Description:
One of Lakelands best
ridge routes taking in the Crinkle Crags and Bowfell from
the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in Langdale.
From the hotel we
will follow the track to Stool End farm, passing through
the farmyard and then turning left, on the path along
Oxendale. This path continues to a wooden footbridge,
after crossing this the path begins to steepen. The well
made path continues to climb above Brown Gill until the
gradient evens near Re Tarn. At the crossroads before
the tarn we will turn to the right on a good gencly climbing
path. A short distance to the right of the path we will
come to the summit of Great Knott, a great viewpoint for
the ridge ahead and the first of the great views down
into the Langdale Valley below.
After returning to
the path we will continue to climb to the first Crinkle,
a rocky summit with great views in all directions. The
next summit, Long Top, is the highest of the Crinkle Crags,
the main path to Long Top climbs a small rocky section
known as Bad Step, a short scramble up a rocky slab, this
can easily be avoided though by walking around to the
left of the crag to reach the summit.
The remaining three
summits of the crinkles are all woth visiting for their
views down to the Langdale Valley befoe we descend over
the Shelter Crags to Three Tarns. From here a steep section
of path leads to the summit of Bowfell, a small rocky
summit gives spectacular views of the surrounding mountains
with great views across Uppper Eskdale to the Scafells.
A short walk from
the summit will bring us to the top of the Great Slab,
a huge slab of rock a, at a gentle angle, a path leads
down the side of the slab follow this until it emerges
at the base of Bowfell Buttress, from here the 'Climbers
Traverse' contours round to the right to descend to 'The
Band' footpath, this descends back to Stoole End Farm
and the track back to the Old Dungeon Ghyll.
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Directions:
By Road:
From Ambleside, Follow the A593 road out of Ambleside,
signposted to Coniston and Langdale. Follow this road
to Skelwith Bridge, turning right before the hotel onto
the B5343. Follow this road past Elterwater and Chapel
Stile past the New Sungeon Ghyll Hotel to the Old Dungeon
Ghyll, a car park will be found outside the Hotel, we
will meet here.
By
Bus:
The 516 bus runs between Ambleside and the Old Dungeon
Ghyll Leaving from the Ambleside
Kelswick Road bus stop.
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