Saturday, 1 July 2000

Lingmell

Lingmell

Lingmell

Lingmell

Height807m (2,648ft)
Prominence72m (236ft)
RegionSouthern Fells
Climbed2 Times

Lingmell is an absolute Jekyll and Hyde of a mountain. If you look at it from the south or west, it appears as a gentle, smooth, grass-covered dome. But step around to its northern and eastern faces, and the terrain changes completely. Here, the ground drops away a staggering 2,000 feet straight down into the valley, torn apart over centuries by the forceful white water cutting through Piers Gill. It is a dramatic contrast that catches you completely by surprise if you only know its softer side.

"Following the general pattern of the fells, Lingmell has a smooth outline to the south and west but exhibits crags and steep rough slopes to the north and east. The distinction is very marked, the ground falling away precipitously from the gentle western rise to the watershed as though severed by a great knife and laying naked a decaying confusion of crags and aretes, screes and boulders." — Wainwright 1958, Book Three

Because it is physically tied to the shoulders of Scafell Pike via Lingmell Col, it gets brutally ignored by the vast majority of walkers. Thousands of people march right past its flanks every year on their way up the standard highway from Wasdale, completely missing out on a summit that deserves a visit in its own right. It’s a shame, because stepping slightly off the main thoroughfare unlocks some of the finest perspectives in the valley.

Lingmell Summit

A large cairn stands on the summit

The true summit features a highly prominent, beautifully built large stone cairn that makes a fantastic vantage point. Sitting right on the lip of the high drop-offs, the views down into the dark, plunging trench of Piers Gill are nothing short of spectacular, offering a brilliant front-row look directly across the gap to the iconic profile of Great Gable. If you trace your way down along the southern slopes on the return leg, you are treated to a stunning, sweeping view of Wastwater and the entire, enclosed bowl of the Mosedale valley stretching out far below.

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