Lingmell

About Lingmell

Often overshadowed by its titan neighbour, Scafell Pike, this rugged shoulder offers perhaps the finest perspective of the Wasdale valley. Its summit is a sharp, rocky platform providing an intimate look at the great crags of the Scafells, making it a far more rewarding destination than its 'outlier' status suggests.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Lingmell is rooted in Old Norse, combining 'lyng' (heather) and 'melr' (a bare hill or sand-bank). This accurately describes the transition from the heather-clad lower slopes to the stony, windswept plateau of the summit.
• •Alfred Wainwright was a vocal admirer of this fell, suggesting that while it is technically a shoulder of Scafell Pike, it commands a far superior view of the surrounding giants. He famously described the summit as a 'magnificent grandstand' for viewing the great precipices of Scafell Crag.
• •The summit offers a unique, perpendicular perspective of the famous Wasdale Screes and a perfectly framed view of the symmetrical pyramid of Great Gable across the valley of Ennerdale.
• •The direct ascent from Wasdale Head up the 'nose' of the fell is a relentless 2,000-foot climb, but it is often preferred by seasoned walkers over the crowded, eroded Brown Tongue route used by the Three Peaks masses.
• •It serves as the Lake District's most effective filter; it is the hill that almost every visitor admires from the garden of the Wasdale Head Inn, yet nearly everyone ignores in their rush to stand on the slightly higher pile of stones next door.