On one hand, Lake District is famous for its ‘district of lakes’ and its picturesque greenery which surrounds you everywhere. On the other hand, the hike at Skafelpike was one of its kind, especially on a dazzling day. Our adventure to this 978m mountain was a remarkable one and the district, in my opinion, deserved a ‘Mountain District’ title too!
Typical Drive
I am assuming that you would be using a navigation device to get to the mountain(if not, it’s self-explanatory). The drive to the mountain has one main route which is where most cars would be driving. It’s similar to any mountain-side drive; narrow lanes, lots of vegetation, adjacent to edges of cliffs/lakes and a bumpy ride. However bad it may be, this is what is relished by us; we love the expressions of our faces in the narrow lanes, the bright greens in the vegetation, the near misses with the edgy rides and the hurdles of the bumpy ride. The final paths of the journey open you to the world of mighty peaks; you would have arrived at this point.
After your arrival, stretch those legs, gather the hiking bags and plenty of water! Try and set a goal of getting there in 4 hours(depending on your speed) and start! That’s it really, open the gateway to your trek and get going, again, in the same direction that you see most people flighting away.
Initial walk
The first moments were brisk and beautiful. The meadow lay back with the sun burning its surface and the sheep roamed about lazily, with a temptation to ignore every passer-by. The path was a rocky surface; not too big of a strive. The walkway was also friendly(initially) with little incline and easy platforms. We endured the breeze when it came and paused every now and then for a picture. My advice would be to take pics during the beginning and at the summit as most of the middle stages make it a challenge. It was a swift 30 minutes for us to make it to what we believed was the next stage of the hike.
An evolved stage
The point where we believed we reached the next stage had a sharp turn in the opposite direction. A simple turn and off we were, walking away with a festive expression on our faces. The irony being, we weren’t even a quarter of the way through! Initially, the evolved stage had an almost flat path; the terrain was pretty much the same for 5 minutes. The river path accompanied us along the way although, it had little to no water flow as it was coated by large boulders.
Gradually we began to incline upwards whilst being supported by a scenic mini water-flow. After this premature stage, the real trek began and boy was it a tiring one!
The real trek
Initially, due to the altitude, it was a simple hike. As soon as we got closer to the final moments of this stage, we resisted heavy winds. At this point, it’s worth mentioning, every time there’s heavy wind, stop moving and grab support to stay hooked into your position, otherwise, you’ll go flying backwards and mostly injure yourself(not enjoyable, especially after experiencing it). I would advise being prepared for this stage mainly because of the muscle power and stamina required to push yourself. This doesn’t mean don’t take any breaks, it simply requires more energy than the rest of the hike. The pathway was very narrow and packed so it’s quite tiring.
I say “the real trek” because there was no chance of giving up, it just seemed perpetual and we kept believing it would come to a halt(which it did, after a long time). My mind photographs the image to be an everlasting gateway up to heaven(summit – where we could rest). It looked like an endless set of inclined stairs. We stayed determined and I recall that my bro kept motivating me until it was done. So, with a few pauses, we pursued to reach the next stage.
More variation
Would you believe it? Another stage! Aah!
We saw a U-shaped pile of rocks that we ascended to go into a beastly windy area as if it was roaring to throw us off the mountain. And in our distance, we saw a different situation unravel. Variation is lovely. You start with one style and you end up in a completely different place with little resemblance. The variation led us to a dusty and rocky path as opposed to more flat and sandy one. The path was sloping heavily upwards and it was literally packed with boulders. The constant curves and steeps finally got us closer to the day’s challenge. With the variation, we ended up going into an indulgent finish with a final strive towards the summit.
Summit
Upon our arrival at the peak of Scafelpike, we saw a set of staircase that led to a cylindrical structure where people from various places gathered and pulled out a victory expression for that classic selfie picture. Only a first-person experience can emphasise the amount of wind nature revealed at this very summit; it was mighty!
We jumped onto the summit and took photos too in our triumphant poses. After all the effort towards the 978m mountain on a scorching day(it was quite windy too), what’s better to say than we felt proud of our achievement?
We peaked out to see masses of green in white light and some scattered lakes which looked spectacular from the summit. We also saw deformed mountain peaks with lots of rocks and rubble and just elevated land everywhere. It was a beautiful and victorious moment.
Trekking advice and Notable Points
- Bring lots of water and food. We didn’t try the water from the mini water flow as it didn’t seem very attractive. Regardless, pack water bottles!
- During windy situations, pause and hold onto something for support.
- On your descent, use what I call the ‘slant-down’ trick which is basically placing your feet diagonally as opposed to straight to allow you to have control if you slip.
- The ascent takes around 2.5 – 4 hours depending on your speed and the descent takes about 2 – 3 hours. These may be frightening numbers but it was an incredible hike.
Skafelpike is a fantastic mountain-piece to trek on and even better on a delightful summer day. We enjoyed the layout of the hike-path and we loved the total experience of trekking to England’s highest mountain. Get geared, grab water and follow people to the windy summit of Skafelpike to grab a moment of successfulness from nature.
Want to read more hiking related blogs? Click here to read more.
Leave a Reply