In climbing terms it is *very* easy and is commonly used for descending from routes on the East Buttress and Scafell Crag. However all these things are relative and to someone who isn't used to rock climbing it can be somewhat unnerving.
The climbing itself is confined to the couple of steps after Fat Man's Agony ( a chest wide slot to reach a ledge or platform) which itself is at ground level. The slabs above are easy angled (maybe 25 or 30 degrees) but the line taken is somewhat involved and the best line can be awkward to follow on first acquaintance, though it is well polished these days.
So what's the problem
Well you climb the awkward steps at the bottom at the left edge and a slip from here would see you bounce and then go maybe fifty feet to the foot of the East Buttress. It's not exposed, in fact it feels quite enclosed. It is possible to climb in the right hand corner of both steps but this is harder and often greasy.
The first photo here
http://www.wasdale-mountain-rescue.o...pot_photos.htm shows the lower section with the dashed yellow line being the line to follow. Looking at the bottom shot, there is an abseil point to the right of the upper figure. It's a big boulder on the edge of the drop directly above the arete of Mickledore.
On my round I was similar to Ben B - I used every available aid to get up the thing
no pride whatsoever.