Classic Lake District Grade 3 Scramble
This route can be done with or without ropes, indeed the day we did the route, some groups had them and others did not. We did not although we had an emergency rope/harness kit in one of the bags should this prove necessary.
Access
Not sure why we’d never done it before. Finding it can be interesting. We parked at Patterdale in a field (you need cash for the farmers box – this still catches me out as don’t tend to carry cash!) but you can park in the bigger carpark down the road at Grizedale and walk over if you don’t have any. Luckily someone in our group saw this coming and had a stack of coins/notes handy.
- Following the obvious track up the valley for some time, you pass a holiday let cottage on your left (it says so on the gate) and after going through a gate, you turn off left and follow tracks up (there is a well constructed stone wall with additional fencing support which tracks up the hill).
- At this point as it broadens out, you have to go left a short distance which feels counterintuitive given the ridge is on your right.. to locate the zig zag well trodden path up the side of the mountain.
- Once this levels off and the small gully to the right disappears (slightly further than you might be tempted to turn at), turn right and skirt around the side of the mountain.
- The instructions were to look for a rowan tree.. but there’s a fair number of these. We crossed a number of small scree banks (no point putting a fixed number as it depends what you count as one and none of us matched the guidebook of 3). We had to keep going a little further than we thought it was.
- The final scree field for us had a small cairn and although directions often say to cross before you turn left, there was a well trodden path directly up to the base from the immediate side and this was fine to follow up to the base of the scramble.
Grading
The route is described as Grade 3 due to the crux which is a fairly short and pumpy section. I was quite keen to have someone standing behind me spotting me in case I fell but others had less trouble.
I actually found the short exposed block at the pinnacle more intimidating but that was partially due to the wind whipping across it sideways. The descent from the pinnacle was actually fine, using the top as handholds to walk across to the right then step down and back left. Then it was a final scramble up and a snack stop as the ridge ended.
St. Sunday Crag Summit
Upon reaching the top, we walked up to the summit of St Sunday Crag, it was fairly blowy on top! Then half of us walked down the mountain, bearing left at the fork which brings you directly back out to the carpark and the other half continued on a horseshoe around Fairfield, Helvellyn etc.
Definitely a recommended day out and a great scramble.