Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club

Walk & Event Reports

Sunday 20th August 2017

A Walk

Scafell via Lords Rake

 8 Miles Grade 1scr

Leader: Pete Rutland

Report by Peter Flynn

Photos by Peter Flynn & Pete Rutland

The highest mountain,  the deepest, darkest lake,  and – specially laid on for us today – the wettest, muddiest,  approach to the target mountain.  8 of us travelled the 70 odd miles from Carlisle to Wasdale Head with the promise – from the BBC – of sunny weather.  Nothing doing on that front,  and the walk from Wasdale Head to Hollow Stones was, at least to start with, muddy and splodgy.  Two streams and several boggy sections to cross, no bridge, one or two rocks to aim for, but amazingly no one fell in. There were crowds going up the path across Lingmell Beck but that changed dramatically when the hoi polloi,  heading for Scafell Pike, veered off to the left and we had the huge rocky amphitheatre with the Pike on one side and Scafell on the other, to ourselves.  The climb into Lord’s Rake was steep and loose and the Rake itself never ever fails to be one of the most dramatic situations in the whole Lake District.  Far more interesting than Scafell Pike next door.Today it was in cloud; a brief glimpse at one stage of distant mountains lasted no more than a few seconds, and after that, through lunch and the start of the descent down Slightside, nothing was visible beyond about 100m.  About a third of the way down Ravenglass and the Isle of Man became visible and by the time we reached Wasdale Head for our choice of beer or lighter refreshments,  all the major peaks were clear. A superb walk, not for the

faint-hearted,  and many thanks to our anonymous ex policeman for leading it.

Peter