Scafell Pike Via The Corridor Route - Instructions + Map

There are many routes up Scafell Pike, but the Corridor Route from Seathwaite is the best. Covering 9.5 miles and rising 3,500 feet over about 6 to 7 hours, it’s a rugged exploration of the fells.

Reaching over 3,000 feet, Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England.

On a clear day, the view from the top is breathtaking. On a not-so-clear day, this is an excursion to an otherworldly place; a high, wild, and rocky escape.

There are many different routes to walk up Scafell Pike. The most popular and quickest leaves from Wasdale Head, where the easiest route can have you back in the car in three hours.

Others leave the crowds behind and ascend from remote Eskdale.

But, in our opinion, the best way up is the Corridor Route from Seathwaite. This long hike captures some of the best scenery in the area, including grassy farmland, mist-shrouded ravines, expansive mountain vistas and remote tarns.   

This guide includes detailed instructions, useful information, navigation tips, and the best places to enjoy a well-earned pint after the hike.

If you like point-to-point hiking, you can include Scafell Pike on our 5-day Lake District walk, which spends every night in a different remote valley.

Scafell Pike Corridor Route Overview

• Start / End – Seathwaite in Borrowdale
• Distance – 9.5 miles (15.3 km) round trip
• Ascent – 3,500 feet
• Walking Time – 6 to 7 hours
• Best Time to Go – May & June
• Difficulty – Medium to Challenging

In our opinion, the Corridor Route is the most scenic and interesting of the 5 routes up Scafell Pike.

The trail begins at Seathwaite and takes advantage of an interconnected series of mountain shelves which steadily gain height.

This creates a natural trail requiring consistent, but achievable effort, rather than a steep slog like the popular Brown Tongue route from Wasdale Head.

The trail takes up an excellent position beneath the summits of Scafell Pike and Great End and is surrounded by some of the best views in the Lake District.

The walk includes towering crags, deep ghylls, stunning views and hidden tarns. You can combine the walk with an alternative route down, creating an excellent circular day hike.

Allow 3 hours and 45 minutes to reach the summit and around 2 hours and 15 minutes to return.

There are, however, plenty of photo opportunities along the way, and climbing over 3,500 feet is tiring, so you’ll want to take a few breaks. The entire day out could easily last 7 to 8 hours.

We have walked a lot in the area, and this is not only our favourite way up Scafell Pike but one of the best walks in the Lake District.

Map: Scafell Pike Corridor Route from Seathwaite

Below is a Google map of the walk. All the hiking instructions for the circular walk explained in this article are embedded in the map. Open it on your phone to follow your progress as you walk.

That said, we strongly recommend using OS Maps. They are more detailed than Google Maps and invaluable on the Lake District’s unsigned, often cloud-covered paths.

With a free OS Maps account, you can follow our routes on your phone, but you can’t download them for offline use or create your own routes. A premium subscription (£36/year) gives you both, plus highly detailed topographical maps.

If you walk regularly in the UK, it’s well worth the cost.

Here is the OS Map of the route.

How to Get to the Trailhead

The hike begins at Seathwaite – a small farm with a campsite, 8 miles (12 kilometres) south of Keswick. There are toilets at the farm and a phone box (bring change) to make calls, as there is often no reception.

Seathwaite by Car

Seathwaite is a 25-minute drive from Keswick or a 55-minute drive from Ambleside.

You can generally find a parking space by the side of the road as you approach the farm. In summer, on weekends or during school holidays, parking will get busy quickly. So, the earlier you arrive, the closer you’ll be able to park to the beginning of the walk.

If you arrive after 10 am, it’s possible you’ll be adding an extra kilometre to the hike.

Make sure to leave enough room for passing cars and don’t park in the turning circle by the farm.

Seathwaite by Bus

To reach the trailhead by public transport, you need to take the bus to Seatoller and then hike 1.25 miles to Seathwaite.

The 78 bus from Keswick runs to Seatoller daily, all year round, roughly every hour.

From the beginning of the Easter holiday to the end of the October half-term, the 77 and 77a scenic buses, operated by Stagecoach, take a circular route through Keswick, Seatoller, and Buttermere, running every 30 minutes.

If you plan on hiking the Corridor Route using public transport, please be aware that you will need to add 1.25 miles (2km) to get from the bus stop to the trailhead and another 1.25 miles at the end of the walk from the trailhead back to the bus stop.

That’s an extra hour of hiking on top of an already long walk.

Walking Instructions

Seathwaite to Styhead Tarn

Begin at Seathwaite and walk south through the farm and out the other side.

Keep the stream on your right until you reach a stone bridge (point 1 on the Google map). Turn right, and go over Stockley Bridge, crossing the stream. Ignore the path that turns steeply left on the other side and go straight ahead.

The path slowly veers left and steadily rises before crossing over Styhead Ghyll and reaching Sty Head Tarn.

After passing the tarn and reaching a confluence of paths, turn left (point 2 on the Google map). A few hundred metres further (before the path starts rising too steeply), turn right on the trail that heads under the crags of Great End (point 3 on the Google map).

This is the official beginning of the Corridor Route.

Corridor Route

The official Corridor Route runs from just above Styhead Tarn to Lingmell Col. The path contours under the immense face of Great End, rising across a series of ledges and working its way across several deep ghylls.

The first tricky section is Skew Ghyll, which requires an easy scramble down into the ghyll and up the other side.

Next up is the hardest section of the walk – a steep 6- to 7-metre descent down a rocky face known as the ‘bad step‘.

You’ll need to use your hands to work yourself down, and if you are walking with friends, it can be easier to take your backpack off and hand it to others. You can see photos of the ‘bad step’ below.

With the tricky bit done, the path heads over the top of Greta Ghyll and then Piers Ghyll. This is the largest and deepest of them all. Do not try to descend and ascend the steep walls of the main ghyll.

Instead, follow the path as it bends left to reach the top end of the ghyll. Here, cross over two streams just before they drop into the ravine.

This is where most hikers on the Corridor Route make a mistake, so check your progress using the map above and stay ABOVE the main ghyll.

Once across the top of Piers Ghyll, ignore the path that goes steeply up to your left and, bearing right, reach Lingmell Col (point 4 on the Google map).

Lingmell Col to Scafell Pike Summit

At Lingmell Col, turn left and join the army of walkers coming up from Wasdale Head.

We often find this last section drags a bit. The track is well marked, and cairns mark the way, but the trail is covered in loose rock. Having a good grip on your boots/shoes and hiking poles is helpful.

The total ascent should take about 3 hours and 45 minutes of walking time, but we always stop for a couple of breaks along the way.

Scafell Pike Summit

The summit is a mass of dark grey rocks, with numerous cairns, a trig point, and a circular shelter (doubling as a memorial to the soldiers who died in WW1) to protect against the wind.

We have been on the summit about 10 times. We would say about 6 of them have been in the cloud, and 4 have had good views. If you get lucky, make sure to explore the whole summit as different views open up in different directions.

To the south, the River Esk cuts through the tufty grass of the Great Moss. To the west is the rocky face of Scafell and the green fields of Wasdale Valley.

To the north is the imposing peak of Great Gable. To the east is the triangular summit of Bow Fell and much of the rest of the Lake District.

You can descend back to Seathwaite Farm the way you came, but we highly recommend completing this circular loop.

Scafell Pike Summit to Esk Hause

Descend from the summit in a north-east direction following the cairns. The summit of Scafell Pike can be disorientating, especially in cloud, so be very careful when starting your descent. Be sure to check your offline map or compass to see that you are heading in the correct direction.

The trail is rocky without much definition, and you are often stepping from one large boulder to the next.

It drops down, then climbs back up Broad Crag, then drops again, climbing back up Ill Crag before flattening. The path up and down the crags can be steep in places and requires a bit of scrambling, but nothing too challenging.

At point 5 on the Google map, there is an easy optional detour to the summit of Great End, after which the trail gradually descends to Esk Hause.

Esk Hause to Seathwaite

As the path descends to the saddle at Esk Hause, take a left turn on a trail that almost doubles back on itself (point 6 on the Google map).

It gently drops and bends left, coming to a stream (Ruddy Ghyll). Follow the stream for a short time, but just before it bends right and enters a gully, turn right, cross over the stream and head downhill (point 7 on the Google map).

The stream and attractive ravine are now on your left as you descend.

The path follows Ruddy Ghyll for about 30 minutes, then crosses over the ghyll (point 8 on the Google map). The stream is now on your right and soon merges with Grains Ghyll. In another 15 minutes, the trail reaches Stockley Bridge.

Turn right, cross the bridge and head back to the Seathwaite Farm.

Trail Conditions on the Corridor Route

This walk up Scafell Pike via the Corridor route is long but not technically difficult. Hands may be needed on the odd short rocky section, but there are no knife-edge ridges, difficult scrambles or vertiginous drops near the trail.

Navigation is generally straightforward, except pay attention as you round the top of Piers Ghyll and on the rocky summit. There are very few signs in the Lake District and often plenty of cloud, so we suggest you bring an offline map and a power bank. At the very least, have a compass and a paper map.

There are two short scrambles, one up Skew Ghyll and the other down the ‘bad step’

The summit is often cold and blustery, regardless of the weather at the bottom. Make sure you check the forecast using Mountain Forecast. It provides weather conditions at both the base and the summit of the mountain, making it easier to plan which clothes to bring on the hike.

Facilities on the Hike

Hiking trails in the UK don’t generally have facilities. The Corridor Route is no exception. There are public toilets at Seathwaite Farm and a phone box, but that’s about it.

Make sure you bring enough food and water with you. There are plenty of great spots to stop and admire the views while you chow down on a sandwich.

Our favourite spot for a picnic is just above Piers Ghyll. The views are great, the two tricky scrambles done, and your are often sheltered from the wind that buffets the summit.

Post-Hike Pint

For a post-hike drink, the garden at the Glaramara Hotel in Seatoller is a great option if you’re arriving at the hike by bus.

Right next to Glaramara, we also recommend The Yew Tree (Wednesday to Sunday), a recently refurbished pub with excellent food.

If you have a car, drive to Stonethwaite (10 minutes from Seathwaite) and grab a pint at the Langstrath Country Inn. It’s a traditional old walker’s pub with a few tables outside under an old tree. This is our favourite place to grab a pint after Scafell Pike.

Where to Stay

For the convenience of a town while you’re hiking Scafell Pike, a good option is Keswick. It’s a 30-minute drive to Seathwaite, and regular buses run to Seatoller (a 1.25-mile walk from the trailhead).

In our guide on where to stay in the Lake District, we outline each of the main areas and provide hotel recommendations. Below are a few good options in Borrowdale, which is close to the start of the walk.

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Tips for Walking up Scafell Pike

01 – The hike up Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route is long with a significant amount of ascent and the paths can be muddy any time of year. So we suggest proper hiking boots (we use something like these).

02 – Hiking poles can also help to bypass some of the strain from your legs to your arms. Over the last few years, we have become big fans of using them.

03 – Weather conditions in the Lake District change dramatically. Make sure you take a waterproof and some warm clothes. The walk is not in shade, so if you’re blessed with a hot day, bring sunblock and a hat.

04 – There are no shops or restaurants on the hike so make sure you take plenty of food and water with you.

05 – There’s an option to go for a very refreshing swim at Styhead Tarn or Sprinkling Tarn. So bring a towel, swimwear and a good dose of courage.

06 – Take a map, compass, or phone. Reception can be patchy, so download maps offline before you go. If you like traditional paper maps, you’ll need Ordnance Survey OL4 & OL6. Or use the following online OS Map.

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