At the top of the beck, after a stony gully enters from the right and you’ve just negotiated a small waterfall, climb steeply up right on grass and then contour across rough fell side back in the direction of Pike o’Stickle. Eventually you get a view of the rocky dome of your objective, which you’ll see is guarded on this flank by a scree gully. Above a rough crag on the far side of this you’ll see a level, grassy shoulder and (if you’re lucky) a faint path crossing the scree and climbing onto this.
This is your first waypoint. Once you’re established on the shoulder work up and right over increasingly rocky terrain until you encounter a second gully. This is the continuation of a fearsome gash that splits the summit rocks. Your scramble is to the right of this. With luck you’ll see a large boulder in the gully, your second waypoint. Get above this via its left hand edge and head up and right for another 30 metres or so until you’re standing beneath a wall of clean, steep rock.
This is the start of your climb. It should be understood that you are indeed technically facing a rock climb rather than a scramble. Sparks and Brown rate it as a Moderate. However, the mountaineering nature of the route – a series of laterally extensive but vertically restricted walls separated by grassy terraces – is too good to leave to climbers.
With a 35m rope, a few slings, some nuts and common sense you’ll be safe enough (if a little pale by the time you finish). However the other thing that needs to be said is that there seems little point in following a route guide. There’s a very clear description in Sparks and Brown but none of this seemed to match the mountain on a misty, wet day in February.
Furthermore, few others seem to have been this way and there is a lamentable absence of the usual boot marks and scraps of sweetie paper. It will probably be best to rely on your instincts. Treat it as an adventure Three further points are worth making. Firstly there are only two really steep walls (one requiring a bunk up for the leader and a stiff pull for the second) and both of these have really good spike belays at the top. Secondly, once you start, there is little opportunity for escape other than back the way you’ve come. This is a lonely and committing route. Finally, though the rock is generally sound, it tends to be slippery in the wet and is vegetated in parts. It might be best to choose a nice warm day in summer when you can enjoy all this properly.
Eventually, the slope eases and you emerge at the summit cairn to the applause (or, more likely, bemusement) of assembled walkers.
The vertical ascent is about 200 metres. Two of us took nearly two hours to climb this.
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