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.
You can find Scafell Pike & all the walks that climb it on these unique free-to-access Interactive Walk Planning Maps: (click/TAP to select)
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (the ones with orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Maps (the ones with pink/magenta covers):
See Scafell Pike and the surrounding tops on our free-to-access 'Google Style' Peak Bagging Maps:
See Scafell Pike and the surrounding tops on our downloadable PDF Peak Bagging Map:
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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
Fellow go4awalkers who have already walked, climbed, summited & bagged Scafell Pike
Tia Cain has walked up [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 climbed it [from/via/route] Wasdale via Brown Tongue
Hazel Gilbert bagged it on June 24th, 2008 [with] Lawrence
David Peebles hiked it on February 26th, 2023 [from/via/route] Wasdale Nation Trust Carpark [with] Solo [weather] Poor Weather
Jason Mcmillan summited on April 28th, 2023 [from/via/route] Lingmell, Scafell Pike & Scafell
David Higginbottom conquered it on November 15th, 2018 [with] Carolyn [weather] Good
John Ramsbottom scaled 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 walked up 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 climbed it during 2023 [from/via/route] Seathwaite via Corridor route [with] Son, Keir
James Hughes bagged it on June 15th, 2023 [from/via/route] Lingmell, Scafell Pike, Broad Crag, Ill Crag, Great End [with] Solo [weather] Beautiful day, clear, warm. blue skies & no wind. - Pearler of a day...
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More Photographs & Pictures of views from, on or of Scafell Pike
*Scafell Pike (far left back) and The Borrowdale Fells featuring Allen Crags, High House Tarn Top, Red Beck Top, Looking Stead, Glaramara, Comb Head, Comb Door Top, Dovenest Top and Rosthwaite Fell (Bessyboot) from High Raise (Langdale)
Seatallan (centre left) and you can just make out Scafell Pike, Mickledore and Sca Fell (centre right in the distance) from Ponsonby Fell summit
Yewbarrow (left), Great Gable (centre in cloud), Lingmell and the shoulder or Scafell Pike (right) from across Wast Water
Wasdale Head with Pillar beyond from the lower slopes of Lingmell & Scafell Pike
Esk Pike, Bow Fell (Bowfell), Gunson Knott , Crinkle Crags (Long Top) and Crinkle Crags (South Top) from Scafell Pike
Looking down Mosedale to Wasdale Head from Little Scoat Fell with Red Pike (Wasdale) on the right in shadow and the Scafell Massif (featuring Great End, Broad Crag, Lingmell, Scafell Pike, Symonds Knott and Sca Fell) across the valley
Great Gable peeping up through the clouds during a cloud inversion from Scafell Pike
Climbing Scafell Pike via the Brown Tongue path with Illgill Head (left), Wast Water and Middle Fell (Wasdale) (right) in the background
Wast Water with the Scafel Massive (far left- featuring Ling Mell, Great End, Broad Crag, Ill Crag, Scafell Pike, Symonds Knott and Sca Fell) and Illgill Head (centre) and Whin Rigg (centre right) above the Wast Water screes from Buckbarrow
Great End from Broad Crag buttress, just off the corridor route to Scafell Pike
. . . see all 138 walk photographs & pictures of views from, on or of Scafell Pike
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