Hiking Preparation Guide

How hard is Scafell Pike?

Scafell Pike is a demanding mountain walk. The challenge depends on your route, experience and conditions. Even a shorter route needs preparation for the whole return journey.

• Effort: sustained uphill walking, followed by a descent. Compare the chosen route with hill walks you have done recently.
• Ground: rough, uneven rocks require careful footing and can slow you down.
• Navigation: paths are not reliably signposted. Cloud can hide landmarks, and the correct way down may be hard to find.
• Weather: wind, rain, cold and poor visibility can make the same walk much harder.
• Descent: reaching the summit is only part of the day. Keep enough energy and time to return.

Am I prepared for this walk?

Use these questions to spot gaps in your preparation:

• Have recent hill walks given me experience of sustained climbing and descending on rough ground?
• Have I read my chosen route, including its difficult sections and return?
• Can our group navigate with a map and compass if visibility drops or a phone fails?
• Have we allowed enough time for the whole walk, breaks and delays before daylight runs out?
• Have we checked the mountain forecast and agreed when to change plans or turn back?
• Do we have suitable kit, food and water, and has someone received our route and expected return time?

These questions do not certify readiness. If you are unsure, build experience on a less demanding walk or seek qualified guidance. Choose a day and route that suit everyone in your group, and stay together.

Snow and ice need separate winter preparation and skills. If you do not have those skills, choose a walk without winter conditions or seek qualified instruction. See our winter conditions advice.

How does Scafell Pike compare with Snowdon?

Compare the routes you have walked, rather than just the mountains' heights. Eryri National Park describes the Llanberis Path on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) as a long, gradual ascent and the Pyg Track as a rocky route with steep climbs. They are different experiences, just as Wasdale and Borrowdale are on Scafell Pike.

If you have walked Llanberis, the shorter Wasdale distance does not remove Scafell Pike's steep climb, rough summit rocks or navigation demands. If you have walked the Pyg Track, think about how you managed its rocky footing and descent, then compare the distance, ascent and terrain of your chosen Scafell Pike route. Allow for different weather and group pace. Completing one Snowdon walk does not establish readiness for every Scafell Pike route.

Taking a dog

Scafell Pike is a poor choice for a dog's first fell walk. The summit's rough boulders can be tiring and can cause problems with paw pads, even when the distance looks manageable. Build experience on shorter rocky walks first and plan for the whole return.

• Choose a route your dog can manage over rough ground, including the descent. Think about how you would get back if it became tired or could not continue.
• Bring drinking water and a bowl, allow breaks, and check paws during the walk. Turn back if your dog is struggling.
• Keep dogs on a short lead around livestock and follow local signs. The National Trust asks for a short lead throughout its Wasdale Hollow Stones route because livestock graze there.
• Take dog waste away with you. Do not leave bags beside the path.

See Wasdale Mountain Rescue's dog advice and the National Trust's Wasdale route guidance.

Walking with children

Children walking themselves: compare the full route with hill walks they have recently enjoyed, including rough ground and the descent. Keep the group together, allow for breaks and plan to turn back before anyone is exhausted. There is no single age that makes the summit suitable for every child.

Babies and toddlers in carriers: carrying a child adds to the load you must manage on uneven rocks, steep descents and beck crossings. Practise on shorter, easier walks with the carrier first and follow its manufacturer's fit and weight instructions. A carrier does not make a difficult route suitable.

A carried child is mostly stationary while you are working hard, so check their comfort and protection from cold, wind, rain and sun throughout the day. Allow stops for feeding, changing and time out of the carrier. Be ready to choose a shorter walk; do not make reaching the summit the measure of a successful family day.

The BMC's hillwalking guidance discusses shorter outings, carrier comfort and weather protection for a stationary baby. For carrier fitting and general safety, see NCT's carrier guidance alongside your manufacturer's instructions.

The Snowdon, dog and family sources above were checked on 2 October 2026. This is general planning guidance, not an individual assessment of a child, dog or walking group.

Preparing for your walk

In advance

Build fitness and hillwalking experience

If you are not a regular hill walker, start with shorter walks that suit your current ability. Gradually build experience of climbs, uneven ground and descents, and practise with your normal walking kit.

Compare those walks with the distance, ascent and terrain of your chosen route. Think about how you felt on the return, not just at the highest point. There is no fixed number of training weeks that makes everyone ready for Scafell Pike. Fitness alone does not replace navigation skills or the ability to judge conditions.

Learn navigation skills

There are no significant signposts or coloured waymarkers on Scafell Pike, and mobile coverage is unreliable. At least one person in your group should be competent in using a map and a compass (or consider a led walk from a walking guide), but navigation skills are well worth everyone learning.

At the most basic level, you should be able to relate the map to the ground and take bearings with a compass. These are best learnt by doing an outdoor navigation course and getting lots of practice. Ordnance Survey has put together an excellent YouTube playlist worth looking at as a starting point.

Register for EmergencySMS

Register before your walk: text "register" to 999, follow the replies and wait for confirmation that your number is registered. See BT Relay UK's official emergencySMS instructions.

In an emergency, make a voice call if you can; texting can take longer. If you cannot call and are registered, text 999 with Police, Mountain Rescue, what has happened and your location. You still need mobile coverage. Do not assume your message has reached the emergency service until it replies.

Pack the right equipment

Take clothing and equipment for the mountain conditions and for an unexpected delay. Pack warm layers, waterproofs, food, water, a torch, a whistle, an emergency shelter, and a map and compass you know how to use. Choose footwear suited to rough, rocky ground. Use our equipment guide to plan your kit; buying equipment does not replace learning to use it.

Set up a location app before your walk

OS Locate has been replaced by the free Locate Me feature in OS Maps. Set up and practise with it before your walk; download any maps you will need offline in advance. Carry a paper map and compass and know how to use them.

GPS can show a grid reference without mobile coverage, but accuracy depends on the phone and conditions. Check the position against your map and visible features. Sending your location needs a connection; a rescue team's PhoneFind or SARLOC link also needs location services and internet access. A grid reference alone does not identify a safe route. See OS's location and accuracy guidance and the Lake District rescue leaflet.

Provide route and schedule details to a loved one

Leave someone your planned route, start and finish points, expected return time and contact details before you set off. Tell them when you are safely back. Do not rely on live location sharing: phone batteries and coverage can fail.

Before setting off

Check the mountain forecast while planning, then check the latest update the evening before and again on the morning of your walk. Read the wind and gusts, rain, temperature, cloud and visibility information. Low cloud affects navigation, not just the view. Use our forecast guide and the Met Office Lake District mountain forecast.

Allow daylight and time for the whole return walk, breaks and delays. Agree a turnaround time that leaves enough time for the descent, and be willing to turn back sooner if anyone is struggling or conditions worsen. A lower walk or a different day may be a better choice. A clear forecast does not guarantee suitable conditions on the ground.

What to do in an emergency

No one plans to get rescued. It's very easy to think that emergencies will always happen to someone else. Hopefully, if you're well prepared, you'll never need to call Mountain Rescue. But accidents and mistakes happen, so it's always best to know what to do in an emergency on your ascent of Scafell Pike - just in case.

There are broadly three steps:

1. Stop and assess immediate danger. Move to a safer nearby place only if it is safe to do so.
2. Call 999 or 112, ask for Police and then Mountain Rescue. Give your location if known, what has happened, the number of people in your party and your phone number.
3. Stay in a safe place, keep warm and dry, and follow the rescue team’s instructions. Keep your phone on for their call back. Help may take several hours.

It's a good idea to travel as a small group, especially if you are novice hikers, in case someone does get injured.

If you get lost

1. Stop and check everyone is safe. Stay together, put on warm and waterproof layers, and take shelter. If your stopping place is dangerous, move only if you can safely reach a safer spot nearby.
2. Work out where you are. Use your map and compass, your last confirmed position and features you can actually see. A phone's GPS grid reference can help, but check it against the map and surroundings; it does not tell you which way is safe.
3. Move only with a safe plan. You may be able to retrace your route if you can confidently identify it and safely follow it. In mist or darkness, do not guess a direction or keep descending in the hope of finding a path. Avoid steep ground, crags and river gorges. There is no compass direction that is safe from every location on Scafell Pike.
4. Call for help if you cannot find a safe way off or anyone is at risk. Being unsure of a route can sometimes be resolved safely, but injury, cold, exhaustion, worsening weather or fading daylight can turn it into an emergency. Do not wait until dark or until your phone battery runs out. Call 999 or 112, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Give your location if known, otherwise your route, last known position and nearby features; explain the problem and how many people are with you.

Once you have called, stay in a safe place and follow the rescue team's instructions. Keep warm and dry, keep your phone switched on for their call back, and conserve its battery.

Advice based on Wasdale Mountain Rescue's lost-walker guidance and Mountain Rescue England and Wales's emergency guidance. Checked 30 September 2026.

If you cannot connect: try 999 or 112 even if your own network has no coverage; another network may be available. If you are already registered for emergencySMS and cannot make a voice call, text 999 with Police, Mountain Rescue, the problem and your location. Texts still need mobile coverage; wait for a reply before assuming help is arranged. With no connection, use six whistle blasts or torch flashes, repeated at one-minute intervals. Send competent members for help only if they can navigate a safe route; leave someone with an injured person. Do not wander into dangerous ground to find signal.

See the Lake District mountain-rescue safety leaflet, official emergencySMS instructions and Ofcom's explanation of emergency-call coverage.

If there's an injury

1. First of all, make sure everyone else is safe and calm.
2. Give first aid within your training. The St John Ambulance website has information about first-aid courses.
3. Only consider helping someone walk out with a minor injury if it is safe and within your abilities. Do not delay calling for a serious injury, illness or inability to descend safely.
4. For an emergency, call 999 or 112, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue, and follow their advice.
5. If you cannot connect, follow the no-connection advice above. Send competent members for help only if they can navigate a safe route; leave someone with the casualty.

Please visit the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team website (particularly their advice section) for information on how to prepare for your trip.

Practice responsible hiking

Scafell Pike is part of the Lake District National Park, an area set aside for special protection and attention. It is also the first UK National Park to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To help preserve and protect these natural landscapes, it's important that we hike responsibly. In particular, make sure that we cause a minimum human impact on the land.

The best way to show respect for the environment you're in is to practice Leave No Trace principles. This is a very concise way of saying that if someone looked at where you have been, they would not be able to tell that you'd been there - other than perhaps a footprint and some photographs. There should be no trace left on the mountain that you've been there. So make sure to take all of your litter home with you (even the stuff you think is biodegradable). Make sure to leave what you find, be mindful of wildlife and do not light open fires.

There's also respect for other people who are also trying to enjoy a hike or time in nature. You should be considerate of others and try not to make their day worse for you being there. You should also, of course, show respect for any local residents or people working on the land. Remember you are a visitor to their home.

Keep your plans within your group's skills and experience, and avoid alcohol or drugs that impair your judgement. Turning back before the summit is a reasonable decision.

Sources and review

The preparation guidance was checked against the sources below on 1 October 2026. This is an editorial source check, not a walked route inspection or an assessment by a qualified mountain guide. The Snowdon, dog, family and emergency sections record their own source-check dates.

• Wasdale Mountain Rescue: Scafell Pike effort, navigation, conditions and descent.
• AdventureSmart: knowledge, weather and equipment preparation.
• Met Office: Lake District mountain weather and hazards.