Stretcher Box Round - No photos today

Started from Brackenclose Car Park with the intention of ascending Lingmell and then over to Scafell Pike.

“Plan A” quickly goes by the board, the path onto Lingmell is still closed. “Plan B” is now in operation, Scafell via Lord’s Rake (which I have not done before), then over to Scafell Pike.

The view quickly goes by the board, the mist starts at quite low level today. The path up towards Scafell is a long steady climb on good constructed footpaths until the path forks left for Lingmell Col and right for Mickledore. The final climb up the scree and the eroded gully to Mickledore itself is a worthy scramble.

I can’t see very far, I walk up a narrow ridge towards where I think Lord’s Rake should be and I am confronted by a wall of rock. In visibility this poor I have no intention of exploring the steep scree filled slopes, another entry goes on to my “things to do on a dry day” list.

I decide to head over to Scafell Pike and then consider what to do next, any doubts I have about my location are dispelled as I pass the first of the day’s stretcher boxes.

A straightforward walk up to the summit of Scafell Pike, the crowd gathered at the top answers the question “where is everybody?” Then down to Lingmell Col, and follow the Corridor Route over to Styhead Pass and the day’s second stretcher box.

The highlight of the walk back to Wasdale is a Lakeland special rain shower, not the horizontal heavy weight kind but probably one of the wettest twenty minutes that I have ever experienced – pure magic.

Andy Wallace 21st July 2001