Scafell via Great Moss and Foxes Gully

P and I drove up the valley to the bottom of Hardknott to head up to Scafell. Nothing except 4x4's from the farms had been this far up the valley, and we had to dig out our own parking space near Brotherilkeld! With big boots it was a hard slog up the valley through the snow, and we broke trail most of the way, only seeing footprints in the valley as far as Lingcove Bridge. From then on we truly broke trail. There was a thin crust on the foot deep snow, which made it slow going, but as we climbed up away from a frozen Great Moss, the crust hadn't formed and it was just powder.

Bowfell from Brotherilkeld

Foxes Gully was a real swim, and I let P do the hard work at the front! It was thigh deep in places. The views were stunning as always and we met the only people we saw all day -  a couple doing the same route as us in the opposite direction! After a quick lunch of lentil soup we loped down past Slightside, and across the semi-frozen bogs to Scale Bridge and back to the car. My feet were not my best friends by the end as previous injuries mean that my mountaineering boots really hurt after a few miles! Still a fantastic and stunningly quiet day out.

Looking towards Pillar, Kirkfell, and Grasmoor in the distance