Thursday 15th June 2023

After postponing my climb up Scafell Pike due to high winds in October, the day had finally arrived. I was joined by my other half and my parents, who kindly offered to support me in my adventure and help raise awareness for CLEFT charity.

The journey up to the Lake District was stunning. We purposely took Wrynose Pass leading into Hardknott Pass over to Wasdale for the views. I’d highly recommend this route to a confident driver … thankfully I had the luxury of admiring things from the passenger seat!

The campsite was serene with beautiful views across Lake District National Park. We soon set up camp in the sunshine and wondered off to the local pub for a good hearty meal and a drink. We agreed to head off in the early hours to make it down before the midday heat.

Friday 16th June 2023

6am arrived and we were soon packing up our kits ready for the climb. It was due to reach 31°C with thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon, so we packed up as much water as we could carry, along with plenty of snacks and sun cream and drove over to Wasdale National Trust carpark.

We opted to take the Wasdale route to the summit, it’s considered the shortest and most direct ascent, starting from Wasdale Head at almost sea level. Caps, water and snacks in hand and we were off, beginning our walk at roughly 7:30am.

We were immediately thrown into a steep ascent alongside Lingmell Gill and the realisation of what we were undertaking truly set in. It didn’t take long for our water supply to diminish substantially, but thankfully we had enough to keep us going. Steps, steep inclines, horseflies and lose terrain accompanied us for the next few hours but the views and the lovely messages we’d received, as well as the beaming faces of those now on the descent spurred on our legs to keep going.

It was quiet and peaceful; the views were nothing short of stunning and the sky was crystal blue. We could not have asked for better weather in terms of visibility. The sweat poured as we began the final part our ascent. Although the end was in sight, due to the steepness of the incline and the tricky terrain you have to scramble over, it seemed to take forever to finally reach the top!

We stood breathless with smiles stretched across our faces before placing our hands on top of the trig point. We had done it! We proudly posed for pictures in our CLEFT T-shirts before admiring the views and enjoying a snack at the highest point in England. It felt amazing to be there.

After a well-deserved rest we were off again, beginning our descent down the same path. The lose terrain made it difficult to navigate our footing, we found it easier to scramble down in a bit of a jog, meaning we were back at the car in no time. We completed our climb in 3hours 20minutes.

After a well needed shower we headed back to the pub for a celebratory meal, relishing in our accomplishment.

Ashley