Scafell (/ˈskɔːfəl/ or /skɑːˈfɛl/;[1] also spelled Sca Fell, previously Scawfell[2]) is a mountain in the Lake District region of Cumbria, England.

[1][3] Despite regarding Slight Side as a separate entity, Wainwright included the wide upland area beyond it to the south west as a part of Scafell.

To the south, monotonous smooth slopes, stony and lacking vegetation at higher levels, run down toward Burnmoor and the head of Wastwater.

On the north side, the sheer faces of Scafell Crag provide some the finest rock scenery in the Lake District.

Beyond Slight Side is a rough upland with many craggy tops and a number of tarns, before the southward descent finally ends in Lower Eskdale.

The tarn is prevented from following what would appear the natural line of drainage into Miterdale by moraines, and empties southward, reaching the Esk at Beckfoot.

Northward is a saddle, marked by a large cross of stones and then the bouldery climb to Symonds Knott, the north top.

Lord's Rake may be followed in its entirety, or near the top of the first col, a diversion may be made onto the West Wall Traverse, the exit of which lies closer to the summit.

A pleasant but lengthy alternative begins from Boot in Eskdale, following the River Esk upstream, and scrambling up to the summit by way of Foxes Tarn.

What seems like a direct route is in fact very hazardous as it has to negotiate Broad Stand crag, which is a dangerous and exposed scramble that has caused many accidents and injuries.

[6] This was used by, among others William Wordsworth who, in addition to poetry, wrote a popular guide book to the Lake District, Harriet Martineau (whose work replaced Wordsworth's as the definitive guidebook),[7] Jonathan Otley (who was one of the first to measure the height of most of the Lakeland fells), John Dalton (who also estimated the elevation of many of the fells), the surveyor of the Wasdale Head Enclosure map of 30 January 1808 [8] and the hotel keepers and tour operators who lived or operated in the area, as typified by the many adverts in M. J.

[9] This split between local usage and maps printed by national publishers is further illustrated by the Wasdale Hall Estate Plan and Sales Particulars, dated 30th Sept 1920.

[11] The change to the shorter spelling appears to have originated in the Donald Map of 1774,[12] a document with a noticeable number of placename errors.

Wainwright's comments on this in book 4: "When men first named the mountains, the whole of the high mass south of Sty Head was known as Scaw Fell....".

[1] However, Jonathan Otley, writing in the first concise guide to the Lake District, maintained that local shepherds applied the name "Scawfell" only as far as Mickledore, with the summits beyond called simply "the Pikes".