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Langdale wander

Langdale wander


Postby johnkaysleftleg » Sat Oct 19, 2019 5:05 pm

Wainwrights included on this walk: Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, Esk Pike, Rosset Pike

Hewitts included on this walk: Bowfell, Crinkle Crags (Long Top), Crinkle Crags South Top, Esk Pike, Rossett Pike

Date walked: 06/07/2019

Time taken: 7.3

Distance: 18.8 km

Ascent: 1312m

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Still Working my way through a back log of reports this time I'm back to July for a wander around some of the honey pots of Langdale.

It seems even an early start doesn't get you to Old Dungeon Ghyll before the crowds when you have a two and a half hour drive. With the main National Trust Car Park was already filling up fast and the overflow not yet opened I grabbed a space, quickly suited and booted and headed off on the Cumbrian Way along Mickledon. It was quite a cloudy morning but with most of it above the tops it made for a nice start to the day and some cooler temperatures to gain some height.

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Setting off

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Pike O'Stickle

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Langdale Pikes

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Bridge over Mickleden Beck

I'd never been up the Stake Pass before but found it a nicely graded route. Well before the pass was reached however I headed off to make my way to a couple of Birketts on the Rossett Pike Ridge. The map shows a path on the ground, but as I failed to find it, I gradually made my way over what was at times rough ground up to Black Crags. The views were superb, as to be expected as I made my way long the ridge, visiting Buck Pike on my way to the Cairn right on the edge of the crags that plunge into Rossett Gill. This is a better view point than the main summit and was also free from people unlike the high point which had been invaded my a very noisy group as I briefly bagged it and moved on.

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On the way up next to Stake Gill

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Looking back down Mickleden

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Great End still with some morning clag

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Black Crags Summit

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Sinuous by Anthony Young, on Flickr

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Sun breaking on Black Crag

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Langdales from Buck Pike

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The Great Slab from Rossett Pike

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Glorious Mickleden from Rossett Pike

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Esk Hause from Rossett Pike

By now the sun had now broken through the clouds and the temperature was quickly rising so I stopped at Angle Tarn for some breakfast and a rest before the gradual climb up to Esk Hause. While enjoying the repast my mind wandered to Hanging Knotts which looked, from here at least, a practicable way up Bow Fell if you made your way through the crags to the left. As I was intending to visit Esk Pike next it's one to wait for another day. Once back on the path I noticed up ahead was a very large group who I'd spied down in the valley earlier. As I was catching them I decided to cut off the corner to Esk Pike just in case they were headed that way (they unsurprisingly made off in the direction of The Pike).

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Angle Tarn

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Hughie

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Hanging Knotts and Angle Tarn

I'd never been up Esk Pike this way and it's a nice rocky route with some stunning views to enjoy. I think Esk Pike is quite underrated, probably due to it's array of fantastic neighbours, and I was soon at the summit following a brief stop to take in the best views of the wonderful Upper Eskdale valley. The top was quite crowded so I didn't linger and headed off down to Ore gap.

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Langstrath

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Upper Eskdale

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Pen and Ill Crag

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Esk Pike Summit

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Great End, Great Gable and Grasmoor from Esk Pike

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A Crowded Summit

Next stop was the North top of Bow Fell which provided to super views so I stopped and had lunch taking in the sights and feeling nicely disengaged with the summit which was crawling with people. I'd made really good time up to this stage but whether it was the heat of the day or the rougher ground I seemed to struggle to make progress as Hughie and I boulder hopped up Bow Fell and then slithered and slid down the horribly eroded path down to the three tarns.

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Mickleden from the top of Hanging Knotts

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Bow Fell Summit from the North Top

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Hughie searching for Scraps

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A Very Insignificant looking Rossett Pike

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Great Slab and Bow Fell

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Scafells from Bow Fell

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Top of the Bow Fell Buttress

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On Bow Fell Summit

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Langdales from Bow Fell

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On the way down to the Three Tarns

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Hughie by the Tarns

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Bow Fell Links from the Three Tarns

The plan at this point was to make my way along to Crinkle Crags summit before retracing my steps to descend via The Band, visiting White Stones (a top I've inexplicably passed close by twice previously) on my way down. By the time I found myself at Long Top I really wasn't in the mood for going back over the undulations of the crinkles so I headed down the bypass path and towards the first Crinkle.

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One of Crinkle Crags many Secluded Tarns

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Bow Fell, Scafells Panorama

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Pike of Blisco

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Bow Fell from Crinkle Crags Summit

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Avoiding the Bad Step

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The Bad Step

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Scafells from the South Top

From the First crinkle it was a straightforward way down but as the heat had really taken it out of both me and Hughie it seemed to take an age before we tiredly plodded back to the car park passing a great many walkers who had a good lie in that morning.

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Greater Langdale

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Crinkle Crags

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Looking down Oxendale

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Oxendale and the Langdales

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One last shot

Langdale is always a great place to visit, even given the guaranteed crowds on such a beautiful day as this. Still, it has it's little corners and less visited tops that can still give you a feeling of isolation and peace. And when combined with it's Honey pots it makes it an irresistible destination.


Langdale Walk.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

Last edited by johnkaysleftleg on Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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johnkaysleftleg
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Re: Langdale wander

Postby china88 » Mon Oct 21, 2019 9:13 am

A great report on a stunning classic route in the Great Langdales. Thank you for posting.

Out of interest what camera\phone did you use?
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Re: Langdale wander

Postby Fractral » Mon Oct 21, 2019 12:32 pm

That framed photo of Pike of Stickle looks like it could be in the highlands! The Langdale pikes really are fantastically rocky.

One of my favorite areas of the Lakes, and possibly one of the few areas I'd consider going back to now that I'm in Scotland. I never did get up Crinkle Crags and Pike o' Blisco...
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Re: Langdale wander

Postby johnkaysleftleg » Tue Oct 22, 2019 10:19 am

china88 wrote:A great report on a stunning classic route in the Great Langdales. Thank you for posting.

Out of interest what camera\phone did you use?


Many thanks, you are most kind. All these images were taken with a Canon 760D fitted with a Sigma 17-70mm lens. Quite heavy but the image quality is worth it.

Fractral wrote:That framed photo of Pike of Stickle looks like it could be in the highlands! The Langdale pikes really are fantastically rocky.

One of my favorite areas of the Lakes, and possibly one of the few areas I'd consider going back to now that I'm in Scotland. I never did get up Crinkle Crags and Pike o' Blisco...


The Pikes are a great sight from so many angles, this route enabled me to see them from a slightly different view point to previously. Both the Fells you mentioned are well worth a visit as is the often lonely top of Little Stand in between them.
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Re: Langdale wander

Postby trailmasher » Tue Oct 22, 2019 4:21 pm

What a great walk and photos JK :clap: :clap: You really grabbed a beautiful day for this walk and was well worth the 2.5 hours of driving :) Like you I also passed just below White Stones a couple of times until I found out it was a Birkett :( so just had to do Bow Fell again to get it in :? Well done on a great walk :clap:
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Re: Langdale wander

Postby dav2930 » Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:36 pm

Classic stuff JK. It's hard to beat the traverse of Bowfell and the Crinkles and the addition of Rosset Pike and Esk Pike makes a fine prelude (or postlude). Nice weather for it too. Cracking photos as usual and some very impressive shots of Pike o' Stickle etc. :clap:

But I must take you to task about one of your captions in which you spell Grasmoor as Grassmoor! Your not the only one - it seems to be a common mis-spelling. Perhaps people think of the broad and flattish summit as a grassy moor and assume that's where the name comes from? But as with Grasmere, the name Grasmoor has nothing to do with grass and everything to do with pigs :lol:
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Re: Langdale wander

Postby johnkaysleftleg » Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:56 pm

trailmasher wrote:What a great walk and photos JK :clap: :clap: You really grabbed a beautiful day for this walk and was well worth the 2.5 hours of driving :) Like you I also passed just below White Stones a couple of times until I found out it was a Birkett :( so just had to do Bow Fell again to get it in :? Well done on a great walk :clap:


Cheers TM, the 2.5 hour drive was well worth it, as was the 3 hour drive home fighting through various impediments including traffic, geese and cows. :lol:
Not a problem missing White Stones, I'll just have to do the climbers traverse again. :-D

dav2930 wrote:Classic stuff JK. It's hard to beat the traverse of Bowfell and the Crinkles and the addition of Rosset Pike and Esk Pike makes a fine prelude (or postlude). Nice weather for it too. Cracking photos as usual and some very impressive shots of Pike o' Stickle etc. :clap:

But I must take you to task about one of your captions in which you spell Grasmoor as Grassmoor! Your not the only one - it seems to be a common mis-spelling. Perhaps people think of the broad and flattish summit as a grassy moor and assume that's where the name comes from? But as with Grasmere, the name Grasmoor has nothing to do with grass and everything to do with pigs :lol:


Many thanks Dav, I will correct my misspelling of the pig pasture :lol:
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