A day forecast for bad weather instead turned out well with a dusting of rain as we climbed Scafell Pike from Seathwaite and encountered a lot of people running back down it.
As we met in Seathwaite to climb Scafell Pike, the clouds were high and the forecast was not good. Rain was coming, and in the afternoon, winds of 55mph. This isn't a speed to say 'let's not go up' but it is certainly in the region of watching how people cope and considering changing the route if the wind is in fact stronger than forecast. We therefore set off up to the Styhead Tarn.
There's a point on the route up to Styhead when Lingmell comes into view and many people think this is Scafell Pike. It certainly does look grand and impressive. But then Scafell Pike itself comes into view, I point back to Lingmell and say 'we'll be looking down on that later' and people realise how far we still have to go. As this view came today, I was surprised that we could still see the summit of Scafell Pike, although it drifted in and out of cloud as we walked closer. With the potential in the forecast for clouds to drop throughout the day, it was an encouraging sign.
As it was, the cloud then did drop but not to far to deny us great views as we traversed the corridor route in light rain. As we got to the summit of Scafell Pike, the cloud cleared slightly and we could see Wastwater and Scafell, a nice surprise. Throughout the whole day of walking we didn't get wind above a mild breeze, though it was meant to get worse later that evening. Happy with our luck we admired Seathwaite in the sunshine and the tops of Helvellyn and Skiddaw clear of cloud as we walked down past Great End.
As for mountain sports it also looked a good day to be out, with several hundred people completing the Clif 0 peaks challenge, and a few mountain bikers also out to enjoy the day. Scafell Pike, it was revealed, it not the place for a remote and peaceful weekend in the summer, though by the time we were walking next to Grains Gill, there wasn't a soul in sight.
