Scafells

Scafells
Scafells
	View of the Scafells from Wastwater
Highest point
Elevation	max. 978 m (3,209 ft) at Scafell Pike
Coordinates	54°28′16″N3°08′38″W / 54.471°N 3.144°W
Geography
	Scafells Cumbria, England Scafells Scafells (England) Scafells Scafells (the United Kingdom)
Parent range	Cumbrian Mountains
Geology
Rock age	-
Mountain type	Caldera
Last eruption	+400 MYA

Last updated January 01, 2025

The Scafells, or Scafell Massif,^[1] are a range of fells in the Cumbrian Mountains of England, made up of the remains of a caldera volcano. Fells in the range include Broad Crag, Ill Crag, Scafell, and Scafell Pike, England's tallest mountain. Great End, Lingmell and Slight Side are also usually included within the definition. These hills form part of the Southern Fells.

Geology

Geologically, parts of the Scafell massif are the remnants of a volcano that erupted in the Ordovician period over 400 million years ago. This volcano, geologically described as a caldera and an "inverse stratovolcano", as well as all other volcanoes of the Lake District, are long since extinct.^[2]

The volcano is an example of a piecemeal caldera whose collapse, in contrast with a wholesale piston-like subsidence, occurred in a piece-by-piece fashion along faults and whose measurements suggest formation from an eruption of a VEI-7 magnitude, comparable to the Minoan eruption at Santorini in the Greek Aegean in c. 1600 BCE. The Scafell dacite, between Little Narrowcove and Aaron Crags, is a lava dome formed during the last stages of volcanic activity at Scafell massif.^[2]

English Munros

An English Munro (or Furth) is a mountain summit that exceeds 3,000 feet (914.4 m) and has a prominence of more than 30 metres (98 feet). In England there are six peaks that meet that criteria and four of those are part of the Scafell Massif.^[a]

Peak	Height (m)	Prominence (m)	OSI Grid Reference	Highest Class
Scafell Pike‡	978	912	NY215072	P600
Sca Fell	964	133	NY207065	Hewitt
Ill Crag	935	57	NY223073	Hewitt
Broad Crag	934	52	NY218075	Hewitt

(‡) Have the prominence of over 150 metres (492 ft) to qualify as a "Real Munro".

Protected area

The Scafells are situated within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)^[3]^[4] designated in 1988 called Scafell Pikes. This protected area includes Seathwaite Fell, Great Slack, Great End, Long Pike, III Crag, Symonds Knott, Slight Side and Scafell Pike and the area of this SSSI is 1102 hectares. This area is protected because of the lichens found in the summit boulder field.

Details of Scafell Pikes SSSI

The summit boulder field is the highest in England and is covered in shattered rock debris. Lichens on these rocks include species from Rhizocarpon , Umbilicaria , Sphaerophorus , Lecidea and Cladonia (species of interest include Rhizocarpon geographicum , Umbilicaria cylindrica and Sphaerophorus fragilis ). The moss species Rhacomitrium lanuginosum and the beetle Nebria nivalis have also been recorded here.^[3]

The crags of Great End have alpine herbs such as roseroot, alpine cinquefoil, alpine saw-wort and bearberry, as well as juniper. To the north of Scafell Pike herbs on rock ledges include mountain sorrel, alpine lady's mantle, alpine meadow-rue, starry saxifrage, purple saxifrage, mossy saxifrage and mountain saxifrage. The ferns lemon-scented fern ( Oreopteris ), beech fern, oak fern, scaly male-fern and broad buckler fern have also been recorded here.^[3]

North of Great End is Sprinkling Tarn and Styhead Tarn that have aquatic plants including intermediate water-starwort, quillwort, shoreweed, floating bur-reed and awlwort. Water lobellia is found in Styhead Tarn.^[3]

The wet habitats of Seathwaite Fell support populations of a butterfly called the small mountain ringlet.^[3]

Land ownership in Scafell Pikes SSSI

All of the land within Scafell Pikes SSSI is owned by the National Trust.^[5]

Accident black spots

The traverse between England's two highest summit's via Mickledore col requires considerable care and caution. The route via Broad Stand is best avoided because it is dangerous.^[6] There is a safer but longer route available via Foxes Tarn.

Gallery

Scafell massif from Bowfell

Related Research Articles

Scafell Pike is a mountain in the Lake District region of Cumbria, England. It has an elevation of 978 metres (3,209 ft) above sea level, making it the highest and the most prominent mountain in England. The mountain is part of the Scafell massif, an extinct volcano, and is one of the Southern Fells.

Scafell is a mountain in the Lake District region of Cumbria, England. It has a height of 964 metres, making it the second-highest mountain in England after its neighbour, Scafell Pike, from which it is separated by Mickledore col.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helvellyn</span> Mountain in the English Lake District

Helvellyn is a mountain in the English Lake District, the highest point of the Helvellyn range, a north–south line of mountains to the north of Ambleside, between the lakes of Thirlmere and Ullswater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowfell</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

Bowfell is a pyramid-shaped mountain lying at the heart of the English Lake District, in the Southern Fells area. It is the sixth-highest mountain in the Lake District and one of the most popular of the Lake District fells for walkers. It is listed in Alfred Wainwright's 'best half dozen' Lake District fells.

Great End is the most northerly mountain in the Scafell chain, in the English Lake District. From the south it is simply a lump continuing this chain. From the north, however, it appears as an immense mountain, with an imposing north face rising above Sprinkling Tarn (lake). This is a popular location for wild camping, and the north face attracts many climbers.

Crinkle Crags is a fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It forms part of two major rings of mountains, surrounding the valleys of Great Langdale and Upper Eskdale. The name reflects the fell's physical appearance as its summit ridge is a series of five rises and depressions (crinkles) that are very distinctive from the valley floor. In Old English, cringol means twisted or wrinkled.

Nethermost Pike is a fell in Cumbria, England, and a part of the Lake District. At 891 metres (2,923 ft) it is the second highest Wainwright in the Helvellyn range, the highest of which is Helvellyn itself. It is located close to the southern end of the ridge, with Helvellyn to the north, and High Crag and Dollywaggon Pike to the south. Nethermost Pike, along with many of the Eastern Fells, lies between Thirlmere in the west and the Ullswater catchment in the east. The closest villages are Glenridding and Patterdale on the shores of Ullswater, over 8 kilometres (5 mi) away.

Esk Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, one of the cirque of hills forming the head of Eskdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stybarrow Dodd</span> Fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England

Stybarrow Dodd is a mountain or fell in the English Lake District. It stands immediately north of Sticks Pass on the main ridge of the Helvellyn range in the Eastern Fells, which is situated between the lakes of Thirlmere and the Ullswater.

Pike o' Blisco, or Pike of Blisco, is a mountain in the Lake District in Cumbria, England. Located between the valleys of Great Langdale and Little Langdale, its relative isolation from neighbouring fells together with slopes falling away immediately from the summit in all directions mean it has excellent views: the view of the Langdale Pikes across Great Langdale is particularly arresting.

The Furness Fells are a multitude of hills and mountains in the Furness region of Cumbria, England. Historically part of Lancashire, the Furness Fells or High Furness is the name given to the upland part of Furness, that is, that part of Furness lying north of the line between Ulverston and Ireleth. The hills lie largely within the English Lake District.

Base Brown is a fell in England's Lake District, near the head of the Borrowdale Valley. It forms one side of the Seathwaite Valley, and on the western side it is flanked by the hanging valley of Gillercomb.

Seathwaite Fell is an area of the Lake District in Cumbria, England. It stands above the hamlet of the same name at the head of Borrowdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Gable</span> Mountain in the Lake District, England

Green Gable is a fell in the English Lake District often traversed by walkers en route to its more famous neighbour Great Gable. It can be ascended from Honister Pass, Seathwaite in Borrowdale, or Ennerdale. There are good views of Gable Crag, Scafell Pike and the Buttermere valley from the summit.

Allen Crags is a fell in the English Lake District, it lies in a group of very popular hills and is regarded as part of the Scafell group of fells. It is a hill that is frequently traversed by walkers along its ridge but is seldom climbed as the sole objective.

Slight Side is a fell in the English Lake District it stands 25 kilometres east southeast of the town of Whitehaven and reaches a height of 762 metres (2,499 ft). Slight Side lies at the south western edge of the Scafell Massif, a four-kilometre-long crescent of high ground which includes the highest ground in England. The fells names derives from the Old Norse language and means "The mountain shieling with the level pastures", it is a combination of the Norse words "sletta" and "saetr". With a shieling meaning a shepherds hut or a mountain pasture used in the summer.

Rossett Pike is a fell in the English Lake District. It is located at the head of Mickleden, one of two tributary valleys of Great Langdale.

The Southern Fells are a part of the Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District of England. Including Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England, they occupy a broad area to the south of Great Langdale, Borrowdale and Wasdale. High and rocky towards the centre of the Lake District, the Southern Fells progressively take on a moorland character toward the south-west. In the south-east are the well-known Furness Fells, their heavily quarried flanks rising above Coniston Water.

References

↑ Gannon, Paul (April 2009). Rock Trails Lakeland - A Hillwalker's Guide to the Geology & Scenery. Pesda Press. ISBN 9781906095154 . Retrieved 29 April 2021.
1 2 Geology of England and Wales, pp118ff
1 2 3 4 5 "SSSI detail". designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
↑ "Protected Planet | Scafell Pikes". Protected Planet. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
↑ "Mapping the habitats of England's ten largest institutional landowners". Who owns England?. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
↑ "Broad Stand – There is no easy route direct from Scafell to Scafell Pike!". Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team . Retrieved 1 December 2023.

Notes

↑ In Scotland there are 442 peaks that meet that criteria. See Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles > Murdos.

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[RTL-1] Gannon, Paul (April 2009). Rock Trails Lakeland - A Hillwalker's Guide to the Geology & Scenery. Pesda Press. ISBN 9781906095154 . Retrieved 29 April 2021.

[GeoEngWal-2] 1 2 Geology of England and Wales, pp118ff

[:0-4] 1 2 3 4 5 "SSSI detail". designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2024.

[5] "Protected Planet | Scafell Pikes". Protected Planet. Retrieved 30 December 2024.

[6] "Mapping the habitats of England's ten largest institutional landowners". Who owns England?. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2024.

[7] "Broad Stand – There is no easy route direct from Scafell to Scafell Pike!". Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team . Retrieved 1 December 2023.

[3] In Scotland there are 442 peaks that meet that criteria. See Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles > Murdos.

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