Red Screes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Red Screes
Red Screes seen from Wansfell summit
Elevation	776 m (2,546 ft)
Location	Lake District, England
Prominence	c. 260 m
Topo map	OS Landrangers 89, 90
OS grid reference	NY396087
Listing	Marilyn, Hewitt, Wainwright, Nuttall

Red Screes is a fell in the Eastern part of the English Lake District, situated between the valleys of Patterdale and Ambleside. It lies at the end of the long ridge extending south east from Helvellyn and Fairfield, the ridge culminating beyond Red Scress with a sharp drop to Kirkstone Pass. However, it is separated from its neighbours by the low col of Scandale Pass, giving it a high relative height and making it a Marilyn — in fact, the fifteenth highest in the Lake District.

1 Ascent
2 Wainwright on Red Screes
3 References
4 See also

[edit] Ascent

A north ridge descends very steeply over Middle Dodd towards the Patterdale valley, whereas the south ridge is long and drawn-out, taking eight kilometres to get down to Ambleside. Following this ridge is one of the possible routes to the summit. Alternatively, a pleasant circular walk may be made by ascending the nearby fell of Dove Crag by the valley of Dovedale, then following the ridge over Little Hart Crag and Scandale Pass to the summit, then down the Middle Dodd ridge to Patterdale. Red Screes may also be climbed directly from the top of Kirkstone Pass; this is the shortest but steepest route.

The panorama is excellent, with a first-class view of the High Street range and the distant Coniston, Bowfell and Scafell skyline in the west.

[edit] Wainwright on Red Screes

In his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, A. Wainwright says that Red Scress is the "most interesting fell in the eastern half of the district", by virtue of the following distinctions:

It has the biggest cairn.

It has the greatest mileage of dry stone walls.

It has one of the highest sheets of permanent standing water, and, in springtime, the highest resident population of tadpoles.

It has the purest mountain form.

It has the reddest screes and the greenest stone.

It has the finest view of the High Street range.

It has the easiest way down.

It offers alcoholic beverages at 1480'

It gives birth to the stream with the most beautiful waterfalls.

—Wainwright, The Eastern Fells