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Ill Crag and Broad
Stand (Lake District)
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Grade: 3 and 3
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Overview: Ill Crag's SE face is one of
the longest scrambles in the Lakes, continuining over
Scafell Pike then across to Scafell via Broad Stand makes
for a great scrambling day.
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Equipment: Rope, slings and nuts/hexes
essential on Ill Crag, and advisable on Broad
Stand.
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On line
map link
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Views: 4 - Superb views from Scafell
Pike and Scafell of the whole of the Lake District.
Technicality: 4 and 2 - one tricky move on Broad Stand
Exposure: 4 and 3
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GIBBER FACTOR*
*out of
five.
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The South East Face of Ill Crag is one of the longest scrambles
in the Lake District. The natural continuation to this route is to
continue up Scafell Pike then cross to Scafell via Broad Stand. Ill
Crags and Broad Stand hold special places in the history of
mountaineering, with Ill Crags a favourite of Eric Shipton and Broad
Stand being arguably the place where scrambling was born.
Approach: The South East face of
Ill Crag is also the
right hand side of Little Narrowcove. The base of the crag can only
be reached from Great Moss, but the approaches to Great Moss can be
via, Eskdale, Moasdale or any of the routes via Sty Head and Esk
Hause. The approach to
Broad Stand is via Mickledore, and is
the only direct route from Scafell Pike to Scafell.
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Looking back to Great
Moss from Ill Crag
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Route: Ill Crag (3)
1 The scramble starts from the right hand side of the
stream, just left of a moss covered rock face. Start up the first
section of slabs to a ledge, then take the obvious groove on the left
edge of the steeper slabs above. Easier slabs follow, leading to a
grassy section which leads off to the right and another section of
steep rock.
Take the bilberry covered ramp up to a rock step and a rib on the
left. The rib takes you to the base of a steep, block-topped, wall.
Take the buttress on the right of the wall to a heathery bay, then
move right to a groove. The groove leads onto a rake, which is
climbed to the final slab of the first section. Emerge onto a grassy
terrace at the foot of a series of slabs.
2 Start near the middle of the slabs and climb 20 feet to
where a series of ledges lead to a well vegetated groove on the left.
Continue up to the right of the groove to a flake, then move left
onto the rib then back right on a rib. A short, but steep, wall leads
to a scree slope on the left then a final wall where a series of
flakes n the right lead to easier ground and the base of the Upper
Buttress.
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Ill Crag - the summit
awaits...
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3 This section starts to the right, and slightly below, the
obvious deep and well vegetated gully. A large block leads to an airy
traverse right around the nose and easy ground. Cross the grassy
gully to the left to the base of a buttress where a large groove on
the right takes you up over steep ground. Where the face steepens
move left to another groove and a ledge. Now go straight on for 15ft
then move diagonally left to the edge of the rib and continue up to
easier ground and a grass slope.
4 From the grass slope take the obvious rib above to the
summit rocks of Ill Crag and amazing views back down to Great
Moss.
Broad Stand (3)
This is where it all started in 1802 when Samuel Taylor Coleridge
recorded the first scramble, having descended broad Stand from
Scafell in an opium-induced haze.
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Looking across to Broad
Stand across Mickledore. You can see how the route starts
off exposed
before trending onto easier ground above.
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Start about 70ft down the Eskdale side of
Mickledore, the dip
between Scafell and Scafell Pike, at Fat Man's Agony, where a narrow
fissure on the right leads through the cliff to a corner. Climb the
corner to a larger outward sloping ledge and a small but steep wall,
the crux.
Either take the corner on the right, or move left onto more
exposed ground but with better holds. The 9ft climb here leads
directly onto a series of easy ledges that take you onto a well
trodden path up the scree slope to Scafell summit.
Note Broad Stand is a notorious accident black spot, the
crux is polished and slippery and can be very tricky in the wet or in an opium-induced trance. A fall here could well be fatal, so you are strongly advised not to attempt the route unroped. If
you're looking for an easier, but still interesting way up onto
Scafell, consider a combination of Lord's Rake and the West Wall
Traverse, though at present unstable rock makes that route problematic, or simply walk round via Foxes Tarn.
Caution Scrambling is potentially dangerous and, particularly
at the higher grades, requires technical skills and equipment to
minimise the risk. We suggest that you take professional instruction
or climb with an experienced partner.
Guy .......
