Wasdale is 'Britain's favourite view', the birthplace of British mountaineering, an iconic farmed landscape and a popular gateway to England's highest mountain Scafell Pike, part of the Three Peaks Challenge.
Navigation on Scafell Pike - don't get lost
- Visitors to Scafell Pike must be prepared and have significant mountaineering experience.
- Our volunteer mountain rescue teams are attending an increasing number of preventable rescue call-outs to the Scafell range, particularly to Piers Gill from the corridor route to Scafell Pike.
- The shortest route is shown here on the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team website. along with a lot of useful advice from the people who know the area the best.
- Don't become another rescue statistic. Ask yourself three questions before you set off:
- Am I confident I have the knowledge and skills for the day?
- Do I know what the weather will be like? For the local forecast, visit Weatherline.
- Do I have the right gear?
Make sure you have at least one person in your group who can navigate in difficult conditions.
Maps for Scafell
- OS Landranger 89 or 90 (1:50 000)
- OS Explorer OL6 & OL4 (1:25 000)
- Harveys Superwalker XT25 Lake District West (1:25 000)
- British Mountain Maps Lake District (1:40 000)
- Take the right footwear, clothes and equipment, and bring enough food and drink.
Visit Climbing Scafell Pike on the National Trust website for more information.
Toilets
- There are limited public toilets in the valley.
- There are public toilets at Lake Head car park (National Trust) and businesses in the valley have customer toilets.
Parking is limited
- Unless you arrive early there is unlikely to be a parking spot for you.
- Do not park in gateways, verges and roads.
- You will get a parking ticket but more importantly you are putting residents and other visitors at risk in case of emergency.
- It is better to use the Wasdale Shuttle Bus which runs at peak times from Nether Wasdale.
- Wasdale shuttlebus to Wastwater (lakedistrict.gov.uk)
Please keep noise to a minimum
- If you're arriving in the early hours to walk up Scafell Pike, please keep noise to a minimum.
- Respect people living and staying in the valley and maintain your 'silence' until you are some way up the climb out of the valley.
Don't drop litter
- Please take it home with you.
- And if you want to really help, pick up any odd bits you see on the way.
- Even banana skins and apple cores take a long time to biodegrade on a mountain.
Please donate and help us to help you
- You are one of 250,000 annual visitors to Wasdale.
- We are raising money to provide excellent facilities for you, such as toilets, car parking, and well maintained footpaths.
- You can really help by putting money in the donation box, or for footpath repairs donate at Fix the Fells.
Enjoy yourself and come again!
We have our own programme of guided walks and other events too.
