Scafell

Home › Fells › Scafell

964 mWainwright — Southern Fells+10 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

Though 14m lower than its neighbour, Scafell at 964m (3,162ft) is in many respects the grander fell.

Summit conditions on Scafell

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

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Slight Side & Sca Fell Planned, not yet walked

15.03 km · ~948 m ascent · ~4½–6¼ h · loop · 2 summits

Hard effort Severe: steepness

Park: Wha House, Eskdale (NT, free)

The long southern approach to Scafell over Slight Side — two tops, 15 km and 948 m, hard for terrain, navigation and exposure and severe for steepness. About 4½–6¼ hours.

Distance and climb are measured from the route’s GPX track, and the time from them by Naismith’s rule; the route page says what each grade rests on. How we check →

How hard is Scafell?

The shortest way up we hold is Slight Side & Sca Fell — 15.03 km, 948 m of ascent, ~4½–6¼ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.

All axes: steepness: Severe · length: Hard · terrain: Hard · navigation: Hard · exposure: Hard.

These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 964 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

Parking

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

Wha House, Eskdale (NT, free) — at the start of Slight Side & Sca Fell

Upper Eskdale - Slight Side, Harter Fell and the Scafell approaches.

Directions Something changed here?

Lake Head, Wasdale (NT, paid) — 2.6 km from summit (straight line)

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

Wasdale Head village green car park (free) — 2.8 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 nearest bus stop we hold is the 516 at Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, 12.0 km of walking from the start — no bus route we hold serves it.

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

Hazards on Scafell

Hazard & Incident Information for Scafell

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

Hazard: Extreme

Despite sitting right next to Scafell Pike, Scafell is a far more serious objective — there is no easy walking link between the two. The notorious Broad Stand has killed walkers who tried to use it as a shortcut, and the alternative line, Lord's Rake, is a scramble for experienced walkers, loose and stonefall-prone. The great crags of Scafell Crag are climbing terrain.

Broad Stand: The rock step linking Mickledore to Scafell looks like an obvious shortcut from Scafell Pike but is a serious, polished rock climb. It has killed unroped walkers — do not attempt it.
Lord's Rake and the West Wall Traverse: A scramble for experienced walkers: steep, loose and prone to stonefall; conditions vary year to year and it has been considered dangerous at times. Treat with respect and avoid in wet or icy conditions.
Scafell Crag: One of the great rock-climbing cliffs in England, dropping from near the summit. Keep away from the edges in poor visibility.

Who should attempt this fell: Do not treat Scafell as an easy add-on to Scafell Pike — the direct link (Broad Stand) is a climb, not a scramble. Approach instead via Foxes Tarn or the path from Green How / Wasdale, treat Lord's Rake with care, and turn back rather than improvise a route.

What to watch for: Attempting Broad Stand unroped · Slips and stonefall in Lord's Rake · Navigation errors between the two Scafells

Local Mountain Rescue: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (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

Severe ∗

The summit plateau borders Broad Stand and the Symonds Knott crags, a walk-off that is hard to get right in poor visibility. 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: The plateau funnels naturally toward Broad Stand — which is a climbers' descent, not a walkers' one — and the mist makes it look like the way off toward Scafell Pike.

The line to take: There is no direct walkers' line to Mickledore — leave the top via Foxes Tarn or the Green How slope; never descend rock ground you can't see the bottom of.

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 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

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

1.5 km ENEPen762 m · Southern

1.6 km NEBroad Crag935 m · Southern

1.9 km ENEIll Crag931 m · Southern

2.2 km SSEHigh Scarth487 m · Southern

2.4 km ESEHigh Gait Crags572 m · Southern

2.5 km SEScar Lathing439 m · Southern

2.7 km SSWGreat How - Eskdale Fell522 m · Southern

2.9 km EPike de Bield810 m · Southern

2.9 km SEThrostlehow Crag404 m · Southern

3.0 km SSESilverybield Crag395 m · Southern

Routes over Scafell

Slight Side & Sca Fell

15.03 km · ~948 m ascent · loop · ~4½–6¼ h

Hard effort Severe: steepness

Summits: Slight SideScafell

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Warnings: One of the great rock-climbing cliffs in England, dropping from near the summit. Keep away from the edges in poor visibility.

Route guide: Slight Side & Sca Fell →

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.

About Scafell

Wainwright considered it finer than Scafell Pike in character and position — the tremendous crags of Scafell Crag dropping away to the east are among the most spectacular in England, home to some of the country's hardest rock climbs. The ascent via Lord's Rake from Wasdale is a scramble for experienced walkers, and the summit views across Mickledore to Scafell Pike and down into the wild upper Eskdale are magnificent. A serious, committed fell that rewards those who approach it with care.

Classifications & hill data

Is Scafell a Wainwright?

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

Selected lists

964 m

Height

3,162 ft

In feet

NY 2068 0648

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

The 360° skyline from Scafell

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 (14 km), Grasmoor (14 km), Hopegill Head (16 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (22 km), Jenkin Hill (22 km), Skiddaw Little Man (22 km), Carl Side (22 km), Long Side (22 km), Skiddaw South Top (23 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (23 km), Skiddaw (23 km)
North-east: High Crag (15 km), Dollywaggon Pike (15 km), Nethermost Pike (16 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (16 km), Helvellyn (16 km), St Sunday Crag (18 km), Great Dodd (20 km), Clough Head (20 km), Knowe Crags (23 km), Gategill Fell Top (24 km), Blencathra (24 km), Doddick Fell (24 km)
East: Fairfield (16 km), Cofa Pike (16 km), Hart Crag (17 km), Dove Crag (17 km), Red Screes (19 km), Stony Cove Pike (21 km), Thornthwaite Crag (23 km), Froswick (23 km), Ill Bell (23 km), High Street (24 km), Mardale Ill Bell (24 km), Rampsgill Head (24 km), Kidsty Pike (25 km), High Raise (25 km), Harter Fell (25 km), Kentmere Pike (26 km)
North-west: Pillar (7 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (163 km, Wales), Slieve Donard (178 km, Ireland), Carnedd Llewelyn (151 km, Wales), Merrick (111 km, Scotland), Aran Fawddwy (187 km, Wales), Broad Law (117 km, Scotland), Snaefell (83 km, Isle of Man), Moel Siabod (160 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

Scafell sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 June) first light is only 2 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

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	04:34 BST ±5.0 min	04:38	-4 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 -0.61°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Scafell

Scafell 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

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

105Wainwrights in view+11 marginal

183 kmFurthest sightlineSlieve Binnian · possible under favourable refraction

2Sea in viewIrish Sea, 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 · 183 km clear
Slieve Donard Northern IrelandW · 178 km clear
Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 163 km clear
Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 148 km clear
Merrick ScotlandNW · 112 km clear
Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 83 km clear
Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesESE · 63 km clear
Criffel ScotlandNNW · 62 km clear
Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 58 km clear
Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 57 km clear
Cross Fell North PenninesENE · 55 km clear
Irish Sea open waterWSW · 39 km in view
Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSE · 34 km in view

All 105 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Scafell Pike, Slight Side, Esk Pike, Bowfell, Great Gable, Yewbarrow, Illgill Head, Kirk Fell, Green Gable, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Hard Knott, Base Brown, Middle Fell, Red Pike (Wasdale), Whin Rigg (Wasdale), Pillar, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Harter Fell (Eskdale), Seatallan, Buckbarrow, Thunacar Knott, Haycock, Fleetwith Pike, Pavey Ark, High Raise (High White Stones), High Crag (Buttermere), Grey Friar, Green Crag, Sergeant Man, Great Carrs, Caw Fell, Swirl How, Dale Head, High Stile, Wetherlam, Red Pike (Buttermere), High Spy, Brim Fell, Dow Crag, Robinson, Castle Crag, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Maiden Moor, Whiteless Pike, Lank Rigg, Wandope, Sail, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), High Seat, Loughrigg Fell, Grasmoor, Scar Crags, Stone Arthur, Causey Pike, Seat Sandal, Heron Pike (Rydal), Bleaberry Fell, Dollywaggon Pike, Great Rigg, Hopegill Head, Helvellyn, Fairfield, Grisedale Pike, Blake Fell, Walla Crag, Low Pike, Hart Crag, High Pike (Scandale), Dove Crag, St Sunday Crag, Red Screes, Middle Dodd, Great Dodd, Latrigg, Baystones (Wansfell), Lord's Seat, Clough Head, Dodd (Skiddaw), Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Lonscale Fell, Sour Howes, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Thornthwaite Crag, Froswick, Ill Bell, Yoke, Sallows, Skiddaw, The Knott (High Street), Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Rampsgill Head, Kidsty Pike, High Raise (High Street), Kentmere Pike, Great Calva, Wether Hill, Souther Fell, Branstree, Knott, Binsey, High Pike (Caldbeck)

How the view from Scafell 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. 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

We have not verified an independent place near this fell — these are the chains and charities that serve it.

YHA Eskdale (opens in new tab) hostelabout 0.5 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

Is Scafell harder than Scafell Pike?

Yes, and by a wider margin than the map suggests. They sit side by side, but there is no easy walking link between them. The direct connection is Broad Stand, which is a rock climb rather than a scramble, and walkers who mistake it for a shortcut off the Pike get into serious trouble — it is the single most important thing to know about this mountain.

Our route avoids it entirely, approaching from the south over Slight Side: 15.0 km with 948 m of ascent, and we grade its navigation hard. That is the sensible way up. The alternatives from Mickledore — Lord's Rake and the West Wall Traverse — are a scramble for experienced walkers, on loose, serious ground.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Scafell

Summit conditions on Scafell

Wind on the top

Cloud on the top

Rain, and the becks

Routes up Scafell

How hard is Scafell?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Scafell

Parking

Buses

Hazards on Scafell

Hazard & Incident Information for Scafell

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Scafell

Routes over Scafell

About Scafell

Classifications & hill data

Is Scafell a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Scafell

The 360° skyline from Scafell

Sunrise and sunset on Scafell

Last light — when the sun leaves Scafell

What you can see from Scafell

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Scafell

Other fells near Scafell