North Top) - Bow Fell (Bowfell) - Bowfell Buttress - Cambridge Crag - Flat Crag - Climbers' Traverse (optional) - Three Tarns - The Band - Oxendale - Stool End Farm - The Old Dungeon Ghyll - Great Langdale
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 13.75ml (22km) |
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| Ascent: | 4,982ft (1,519m) |
| Time: | 10 hrs |
| Grade: |  (Very Hard) |
Route Summary:
Eskdale - Wha House Farm - Hare Crag - Quagrigg Moss - Slight Side - Sca Fell - Symonds Knott - Scafell Pike - Broad Crag - Ill Crag - Great End - Esk Hause - Lingcove Bridge - Great Moss - Eskdale
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 14ml (22.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 6,009ft (1,832m) |
| Time: | 9 hrs |
| Grade: | (Very Hard) |
Route Summary:
Eskdale - Wha House Farm - Hare Crag - Quagrigg Moss - Slight Side - Sca Fell - Symonds Knott - Mickledore - Scafell Pike - Broad Crag - Ill Crag - Great End - Esk Hause - Esk Pike - Ore Gap - Bow Fell (Bowfell) (North Top) - Bow Fell (Bowfell) - Bowfell Buttress - Cambridge Crag - Flat Crag - Climbers' Traverse (optional) - Three Tarns - Great Moss - Brotherikeld - Eskdale
See Scafell Pike and the surrounding tops on our free-to-access 'Google Style' Peak Bagging Maps:
The Southern Fells of The Lake District National Park
Less data - quicker to download
The Whole of The Lake District National Park
More data - might take a little longer to download
See Scafell Pike and the surrounding tops on our downloadable Peak Bagging Maps in PDF format:
NB: Whether you print off a copy or download it to your phone, these PDF Peak Baggers' Maps might prove incredibly useful when your are up there on the tops and you cannot get a phone signal.
*This version is marked with the walk routes you need to follow to Walk all 214 Wainwrights in just 59 walks.
You can find Scafell Pike & all the walks that climb it on these unique free-to-access Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Maps (pink/magenta covers):
Fellow go4awalkers who have already walked, climbed, summited & bagged Scafell Pike
Pete George walked up Scafell Pike on October 13th, 2025 [from/via/route] Wasdale Head [with] Roco [weather] Beautiful cloud inversion on Lingmell, cloud rising on Scafell Pike, rest of day in fog
Tia Cain has climbed Scafell Pike [from/via/route] The visitor car park [with] Nick & Daryn [weather] Absolutely ATROCIOUS - Definitely should have gone to the pub & saved it for a better day. Visibility at the top only a matter of metres.
Andrew Francis-Lang has bagged Scafell Pike [from/via/route] Wasdale via Brown Tongue
Hazel Gilbert hiked Scafell Pike on June 24th, 2008 [with] Lawrence
David Peebles summited Scafell Pike on February 26th, 2023 [from/via/route] Wasdale Nation Trust Carpark [with] Solo [weather] Poor Weather
Jason Mcmillan conquered Scafell Pike on April 28th, 2023 [from/via/route] Lingmell, Scafell Pike & Scafell
David Higginbottom scaled Scafell Pike on November 15th, 2018 [with] Carolyn [weather] Good
John Ramsbottom walked up Scafell Pike on January 7th, 2024 [from/via/route] Started at Wasdale Head car park [with] Lola [weather] sunshine cold & frosty, nice day - No pub this time . Being good
Christine Shepherd climbed Scafell Pike on August 19th, 1997 [from/via/route] Seathwaite via Grains Gill returning via Taylor Force. [with] Peter (my husband) [weather] Very hot & sunny with a heat haze. - I would definitely recommend the descent by Taylor Force Gill. (not for the faint hearted though) Have climbed Scafell on two other occasions. Easter 2003 with my daughter & 27.6.09, when I led a group from my church in Leeds to the summit. Finally climbed this fell on my own on 3.10.15. Climbed from Wasdale Head for the first time much easier than from Seathwaite. Climbed for a fifth time on 21.10.23 with Jenny & Ian.This was their first time on this summit.Great weather & views.We climbed Lingmell first & climbed Scafell Pike from Lingmell Col.
Philip Wilde bagged Scafell Pike during 2023 [from/via/route] Seathwaite via Corridor route [with] Son, Keir
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More Photographs & Pictures of views from, on or of Scafell Pike
*From Left to right: Caw Fell, Seatallan, Red Pike, Pillar, Yewbarrow, Kirk Fell, Great Gable, Lingmell and Sca Fell and Wast Water (foreground) from Illgill Head (NB. Scafell Pike is largely hidden behind Sca Fell)
The Scafell Massif featuring Scafell Pike (centre) and Sca Fell (centre left) from Swirl Band between Swirl How and Levers Hawse
My son on his first boys mountain climb up Scafell Pike with his Dad and Grandad
Scafell re-visted. Me, my dog and my mates passing Styhead Tarn on the way up to Scafell Pike
*Northernly Panorama from the summit of Hard Knott featuring Sca Fell, Scafell Pike, Esk Pike, Bow Fell (Bowfell), Gunson Knott, Crinkle Crags (Long Top) and Crinkle Crags (South Top)
Lingmell, Scafell Pike, Mickledore and Sca Fell above Wast Water from near Middle Fell (Wasdale)
Green Gable (left) Great Gable (centre left), Scafell Pike (centre distance) and Kirk Fell (centre right) from Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
Scafell Pike (right) and Sca Fell (left) with Mickledore (centre) from Bow Fell (Bowfell)
Airplane wreckage below Broad Crag buttress, just off the corridor route to Scafell Pike
. . . see all 139 walk photographs & pictures of views from, on or of Scafell Pike
Send us your photographs and pictures on, of, or from Scafell Pike
If you would like to add your walk photographs and pictures featuring views from, on or of Scafell Pike to this page, please send them as email attachments (configured for any computer) along with your name to:
and we shall do our best to publish them.
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