Backpacker's Britain – Northern England

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9 - The Great Langdale Horseshoe

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Total Distance: 40km.
Daily Distances: 1) 20km. 2) 20km.
Maps: OS Landranger sheet 90 & Outdoor Leisure sheets 6 & 7.
Starting Point: Small parking space on driveway to Tarn Foot camp site above Skelwith Bridge, Grid Ref. NY346039.

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Area Summary - A short, dramatic valley of the central Lake District, cutting into the high fells from just west of Ambleside. A busy, though winding road, the B5343 gives access up the valley to the head at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, then becomes narrower as it makes for a high pass between Pike o’ Blisco and Lingmoor Fell and passes over into Little Langdale by way of Blea Tarn and Wordsworth’s ‘Solitary Abode’. The fells surrounding Great Langdale are among the most popular in the North of England, with the Langdale Pikes lying to the north of the valley and Bowfell and Crinkle Crags forming the rough slopes at its head. South of the Langdale Fells the ground rises again to the Coniston massif, while westwards lie the highest of England’s peaks, Scafell Pike and its entourage, forming the continuation of the Bowfell ridge over Esk Pike and Great End. North of the Langdale Pikes lie the Borrowdale and Wythburn Fells, while to the east the scenery changes at the head of Windermere, where Ambleside is situated. Here the terrain is a mix of woodland and low hills, interspersed with delightful pastoral valleys, and tiny Cumbrian villages.

Walk Summary - A magnificent high-level walk taking the backpacker over some of the finest mountains in the country. This is Lakeland at its very best, and though the terrain is rugged, the ways are well trodden, the daily distances are short, and the scenery is so breathtaking that the kilometres fly by. Day One takes in the classic Grasmere hill of Loughrigg Fell, before heading west for Silver Howe, Blea Rigg and penultimately the craggy splendours of the Langdale Pikes. Rossett Pike is then traversed before a wild camp site is found at Angle Tarn beneath Ore Gap, the wild col separating Bowfell from Esk Pike. Day Two is just as exhilarating, starting with an ascent of Bowfell, the high-point of this walk. The serrated ridge of Crinkle Crags then follows, taking the backpacker down the ‘Bad Step’ to an easier walk to Cold Pike. Pike o’ Blisco and Lingmoor Fell follow, before the pastoral beauty of Great Langdale is reached near Elterwater village.                  

Transport - The No.516 Langdale Rambler Bus runs to Skelwith Bridge from Kelsick Road in Ambleside. It continues up the valley to serve Elterwater and the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. It only runs between April and October.

Accommodation and supplies - You’re spoilt for choice of accommodation in Langdale, with hotels throughout the valley and at Ambleside. Try the Maple Tree Corner annexe of the Britannia Inn at Elterwater (tel. 015394 37210), the bunkhouse at the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel (tel. 015394 37356), or the Youth Hostel at Waterhead in Ambleside (tel. 015394 32304). This is an old hotel, and lies right on the shore of Lake Windermere giving wonderful views. Shops in Ambleside are on every street, including outdoor shops, although there are no supplies along the route, unless you leave the ridge and drop down into Great Langdale at Chapel Stile where you will find a little village shop and the welcoming Wainwright’s Inn.

Overnight Stops - Camp wild at Angle Tarn, Grid Ref. NY244077.

DAY ONE:  THE LANGDALE PIKES
Begin the day by following the bridleway signs eastwards from the car park, passing to the right of the tarmac drive to Tarn Foot. This soon passes onto open fell and a grassy path can be seen rising steeply to the left alongside a stone wall. Follow this to a cairn where obvious tracks lead north-west to the little summit of Loughrigg.

Though properly called Loughrigg Fell, all walkers and locals know it simply as Loughrigg. It is hardly in the ranks of the greatest hills of the district, rising only to 335 metres, but nevertheless, it forms a superb starting point for the traverse of the Great Langdale skyline, and given its popularity, it could hardly be omitted. A trig pillar marks the highest point. Being a dwarf among giants, it gives excellent views of all the surrounding fells, including some of the highest in the district. Skiddaw can just be seen to the north, framed by the defile of Dunmail Raise, while the Scafell group poke out from behind Bowfell to the west. Coniston Old Man dominates the high ground to the south-west.

Head down in the general direction of Grasmere village along a grass path, descending easily to the western end of Loughrigg Terrace. Bear west off the Terrace to Red Bank, turning right at a minor road, though looking for a path leaving it again almost immediately on the left. This leads around the back of Hammerscar Plantation, then leads westwards across the rough ground to Spedding Crag. There is an obvious path all the way and the walking is superb. From the twin cairns on Spedding Crag drop down slightly to the north to pick up a path from the top corner of a wood. This leads north-west up a broad scree-filled gully, and the summit of Silver Howe lies atop the little dome to the left. The summit, at 395 metres, is marked by a cairn on a little rocky protuberance. From a navigational point of view, you are about to tackle the hardest part of the entire walk. An indistinct path heads west for Blea Rigg, and though difficult to follow in places, it is nevertheless, a delight. First head for a little tarn west of the summit of Silver Howe, from where the path leads on via a series of other small tarns beneath the knoll of Lang Howe. Five hundred metres further west is Swinescar Pike, another knoll in this confusingly undulating land. Beneath Swinescar Pike is a junction of paths at a little shelter. Follow the path just west of north to Little Castle Howe and on to Great Castle Howe, turning back to the west there at three more tarns. This final section of path leads to the summit of Blea Rigg. More confusing paths lead west from Blea Rigg, though you should head north of west to the broad ridge of Sergeant Man. A good path with an easy rock slab leads to the neat little summit with its erect cairn at 730 metres.

You are now at the door-way to the Langdale Pikes proper. North-west still, just a kilometre away, lies the highest point of our day’s walk, High Raise at 762 metres, and although it does not really belong to Langdale as a fell, it forms the focal point of all the mountains of the Central Fells of the Lake District. Follow an obvious path to its summit cairn, known as High White Stones. This also forms a useful wind shelter. We now change direction, as the terrain changes to bouldery slopes leading southwards to Thunacar Knott, a real away-from-it-all top at 723 metres. It is marked by a cairn. Eastwards the rocky summit of Pavey Ark stands beyond a slight dip, and though its true grandeur lies in its east-facing facade of crags and gullies, missed by taking this approach, the yawning void that opens up beneath your feet as you clamber up to its high point is breathtaking. The tourist honey-pot of Stickle Tarn lies at the foot of the crags, upon which many great names from the history of British mountaineering have left there mark. Heading south and west a rough path uses the drop to the left as a guide-rail, leading around the rim of the corrie holding Stickle Tarn to the rocky dome of Harrison Stickle, at 736 metres, the highest of the true Langdale Pikes. The way now becomes a switch-back, leading down to the west to pick up a path heading south to the dome of Loft Crag at 670 metres.

Vast slopes of scree fall away to the south from Loft Crag’s summit, and the views of upper Langdale are impressive. Across the trench of Mickleden to the south-west, the long ridge of The Band can be traced leading to the col at Three Tarns between Crinkle Crags and Bowfell. These are the hills of tomorrow.

The path passes over the summit of Loft Crag, and should be followed to the west, skirting around the upper reaches of the North West Gully, site of a well-known stone age axe-head factory.

These fells of Lakeland are of volcanic origin, and here in the North West Gully an intrusion of harder rock has surfaced near the head of the gully. The qualities of this rock was recognised by the prehistoric inhabitants of the valley, and they worked the site for rock specimens suitable for use as hand implements. Axe heads and other tools from this scree slope have been discovered in other parts of Europe as far afield as Poland, signifying an export of the finished article from the coastal port of Ravenglass.

The rocky top beyond the screes is Pike o’ Stickle, a surprising little summit, and not least because it is the furthest of the Langdale Pikes from Stickle Tarn and Stickle Ghyll. The highest point is very obvious, and scrappy paths leads to some easy scrambling before this perch can be gained. To continue it is necessary to climb from the dome down to the north, regaining the main ridge path at its base. The path leads to the north-west, away from the craggy wonderland of the Pikes and onto the contrasting Martcrag Moor. Dull slopes of rough moorland grasses lead to the top of Stake Pass, the ancient route linking Great Langdale to Borrowdale in the north. Your next objective is the long ridge over Buck Pike to Rossett Pike, overlooking the head of Rossett Gill as it climbs out of Langdale. There are two paths shown on the map, the main one dropping some way into Langdale Combe before climbing again to the ridge above Black Crags, although this loss of height is not at all necessary. From the top of Stake Pass head west with a little tarn immediately to your right. The path is obvious and leads in a wide curve around the rim of Langdale Combe. Unfortunately, it bypasses the ridge of Rossett Pike and it is necessary to aim for the little col between the tops of Black Crags and Buck Pike, known as Littlegill Head, to gain this.

The ridge of Rossett Pike is about one kilometre in length from first summit to last, running in a north-east to south-west direction. It is really just a continuation of the north-east ridge of Bowfell, but has the col at Rossett Pass separating it from the parent mountain. There are three tops along its length - at the north-east end is Black Crag which is separated from Buck Crag in the middle of the ridge by Littlegill Head. The highest point on the ridge is Rossett Pike itself at the south-west end at 651 metres.

Once on the ridge, head south-west to the high point, then drop easily to the west to the top of Rossett Pass. A gentle descent to the north-west brings you to Angle Tarn, a wild looking place for a night’s camp beneath the towering northern shoulder of Bowfell and the crags of Hanging Knotts.

DAY TWO -  BOWFELL AND CRINKLE CRAGS
Day Two starts with a gentle climb to the north-west, rising along the well-trodden Esk Hause path to an indistinct cairned path which leaves the main one after 250 metres. Turn to the south-west and climb steeply up this faint path, aiming for the col known as Ore Gap between Bowfell and Esk Pike. From Ore Gap the path becomes more obvious, and bearing south climbs above huge cliffs to the summit of Bowfell, a fine place to be at 902 metres.

The crags which fall away to the east are traditionally one of the major attractions for the mountaineer in the Lake District. Bowfell Buttress is by far the most popular, while Cambridge Crags and Flat Crags also have a number of excellent climbs upon their faces. These are, however, no place for the backpacker to wander.

From the summit of Bowfell the path leads down rough slopes, initially to the east, but bearing south after a couple of hundred metres. To head south from the summit itself would lead you over the crags of Bowfell Links. Heading south the path descends quickly to the col at Three Tarns, then continues up the broken slopes of Crinkle Crags, a truly superb mountain. For the first part the path ignores all the rocky little protuberances, but more fun can be had with an easy scramble over the minor summits of Shelter Crags to the east of the main path. This ridge throws down steep slopes into the head of Langdale, and so it would be difficult to lose ones way here - just keep to the rim. In all there are four summits or ‘crinkles’ along the ridge of the mountain, the highest being the third one at 859 metres. The descent from Crinkle Crags ends at a rock gully with an easy, though steep scramble down to the left. This is the famous Bad Step, although a cairned path avoids all difficulties to the right from above. South of Crinkle Crags the summits lose height, and while the hill-bagger may want to deviate from the course to climb Little Stand just over a kilometre to the south, and Great Knott to the east overlooking Browney Gill, your route lies to the south-east and the first of three rocky knolls on Cold Pike. This first knoll is known simply as Cold Pike Far West Top and marks the short passage over Cold Pike West Top and the highest of the three, Cold Pike at 701 metres. The going here is easy over rough grass interspersed with the odd rock step. From Cold Pike’s summit, head north-east down rocky terrain to pick up the path coming up from Red Tarn. Follow this path downhill to the right, aiming for the northern end of Red Tarn at a col. The path continues straight up the other side to the nice little summit of Pike o’ Blisco at 705 metres.

The summit of Pike o’ Blisco is marked by a shapely cairn atop a rocky cone. These rocks are of the most beautiful pinky-orange colour, giving a bright atmosphere in even the gloomiest of weather. The origin of the name cannot be traced, although that indefatigable fell wanderer, Alfred Wainwright, timidly suggests that it has a Spanish swashbuckling ring to it to match the mood of the hill.

Head east from the summit, taking in the wastes of Wrynose Fell as you descend. Aim for the top of the road pass linking Little and Great Langdale, beneath Side Pike. This will entail bearing right above Redacre Gill at a junction. From the road, cross a stile and tackle Side Pike from the west. The way is easy, and the views from the compact summit across the dale are superb. Follow a wall down to the east, and beyond the col, continue alongside it on its northern side, curving round to head south-east to the summit of Lingmoor Fell at 469 metres. This is the final summit on this walk, and the way down into Great Langdale lies to the east. Continue heading south-east alongside the wall until a quarry is reached on the skyline. A track then leads down to the east through Bank Quarry and into Sawrey Wood just above the village of Elterwater.

Elterwater is at the hub of the old slate mining industry, and the scars on the hillsides all around are testament to the rigours of a life among the hills as a miner. Also at Elterwater was the old gunpowder factory, using water for power from the dammed Stickle Tarn below Pavey Ark across the valley. The factory opened in 1824, and was closed in 1918.

Heading into Elterwater you cross the road bridge and should follow the public footpath on the right that follows the banks of the River Brathay. This is a delight to follow as it curves around the peaceful Elter Water, a large tarn giving its name to the village. The path continues along this northern bank, passing beneath Neaum Crag as it runs parallel to the B5343 which runs up the valley. At Skelwith Bridge, turn left to meet the road and head north for fifty metres to a junction. Take the minor lane straight ahead which goes to Grasmere, but after five hundred metres of steep climbing, turn right at a junction and you will find Tarn Foot and the end of this walk on the left.