Let’s Climb Scafell Pike (England’s Highest Mountain)
Like all of England’s highest mountains, Scafell Pike is in the Lake District National Park. Rising to 978 metres (as tall as a 250-storey building), on clear days you can see Scotland, Wales and Isle of Man from the top.
Scafell Pike is not for beginners (only climb if you’re fit and carrying proper gear). If walking the lower slopes with fit dogs, follow the Countryside Code to help protect all creatures.
There are several routes up this mountain, but weather can change quickly, so knowledge, maps and good vegan walking boots are essential.
The name is thought to be from an Ordnance Survey map error, due to once being part of ‘the Pikes of Sca Fell’. Donated to the National Trust in 1919, it’s also home to Broad Crag Tarn (the highest standing water in England).
Super-super fit mountaineers take part in the National Three Peaks Challenge, climbing Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis all within 24 hours (goodness, they must have a long sleep afterwards!)
Composting Toilets on Scafell Pike?
Although composting toilets are a great environmental idea, there are kerfuffles about plans to install two blocks of composting toilets on Scafell Pike.
A petition by 100,000 people have now got the local council considering this. But many local residents and climbers say that up to now, people who climb the mountain simply bring their waste back with them, just like you would when walking your dogs!
One local resident says ‘Alfred Wainwright wouldn’t have accepted this, and neither will we. I hope they’re ready for a fight. Hasn’t anyone heard of ‘leave no trace?’ Everything you take with you onto the mountain, you take off with you. And that includes your own s***’.
