Lake District

Scandale & Red Screes

CLASSIC FELL WALK

Turn your back on all those Lakeland gift shops, walk straight out of Ambleside and enjoy the fells above empty Scandale.

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM

DISTANCE 15.5KM

TIME 6 HOURS

TOTAL ASCENT 1015M

PEAK BAGGER STATS WAINWRIGHTS 3

The busy bottleneck of Ambleside might be frustrating if you’re heading towards Langdale or Grasmere, but it’s also a great place to park up and head into the hills. A number of classic Lake District walks begin here, but the hidden and unspoilt valley of Scandale never seems to receive much attention.

There’s a fine horseshoe walk on the fells above the valley – including half of the famous Fairfield round – but a great day out combines a glorious glacial gulch with a romp over Red Screes and a couple of nearby outlying tops. The walk passes a classic packhorse bridge at High Sweden before wandering up the valley towards Scandale Head, from where unexpected rocky slabs then lead the way onto Red Screes. A short diversion to tick off Middle Dodd is followed by a doddle over Snarker Pike and an easy descent back into town.

2 Lake District

1 NY375046 Leave the car park by the footbridge, cross Rydal Road (A591) and walk up Smithy Brow. Fork left onto Kirkstone Road, then left again along Sweden Bridge Lane – you’ll soon leave the houses behind and the road ends at the start of a scenic walled track. Keep ahead through gates and woods for 1.75km, with waterfalls in the ravine on the left, to arrive at High Sweden Bridge. This photogenic packhorse bridge arches over a babbling beck and is a good place to check the map while looking up the valley.

2 NY379067 Don’t cross the bridge but keep along the east bank of Scandale Beck, where a track leads north up the broad empty valley and merges into a broad walled track after 300m. Continue for 1.2km, over the brow of White Howe, to a gate at the end of an enclosure. The path ahead remains obvious and crosses a couple of streams before approaching the corner of a wall. Head towards a distinctive sheepfold, walk through the next gate and continue uphill with wall on the left. Bear right after 450m, at the next wall, and continue up to the top of Scandale Pass. Cross a ladder stile over the wall.

3 NY388095 Turn left on a well-worn p