Scafell Pike

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978 mWainwright — Southern Fells+8 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike stands at 978m (3,209ft) and is the supreme objective for every Lakeland walker.

The normal routes are a strenuous walk, not a climb; the danger lies off them, at Piers Gill and Broad Stand, and on the boulder plateau in cloud, so know your compass bearing off the top. Is Scafell Pike dangerous? ↓

Summit conditions on Scafell Pike

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 9° to 2°C, gusts to 68 mph, 10.6 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

88 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 58 mph times our exposure factor of 1.5. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 68 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS (opens in new tab) describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Cloud on the top

Past the line

9 out of 100, the clear-top reading

Averaged over the daylight hours, from the forecast’s humidity and low cloud.

The line Our line: a clear-top reading under 20 out of 100, where our scorer says “summit likely clagged in”. There is no outside threshold to cite; it is our estimate. What cloud does to finding the way: navigating in cloud.

Not an observation: cloud lifts and drops within the hour.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

10.6 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like −4 °C, no ice or snow forecast. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Routes up Scafell Pike

Choose the way up before the car park: these two routes start from two places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.

Compared	Scafell Pike from Wasdale, by Lingmell Col	Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route
Starts from	Wasdale Head	Seathwaite (Borrowdale)
Distance and climb	8 km, 915 m of climb	15.84 km, 949 m of climb
Time, fast to steady	~3–4¼ h	~4¾–6½ h
Scrambling	No scrambling on the walkers’ line — the danger here is navigational, not exposure.	Easy scramble: a short down-climb over a rocky lip at Greta Gill (about km 5.2).
Exposure	Moderate	Severe
Navigation	Severe	Moderate
Steepest stretch	Descent of about 40% at 5.1 km (Severe)	Climb of about 32% at 7.8 km (Hard)
After the summit	No further tops	No further tops
Walked or planned	Planned: drawn, not yet walked	Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Car park at the start	Lake Head, Wasdale (NT, paid)	Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (farm field, paid)
Bus to the start	Not measured	78, 2.2 km walk from Seatoller, at National Trust car park. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season.

Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.

Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →

How hard is Scafell Pike, really?

Short version: Scafell Pike is a hard day for most walkers, but a non-technical one — little scrambling or exposure on the normal routes, just a lot of sustained, rough ascent and a summit that is genuinely hard to navigate. It is not a beginner’s first fell, and there is no easy way up it. By the shortest way, from Wasdale, it is 8 km with 915 m of ascent and about 3 to 4¼ hours; the Corridor Route from Seathwaite is 15.8 km with 949 m of ascent and about 4¾ to 6½ hours.

Harder than Helvellyn or Skiddaw?

By our five-axis reading of the walkers’ routes, Scafell Pike from Wasdale and Helvellyn by the Swirls path both grade Severe overall, for their steepness, and Skiddaw via Ullock Pike grades Hard. Scafell Pike is still the more serious of the group: harder underfoot (rough boulder ground rather than a made path) and materially harder to navigate — we grade its summit Severe for navigation, against Hard for Helvellyn and Skiddaw. Same league; Scafell Pike is the one that punishes a mistake in cloud.

Can a beginner do it? On the right terms, yes — but only on the right terms, and not as a first hill. Pick a settled, clear day; take the most-walked line from Wasdale; start early and set a turn-back time before you go; carry, and know how to use, a map and compass; and build up on a few smaller fells first. On a wet or clagged day, or against the clock, it is a genuinely serious undertaking.

Harder than Snowdon? We can’t give you a straight answer, and we won’t fake one: we measure Lakeland fells route-by-route, not Welsh or Scottish ones, so we hold no comparable data for Snowdon or Ben Nevis. What we can say is how Scafell Pike sits against the English fells we do assess — above.

How we know: these are our own difficulty gradings from the routes we’ve mapped — length and steepness from the terrain model, and terrain, navigation and exposure assessed editorially. We flag on each route that they are drawn but not yet personally walked, so treat this as a steer rather than the last word.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 978 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast

Tue 27 Oct

9° / 2°

68 mph

10.6 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

7° / 3°

50 mph

11.9 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

7° / 5°

29 mph

1.8 mm (26%)

Fri 30 Oct

6° / 4°

27 mph

0.1 mm (31%)

Sat 31 Oct

8° / -1°

9 mph

0.0 mm (25%)

Sun 1 Nov

6° / -2°

7 mph

0.0 mm (12%)

Mon 2 Nov

4° / -1°

19 mph

0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Scafell Pike

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Lake Head, Wasdale (NT, paid) — at the start of Scafell Pike from Wasdale, by Lingmell Col

Walking base for Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Scafell Pike — the 'Great Gable & Kirk Fell' route starts 10 m away. Also serves 'Scafell Pike from Wasdale, by Lingmell Col'. National Trust's access statement records a pay-and-display machine here (National Trust, January 2024) but does not say which payment methods it takes; the same document notes mobile reception is poor across Wasdale, so carry coins as well as a card. Compacted surface (OSM-tagged). Toilets on site. National Trust, pay & display (free for members). The classic base for Scafell Pike, Great Gable, Kirk Fell, Yewbarrow. Fills very early. Fees: £7 up to 2 hours; £8.50 up to 4 hours; £10 all day. Charges apply at all times (NT, checked August 2026). Free for NT members (checked August 2026).

Directions Something changed here?

If it is full: Overbeck Bridge, Wastwater (NT, paid) (1.8 km, 110 m up); Greendale, Nether Wasdale (roadside, free) (4.9 km, 197 m up)

Wasdale Head Inn

Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (farm field, paid) — 0.2 km from the start of Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route (straight line)

The farm’s own field, signed off the lane — £5 all day, £10 overnight, no booking needed (the farm’s own page, read 21 September 2026; its notice is still headed 2025). A different place from the free verge on the same lane, and the reason not to race for a verge space. The farm opened it to ease the parking problems in the busy period.

Directions Something changed here?

Wasdale Head village green car park (free) — 3.1 km from summit (straight line)

At Wasdale Head, about 0.3 km south of the Wasdale Head Inn; the National Trust's Pillar trail starts here and calls it the Wasdale Head Village Green car park (grid ref NY 1868 0852, read 17 October 2026). The 'Round Kirk Fell from Wasdale Head' and 'Extended Mosedale Horseshoe' routes start here; the Great Gable and Scafell Pike routes start at Lake Head, 1.3 km on foot. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.

Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.

Buses

The 77 and 78 stop at Seatoller, at National Trust car park. From there it is 2.2 km and 79 m of ascent to the start of Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: exposure) — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 20.2 km in all, with the walk. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (78): Tuesday to Sunday 20:00. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 78 “Borrowdale Rambler”

Keswick – Lodore – Grange – Rosthwaite – Seatoller

Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 or X4/X5)

Year-round, frequent in season. Serves all the Borrowdale starts — Glaramara, the Scafells and Great Gable via Seathwaite (alight Seatoller, about 2 km up the lane).

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Scafell Pike

Is Scafell Pike dangerous?

Scafell Pike deserves real respect — but the danger is specific, and it is not the summit push. England’s highest mountain is a strenuous walk, not a climb, on its normal routes; what puts people on a stretcher is the ground on either side of the walkers’ line, and the descent in cloud.

Two named places account for the gravest accidents. Piers Gill, the ravine on the Wasdale flank, is a trap: its top looks benign, but it is a staircase of waterfall pitches that get harder the further down you go and cannot be climbed back up, so walkers who stray in from the Corridor Route become committed. Broad Stand, the direct link to Scafell, looks like a shortcut and is a graded rock climb that has killed unroped walkers. The other killer is the summit itself — a vast boulder plateau, ringed by crags, that is genuinely disorienting in cloud, so most trouble starts on the walk off the top, not up it.

You may have arrived here after searching how many people have died on Scafell Pike. We don’t publish a per-fell death count — we have not found a verified one, and a number wouldn’t keep you safe. What will: knowing the two places that actually catch people, carrying and being able to follow a compass bearing off the plateau, and choosing the right day. How hard the mountain really is, and whether it is within your reach, is the next section.

Go deeper: the Mountain Rescue Report (what actually goes wrong, in numbers) · Walking in bad weather — including when to cancel.

Hazard & Incident Information for Scafell Pike

Checked by Lee McCoy, 13 October 2026. Draws on published material from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Extreme

England's highest summit. Its vast boulder fields are genuinely disorienting in cloud, with no handrails and cliffs on several sides, and walkers get exhausted, injured, benighted or lost. Two named spots account for the gravest accidents: Piers Gill and Broad Stand.

Piers Gill: A deep ravine that has caused repeated fatalities, mostly to walkers descending the Corridor Route who stray toward it in cloud. Do not try to descend the gill or walk down the bed of the stream: it is a canyon of waterfall pitches. Where the Corridor Route reaches the gill, go right round the corner and slightly uphill, well away from Piers Gill, to the path down to Sty Head. The bank paths are dangerous: the west bank has no path and Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team report fatalities there in recent years; if you get onto the steep path on the other bank and into difficulty, turn around and retrace to the Corridor Route. There is no mobile phone signal at the gill, so do not rely on calling for help from it; move only if you can do so safely, and otherwise stay put and attract attention.
Broad Stand: The rock step toward Scafell looks like a shortcut but is a serious climb that has killed unroped walkers. Do not attempt it.
Summit boulder plateau in poor visibility: A confusing sea of rock with cliffs on several sides; a compass and the ability to follow a precise bearing are essential when cloud is down.

Who should attempt this fell: A serious mountain day for fit, experienced hillwalkers. Navigation skills are essential; the featureless plateau is genuinely disorienting when cloud is down. Never attempt Broad Stand or stray toward Piers Gill, allow far more time than the distance suggests, and carry a head torch, map and compass.

What to watch for: Ankle and knee injuries on the boulder descent · Navigation errors in cloud · Exhaustion, exposure and benightment · Underestimating the time and distance

Local Mountain Rescue: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team - Piers Gill, Scafell Pike (opens in new tab)

Safety: Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information (opens in new tab)

Navigating in cloud

Serious in cloud

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of steep ground within half a kilometre of the summit. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.

From walking it — not from the terrain model

What catches people out: A boulder-field dome where every direction looks identical and cairns lead to more cairns — bearings feel wrong because the ground fights your feet.

The line to take: Trust the compass over the cairns. Decide before you go up which way you are coming down, and from the summit cairn find the start of that path on the map before you leave it; the usual lines are the Corridor Route to the north-west and the Brown Tongue path to the west.

First-hand knowledge of this top, written by Lee. It adds to the computed grade above — it never changes it, and its absence on another fell means only that it has not been written yet.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Scafell Pike compares with all 214: the Clag Index (experimental).

If you need Mountain Rescue

Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.

Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.

If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.

From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Scafell Pike

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

0.5 km NEBroad Crag935 m · Southern

0.8 km SEPen762 m · Southern

0.8 km EIll Crag931 m · Southern

2.0 km SEHigh Gait Crags572 m · Southern

2.1 km EPike de Bield810 m · Southern

2.5 km SSEScar Lathing439 m · Southern

2.8 km NNESeathwaite Fell (Great Slack)631 m · Southern

2.8 km SHigh Scarth487 m · Southern

Routes over Scafell Pike

Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route

Summits: LingmellScafell Pike

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Best season: Late spring to autumn in clear weather; the summit is hard to navigate and the ground is serious in winter.

Warnings: Never attempt Broad Stand (the direct link to Scafell) — it's a graded rock climb and a notorious accident spot. Rough, rocky ground and a boulder-field summit that is very hard to navigate in cloud — carry map, compass and GPS. A long, committing mountain day; start early and watch the time. Piers Gill: go round it, not into it — and there is no phone signal here. Where the Corridor Route reaches the head of the gill, the safe line is to go right round the corner of the crossing and slightly uphill, well away from Piers Gill, following the path down to Sty Head. Do not drop toward the gill or try to walk down the bed of the stream — it is a canyon of waterfall pitches (Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team: “do not attempt to walk down the bed of the stream”). The bank paths are worse than they look: the west (river-left) bank has no path at all, and WMRT report fatalities there in recent years; the path on the other bank has steep sections above big drops and a record of serious accidents — if you get onto it and into difficulty, turn around and retrace to the Corridor Route rather than press on. There is no mobile phone coverage around the gill, so do not sit and wait for a call to connect — move only if you can do so safely, and otherwise make yourself seen and heard. See phone & satellite SOS. Guidance drawn from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team’s published page on Piers Gill. Greta Gill — and the false track that isn’t the route. Lower down, the Corridor Route crosses Greta Gill after a rock step that Wasdale MRT warn “can be hazardous or impossible if the weather is wet.” Do not follow what looks like a track down the north (river-right) bank of Greta Gill: it is unconsolidated, has steep drops into the gill, and is not the continuation of the Corridor Route. Stay on the made path. At the path junction above Lingmell col it is easy to miss the turn and carry on onto steep ground above Piers Gill. Know the junction, navigate carefully by compass in mist, and don't follow the gill downhill.

Route guide: Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route →

Scafell Pike from Wasdale, by Lingmell Col

Summits: Scafell Pike

Wasdale is the classic base for the Pike and this is the classic line from it. It is not the prettiest route — the Corridor Route is finer — but it is the direct one, and on a clear day the view from the top reaches the Isle of Man and the hills of Galloway.

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Best season: Late spring to autumn, in clear weather. Under snow the summit boulderfield is a genuinely serious mountaineering proposition, and the navigation off the top is unforgiving at the best of times.

Warnings: The summit plateau is a boulderfield, and in cloud it is one of the most dangerous places to navigate in England. There are no handrails and no features. Take a bearing off the summit cairn and follow it precisely — people regularly descend the wrong side of this mountain, into Eskdale, towards Broad Stand, or down into Piers Gill, and that is how the callouts start. Do not attempt to descend towards Scafell over Broad Stand. It looks like the obvious link and it is a rock climb, not a scramble. It has killed people. A relentless, stony ascent — 915 m in 4 km. It is steep, loose in places, and hard on the knees coming back down. There is no shelter and no water on the upper mountain. Carry more than you think, and start early — this is a mountain that punishes a late start. Piers Gill — go round it, never into it. The great ravine on this mountain’s Wasdale flank is Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team’s worst blackspot: a canyon of waterfall pitches you must never try to descend, and its top looks deceptively benign. Keep well away from the gill and out of its bed; the banks beside it have steep drops and a record of serious accidents. There is no mobile phone coverage around the gill — if you are in difficulty, get back up to signal or attract attention rather than wait for a call to connect. Guidance from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team; see phone & satellite SOS.

Route guide: Scafell Pike from Wasdale, by Lingmell Col →

Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Scafell Pike

The path beneath your boots

The Brown Tongue path onto Scafell Pike is one of the busiest in Lakeland — Fix the Fells’ FAQ says one of the paths up Scafell Pike carries more than 100,000 people a year — and it takes major, repeated repair to carry that many boots.

Fix the Fells built and maintains this path. How a fell path is made → · Give back (opens in new tab)

Path-repair data © Fix the Fells (National Trust / Lake District National Park). Source (opens in new tab).

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route route:

Seathwaite Farm Campsite (174 m from the start, straight line)

On the Scafell Pike from Wasdale, by Lingmell Col route:

possible water source (34 m off the line) possible water source (150 m off the line) Wasdale Campsite (98 m from the start, straight line)

Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is not proof the water is drinkable, so carry your own or use a supply you know is safe. Never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock upstream and leave you seriously ill. Use a treatment method suited to what might be in the water, and follow the device’s own instructions. Boiling and ordinary filters do not make water with dissolved metals or chemicals safe: where that is possible, choose another source.

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

About Scafell Pike

Wainwright treated it with great respect in his Southern Fells guide, though he was quick to note it is a rough, stony plateau rather than a shapely peak — the scenery comes not from the summit itself but from the vast panorama around it: the Isle of Man, Ireland, Wales and dozens of Lakeland summits on a clear day. Three classic approaches serve it — from Wasdale, from Borrowdale via Esk Hause, and from Great Langdale via the Band — each a superb mountain day in its own right.

Classifications & hill data

Is Scafell Pike a Wainwright?

Scafell Pike is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list, the Marilyn list and the Hewitt list.

Selected lists

978 m

Height

3,209 ft

In feet

NY 2154 0721

Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

The summit is also a Birkett.

Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →

The view from Scafell Pike

The 360° skyline from Scafell Pike

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys

The skyline as a list, by direction

North: Crag Hill (13 km), Grasmoor (14 km), Grisedale Pike (15 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (21 km), Skiddaw Little Man (21 km), Carl Side (21 km), Skiddaw South Top (22 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (22 km), Skiddaw (22 km)
North-east: High Crag (14 km), Dollywaggon Pike (14 km), Nethermost Pike (15 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (15 km), Helvellyn (15 km), White Side (16 km), Raise (16 km), Stybarrow Dodd (17 km), Green Side (18 km), Little Dodd (18 km), Great Dodd (18 km), Knowe Crags (22 km), Gategill Fell Top (23 km), Blencathra (23 km), Doddick Fell (23 km)
East: Fairfield (15 km), Cofa Pike (15 km), Dove Crag (16 km), St Sunday Crag (17 km), Red Screes (18 km), Caudale Moor (20 km), Stony Cove Pike (20 km), Thornthwaite Crag (22 km), Ill Bell (22 km), High Street (23 km), Mardale Ill Bell (23 km), Rampsgill Head (24 km), Kidsty Pike (24 km), High Raise (24 km), Harter Fell (24 km)
South-west: Scafell (1 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (164 km, Wales), Slieve Donard (179 km, Ireland), Carnedd Llewelyn (152 km, Wales), Merrick (111 km, Scotland), Aran Fawddwy (188 km, Wales), Broad Law (116 km, Scotland), Snaefell (84 km, Isle of Man), Moel Siabod (161 km, Wales).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Scafell Pike

Scafell Pike catches the sun before the valley does. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does this summit wait for first light — the eastern horizon falls away rather than standing over you, and at midsummer the light reaches it 6 minutes before almanac sunrise.

Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.

Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
	First light	Almanac sunrise	Difference
Midsummer	04:32 BST ±5.0 min	04:38	-6 min
Equinox	06:11 GMT ±5.0 min	06:16	-5 min
Midwinter	08:26 GMT ±5.0 min	08:33	-7 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.63°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Scafell Pike

Scafell Pike holds the light. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does the sun leave this summit before almanac sunset — the ground falls away westward rather than standing over you, and at midsummer it is still in the sun 6 minutes after the valley has lost it.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
	Last light	Almanac sunset	Difference
Midsummer	21:59 BST ±5.0 min	21:53	+6 min
Equinox	18:33 GMT ±5.0 min	18:27	+6 min
Midwinter	15:59 GMT ±5.0 min	15:50	+9 min

These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

What you can see from Scafell Pike

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.

121Wainwrights in view+17 marginal

184 kmFurthest sightlineSlieve Binnian · possible under favourable refraction

3Sea in viewIrish Sea, Solway Firth, Morecambe Bay

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.

Far horizons

Slieve Binnian Northern IrelandW · 184 km clear
Slieve Donard Northern IrelandW · 179 km clear
Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 164 km clear
Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 149 km clear
Merrick ScotlandNW · 112 km clear
Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 84 km clear
Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesESE · 62 km clear
Criffel ScotlandNNW · 61 km clear
Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 58 km clear
Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 55 km clear
Cross Fell North PenninesENE · 54 km clear
Solway Firth bay/estuaryNNW · 50 km in view
Irish Sea open waterWSW · 40 km in view
Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSE · 34 km in view

All 121 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Scafell, Lingmell, Great End, Esk Pike, Slight Side, Bowfell, Great Gable, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Green Gable, Kirk Fell, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Base Brown, Yewbarrow, Glaramara, Hard Knott, Grey Knotts, Pike of Stickle, Red Pike (Wasdale), Loft Crag, Thunacar Knott, Middle Fell, Pillar, Harrison Stickle, High Raise (High White Stones), Pavey Ark, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Sergeant's Crag, Steeple, Sergeant Man, Harter Fell (Eskdale), High Crag (Buttermere), Seatallan, Eagle Crag, Haycock, Buckbarrow, Dale Head, Grey Friar, Great Carrs, Swirl How, High Stile, Ullscarf, Green Crag, High Spy, Hindscarth, Castle Crag, Wetherlam, Robinson, Red Pike (Buttermere), Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Dow Crag, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Maiden Moor, High Tove, Whiteless Pike, Ard Crags, Wandope, High Seat, Sail, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Stone Arthur, Scar Crags, Seat Sandal, Causey Pike, Grasmoor, Hen Comb, Black Fell, Nab Scar, Heron Pike (Rydal), Bleaberry Fell, Dollywaggon Pike, Great Rigg, Raven Crag, Helvellyn, Fairfield, Hopegill Head, Grisedale Pike, Walla Crag, White Side, Hart Crag, Low Pike, High Pike (Scandale), Dove Crag, Raise, St Sunday Crag, Watson's Dodd, Red Screes, Middle Dodd, Great Dodd, Latrigg, Baystones (Wansfell), Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Clough Head, Lord's Seat, Barf, Dodd (Skiddaw), Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Troutbeck Tongue, Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Long Side, Sour Howes, Ullock Pike, Thornthwaite Crag, Froswick, Ill Bell, Yoke, Skiddaw, Sallows, The Knott (High Street), Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, The Nab, Rampsgill Head, Kidsty Pike, High Raise (High Street), Great Calva, Souther Fell, Branstree, Knott, Binsey, High Pike (Caldbeck)

How the view from Scafell Pike compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Scafell Pike. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. Corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

Places to stay near this fell

Seatoller House (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 1.8 km

Also nearby, but not independent

YHA Borrowdale (opens in new tab) hostelabout 2.8 km
YHA Wasdale Hall (opens in new tab) hostelabout 4.8 km
YHA Black Sail (opens in new tab) hostelabout 4.0 km

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Scafell Pike

How high is Scafell Pike?

Scafell Pike is 978 m (3,209 ft) — the highest mountain in England, and one of only a handful of English summits over 3,000 feet. Its neighbour Scafell (964 m) is slightly lower; the two are separate mountains, linked by the notorious Broad Stand.

Where is Scafell Pike?

Scafell Pike is in the western Lake District, in Cumbria, north-west England. The nearest and shortest start is Wasdale Head; the other main approaches begin at Seathwaite in Borrowdale (the Corridor Route) and, more quietly, from Eskdale.

Can I take my dog up Scafell Pike?

You can, but the gates are not the hard part. Our Stile & Gate Census rates both routes Gates only, with no stile: five gates on the Wasdale route (8 km with 915 m of ascent), nine on the longer Corridor Route.

The catch is the ground. The summit plateau is a boulderfield, the Wasdale descent reaches about 43%, and the top is hard to navigate in cloud. Carry the dog’s water: there is none on the upper mountain. We hold no livestock record for either route.

Is Scafell Pike OK with kids?

Not as a first hill. Our shortest round is the Wasdale route, 8 km with 915 m of ascent and about 3 to 4¼ hours, which we rate Severe overall for its steepness. Our route data does not mark it as a walk for children.

The catch is the top. The summit plateau is a boulderfield with no features, and in cloud a wrong bearing off it leads towards Eskdale or Broad Stand. Pick a clear day, start early, set a turn-back time, and build up on smaller fells first.

What is the easiest route up Scafell Pike?

The shortest and most popular route is from Wasdale Head via Lingmell Gill and Hollow Stones — on the line we map, 8 km with 915 m of ascent for the round trip and about 3 to 4¼ hours. It is the quickest way up but also the steepest, and it is the route used on the National Three Peaks Challenge.

The main alternatives trade distance for a gentler grade or better scenery:

Wasdale Head — shortest and steepest; best for a quick ascent in good weather.
Seathwaite (Borrowdale), the Corridor Route — longer and more scenic, with more interesting walking and better-graded climbing.
Eskdale — the longest and quietest approach, for a big, remote mountain day.

"Easiest" really means "shortest" here — there is no genuinely easy way up England's highest peak. One place to know by name is Piers Gill, a deep ravine that has caused repeated fatalities, mostly to walkers descending the Corridor Route who stray toward it in cloud.

Sources: Scafell Pike Guidebook — Wasdale Head route (opens in new tab) · Three Peaks Challenge — Scafell Pike (opens in new tab)

How long does it take to climb Scafell Pike? Answered above: Routes up Scafell Pike.

Can you climb Scafell Pike in trainers?

It is strongly discouraged. The upper mountain is loose rock and boulder, often wet, and trainers offer little grip or ankle support — twisted ankles and slips on wet rock are among the most common reasons walkers need help. Proper walking boots or sturdy approach shoes with a good sole are the sensible minimum.

Whatever the forecast at the valley, pack for a mountain:

Walking boots with ankle support and a grippy sole.
Waterproof jacket and trousers, plus a warm layer — the summit is far colder and windier than the car park.
Map and compass (and the skill to use them), not just a phone.
Food, water, a head torch and a charged phone.

Sources: National Trust — climbing Scafell Pike, Wasdale (opens in new tab) · Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)

When should you not climb Scafell Pike?

Avoid the mountain when the weather is against you. The summit is highly exposed, and conditions there can be dramatically worse than in the valley — strong wind, driving rain, low cloud and, in winter, snow and ice. The stony plateau is extremely hard to navigate in poor visibility.

Think twice, or turn back, if:

The mountain forecast shows gale-force wind, heavy rain or cloud on the tops.
Visibility is poor and you are not confident navigating with map and compass.
It is winter and there is snow or ice but you lack the kit (ice axe, crampons) and experience.
You are starting too late to finish in daylight.

Always check a dedicated mountain forecast — not the town forecast — before you set off.

Sources: Met Office — Lake District mountain forecast (opens in new tab) · Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) (opens in new tab)

Can you do Scafell Pike in a day, or as part of the Three Peaks Challenge?

Yes. Scafell Pike is comfortably a day walk on its own — most people are up and down from Wasdale in well under a day. It is also one of the three summits in the National Three Peaks Challenge, where walkers climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within 24 hours, driving between them.

If you are attempting the challenge:

Scafell Pike is usually the middle peak, often climbed overnight or at dawn.
The Wasdale route is used for speed — expect roughly 3 to 4 hours for the round trip at a brisk pace.
Driving and lack of sleep make 24 hours hard, and an overnight ascent, or one in cloud, adds the summit's own hazard: a confusing sea of rock with cliffs on several sides, where a compass and the ability to follow a precise bearing are essential. Go with a planned driver and realistic timings.

For a first mountain, doing Scafell Pike on its own in a relaxed day is far more enjoyable than rushing it as part of a challenge. One place to know by name is Piers Gill, a deep ravine that has caused repeated fatalities, mostly to walkers descending the Corridor Route who stray toward it in cloud.

Sources: National Three Peaks Challenge (opens in new tab)

What OS map covers Scafell Pike?

OS Explorer OL6, The English Lakes — South-Western area covers Scafell Pike at 1:25,000. It is the sheet to carry; our route guides also include a downloadable GPX track.

Is there a webcam on Scafell Pike, and where should I check the weather?

There is no live webcam on the summit of Scafell Pike, and anyone claiming a real-time view of the top is guessing. To judge conditions before you go, use the Met Office mountain weather forecast for the Lake District and the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) Lake District forecast — both give summit-level wind, cloud base and freezing level, which matter far more than the valley forecast. Every one of our fell pages also carries a 7-day summit forecast baked in.

Why is Scafell Pike a war memorial?

In 1919, Lord Leconfield gave the summit of Scafell Pike to the National Trust as a memorial to the men of the Lake District who died in the First World War — “in perpetual memory of the men of the Lake District who fell for God and King, for freedom, peace and right in the Great War”. It was one of the Trust’s earliest and most significant gifts of high fell, and helped lay the ground for the Lake District National Park. That is what makes England’s highest point special: it belongs, in effect, to everyone.

Sources: National Trust (opens in new tab)

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-10-13 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Scafell Pike

Summit conditions on Scafell Pike

Wind on the top

Cloud on the top

Rain, and the becks

Routes up Scafell Pike

How hard is Scafell Pike, really?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Scafell Pike

Parking

Buses

Hazards on Scafell Pike

Is Scafell Pike dangerous?

Hazard & Incident Information for Scafell Pike

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Scafell Pike

Routes over Scafell Pike

On the hill: terrain and water on Scafell Pike

The path beneath your boots

Water & shelter on the way up

About Scafell Pike

Classifications & hill data

Is Scafell Pike a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Scafell Pike

The 360° skyline from Scafell Pike

Sunrise and sunset on Scafell Pike

Last light — when the sun leaves Scafell Pike

What you can see from Scafell Pike

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Scafell Pike

Other fells near Scafell Pike