Scafell Pike and the Meaning of Waterproof - No photos today

Appallingly wet weather and a forecast of more to come, do I settle for staying in bed or a safe winter walk? Of course not, I'm going to Scafell Pike today hoping that there is still some snow left. It was still raining heavily as I got to Seathwaite, the waterfalls of Sour Milk Gill look exceptionally full of water.

I am fully waterproofed clothing wise as I set off through the farm buildings towards Stockley Bridge, I wonder just how waterproof I really am. There is an easy walk of about two thirds of a mile on a good track to Stockley Bridge. On the way there is a footbridge spanning a water channel that is usually dry but today the bridge is definitely required.

Stockley Bridge is built of stone over a cataract in the young River Derwent and there is usually a bit of white water as it squeezes through the gap in the rocks under the bridge. Today it resembles a sluice as the water throws itself forwards in an almighty hurry to get somewhere.

After crossing the bridge you pass through a gate and turn left immediately to follow Grains Gill up its valley. The walking is still quite easy on a good path, as it gets a little bit steeper there are sections of good examples of reconstructed path. Large irregular shaped stones used to make the path give good footholds when going up or down the path.

The nature of the path changes as you reach a footbridge, Grains Gill here shows off as it is channelled through rocks under your feet. The path itself from here is rougher and steeper, there are streams to cross that don't fit into their normal channels. The rocks in the water are not slippery and are safe to stand on but this is where the wax waterproofing starts to get washed off your boots.

The final section of this path becomes steeper as Grains Gill becomes Ruddy Gill in its deep canyon, the width of the stream remains just as wide as ever and I know I have to cross it soon. Sure enough Ruddy Gill has to be crossed, the normal stepping stones are well submerged by the fast flowing water. I walked a few yards upstream where there is a small grassy island and confidently stepped on a couple of submerged rocks to get to the island. It was with slightly less confidence but a greater sense of urgency that got me across the second half of the stream. More waterproof wax layers were removed and I narrowly avoided getting a boot full of cold water.

On the main path between Styhead and Esk Hause now the rain suddenly became wetter, just as heavy but more drizzly. The walking again is reasonably easy, where the path forks you can take the right hand branch direct to Esk Hause or as I did the left hand branch takes you to a cross shaped shelter. The shelter didn't keep much of the rain off and I decided that I should move my phone from my pocket to the safety of my ruck sack liner.

Unfortunately I later realised that the pockets of my waterproof jacket had allowed the phone to become terminally wet. After walking in the rain for a couple of hours the rain dripping of the finger ends of my gloves had begun to permeate through and water was beginning to collect in them.

At Esk Hause the only two other walkers I had seen were having a route conference and asked me to confirm the direction of Scafell Pike, they were rather dismayed to realise that they would have climbed Esk Pike if I hadn't been there. I told them the way to Scafell Pike, they saw the route on the map and we set off together. I got ahead of them and I hope that common sense prevailed and they turned back because I didn't see them again.

At Calf Cove there was a little bit of snow left and of course it was lying on the newly reconstructed path. Having had the waterproofing wax removed by the streams, as you walk through the wet snow the leather of the boots absorbs water until it is sodden.

As you reach the top of the path there is a boulder field to cross, the path through is not obvious but you should see cairns at regular intervals to guide you across. Once you get past the boulders there is a more obvious path that takes you over the top of Ill Crag, on a sunny day there is some merit in visiting its summit but not today.

The path takes you down to a col before climbing Broad Crag whose summit is worth visiting on a sunny day, but today I kept following the the left hand line of cairns. There are plenty of cairns but they seem to be uncoordinated, in the mist and rain you have to keep looking for the next cairn, somehow as you reach a cairn the next one seems to be in a different direction.

Eventually the multitude of cairns leads you to the descent to Broad Crag's col with Scafell Pike, an interesting descent over rocks and boulders and an equally interesting and strenuous climb up the other side. As I descended to the col the rain stepped up another gear, Scafell Pike's traditional welcome to visitors.

As you get to the top of the eroded part of the ascent the more familiar bouldery nature of Scafell Pike takes over. I was just beginning to wonder if I might have the summit to myself today, an unlikely prospect, when I saw another walker standing on the top of the big summit cairn. The party of three walkers were the last people I saw until I got back to the valley.

From the Ordnance Survey column at the summit there are a number of paths to choose from and although I was sure which direction I had to go I checked with my compass that I was going in a north westerly direction. There are many large cairns here because there is so much raw material, where the cairns split into two directions take the right hand branch, north west towards Lingmell.

You can't really go wrong for a while, the path is obvious and there are many cairns, the danger is that you follow them to Wasdale. There is a section of the path that goes across the top of a flat slab then turns left down a steeper more eroded section. Before the path levels out there is a cairn on top of a boulder and then another cairn, this is where you turn right for the Corridor Route.

It is extremely helpful if you can see Lingmell at this stage but failing that there are signs of a wet path on the right that takes you to the top of Lingmell col. There are more cairns and you should find the rocky path going down towards Piers Gill. There are a couple of swollen streams to cross, too much water and too few visible stepping stones so I take some water into my boots.

The eroded head of Piers Gill is more eroded than ever but thankfully not iced up, the waterfall is extremely full of water today. The rain stepped up another gear and it was time to change gloves, the ones I was wearing had become full of water. When there is so much water coming off the hill it likes to share the path with you until it finds a more direct way down, it was more like the Corridor Gill today than the Corridor Route.

Having reached a direct way downwards, the water gathers speed, fills its normal channels and spreads out as far as it needs to. These channels normally contain trickles of water and you can step over the two foot gap but today these trickles are six feet wide and throwing themselves down the hill. Getting across is more a question of doing so safely and not worrying any more about staying dry.

The Corridor Route is a good safe path but is does have a couple of questions to ask. After the scary crossing of Greta Gill is the awkward section of the route over eroded wet rocks but at least the way ahead is obvious. Shortly afterwards it looks like the path descends around a rock outcrop, it goes down to Lingmell Beck and the real way ahead is over the rocks. The climbing isn't difficult but in poor visibility it is intimidating and you need to have confidence that you are going in the right direction.

More torrents still to cross before getting to the end of the Corridor Route at Skew Gill, the most benign of streams and usually subterranean anyway. Today you can see how Skew Gill has carved such a big gully for itself, it fills its stream bed to a depth of a couple of feet.

Follow the wet path up past Spout Head and turn left at the cairn to Sty Head, and turn right at the stretcher box back towards Seathwaite. Styhead Tarn looks twice its normal size and there is an enormous amount of water in its outflow. The shale by the side of the gill near the footbridge is usually used as a footpath but is under a couple of feet of water today.

As you descend by the side of Taylorforce waterfalls there is usually no clue that they are there but today I can see white water just at the point where it falls. At Stockley bridge there is more water than ever throwing itself under the bridge. The River Derwent usually meanders through the boulders in its bed but today it fills the width of it and overlaps the banks.

Probably the wettest day I have ever seen and a different experience on a very familiar walk. At the end of it, apart from my feet and my hands, I am remarkably dry considering how much rain has fallen on me.

Andy Wallace 31st January 2004