Route: Cold Pike, Crinkle Crags and Bowfell
Area: Southern Lake District
Date of walk: 7th July 2014
Walkers: Andrew Gilly and James
Distance: 8.8 miles
Weather: Showers and mist at first but cleared up and sunny later on
Our son James was staying with us in the lakes and we decided to take advantage of the extra car by planning a linear walk. We drove in cars 1 and 2 to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, leaving car 1 there but then driving in car 2 to the Three Shires Stone at the top of the Wrynose Pass (an interesting journey in itself)
From the Stone a path took us to Red Tarn and from there we made a pathless ascent of Cold Pike. It was windy, cold and misty and the omens weren’t good for the rest of the walk – luckily the weather improved as we went along
We followed the tortuous but fascinating ridge line of Crinkle Crags, and then went on to Bowfell – an awesome place, with wonderful views all around
There then followed a long descent down The Band into Langdale and back to car 1, which we used to return to car 2. We were all very tired by the end of the walk – it wasn’t so much the length of the route, rather the steep and rocky nature of the terrain which made progress very slow and hard on the knees. The scenery however was dramatic and beautiful all the way and we agreed that it had been a red letter day
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and down
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ boxload the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
A couple of red squirrel photos in the garden before we set off this morning
The start of the walk, from the Three Shire Stone at the top of the Wrynose Pass
Heading up towards Red Tarn, with Cold Pike up on the left
Red Tarn - from here we climbed up the grassy slopes of Cold Pike to the left. Crinkle Crags are in the background
The mist came in just before we reached the top
James on the summit of Cold Pike taking a photo of the Langdale Pikes
James points out the way to Crinkle Crags, in the clouds
Fix the Fells are hard at work on this section of the path
The friendly volunteers invite James to christen this section of the path
Crinkle Crags ahead but they still have their heads in the clouds
Plenty of dramatic mountain scenery ahead as we start out along the ridge of Crinkle Crags
The Bad Step on Long Top is to the right, the easy way is to the left. James weighs up the challenge
Good lad - he goes for it
Gilly looks on nervously as the old man manages to haul himself up
Improving weather as we look back - Windermere in the distance
Langdale
The Scafells
There were plenty of small tarns and pools along the way to keep Bonnie cool
The end of Crinkle Crags and now for Bowfell ahead
The Scafells again from Three Tarns, with Bowfell on the right
As Gilly climbs up to Bowfell, a view back to Three Tarns and Crinkle Crags
The Great Slab on Bowfell
Summit of Bowfell looking back over Crinkle Crags
The Scafells from the summit
James and Gilly
Descending back to Three Tarns
The Band, centre of picture, our easy but long way down to Langdale
Looking back up to Crinkle Crags
Further along The Band
Pike O’ Stickle
Great Langdale ahead
Looking back along The Band
Beyond Stool End with not far to go now
This is where we’d left car number 1 earlier in the day
A last lingering look back towards Crinkle Crags and Bowfell as we cross Great Langdale Beck
