The Fairfield Scrambler

Fairfield is a much loved classic Lakeland mountain, standing pound above the villages of Ambleside and Grasmere, easily identifiable from a distance. Its summit is usually incorporated into the popular ‘Fairfield Horseshoe’ by most walkers, and host to an annual fell race. Our route starts away from the main hustle and bustle of popular tourist areas, from the tranquil Brothers Water at the southern end of the Ullswater Valley. Heading into a mountainous area much less frequented, ascending by two scrambling routes, with the summit of Dove Crag taken in along the way, this day provides a more technical and remote mountain experience.

Scrambling as an activity sits between mountain walking and rock climbing. It involves ascending up rocky terrain which requires the use of hands as well as feet. This can range from terrain involving simple short rocky steps requiring nothing more than your normal walking gear, to using harnesses ropes and a selection of climbing equipment at its extreme. The beauty of scrambling is that it opens up a huge range of new and exciting ways to travel through the mountains on the way to summit tops, avoiding the busier main footpaths. 

We use a number of simple scrambling routes thought the day to create our adventure, giving a technical and more interesting way to the top, but still achievable by anyone with some hill walking experience who are confident on their feet, in good physical condition, with a head for heights.

We recommend that in the lead-up to this challenge, participants work on building up their stamina with weekly cardio-vascular exercise of a minimum of 1 hour per day, 5 days per week to build up their calf + quad muscles.