~Bowfell to Great End~
13th January 2012
60 days since my last Lakeland walk and finally a change after a period of quite awful weather. Wind and rain aplenty and less than one hour of sunshine over the Christmas break. It may be Friday 13th, but I was not in the mood to pass up this opportunity for a classic fellwalk on a favourite fell.
View from Bowfell
Scroll down for photos and a description of the walk....
The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel
Start time of 08:08hrs from the ODG car park. David Hall joined me and we are aiming for Bowfell.
The Band
The ascent route was up The Band, the popular walkers' highroad for a direct ascent of Bowfell.
Crinkle Crags from Bowfell
This time yesterday it was blowing a gale, what a difference a day makes!
Sunrise over Pike O'Blisco
Bowfell
Our route takes the indistinct path to the right, aiming for the "Climbers' Traverse".
Lookouts
I discovered that of all my ascents of Bowfell, none had been direct, so this is a first.
The Langdale Pikes
One small problem of this ascent is that the walkers do not see Bowfell as a mountain form, it's too direct and too close. But we did see many other mountains. Not far off all of them as the whole of Lakeland was cloud free and crystal clear.
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| The Climbers' Traverse |
Stake Pass |
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Bowfell Buttress |
Rossett Pike |
Walk Views
The Climbers' Traverse
David negotiates icy rocks on our way to Cambridge Crag.
Cambridge Crag
The waterspout emerging under Cambridge Crag, what kind of reservoir is hidden within the crag?
Bowwfell Buttress
From the waterspout it is a sharp turn left and up to the Great Slab. This is the view back towards Bowfell Buttress.
The Great Slab on Bowfell
To Bowfell Summit
Scafell Pikes from Bowfell
A familiar sight greets the successful Bowfell climber.
Arrow on Bowfell
Is this an arrow or a benchmark? Found on Bowfell summit.
David at Bowfell Summit 2960ft
When David considered my proposal for a hike up Bowfell, he said "Why not? I haven't been there up since last year" Indeed, about three weeks ago, but in rather less favourable weather conditions.
Great End (l) and Esk Pike
Our next target is Esk Pike. Great End is further away to the left with Great Gable seen behind and between the two.
Esk Pike Summit 2903ft
Shortly after our second summit and on the way to Esk Hause, we said "Hello" to a passing lady walker. Apart from our obvious gentlemanly behaviour it was also our first greeting, 4hrs and 20mins into the walk.
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Great End |
Allen Crags |
Next up is Great End, after crossing Esk Hause.
Calf Cove
Nature's handiwork in Calf Cove. We walked around the cove and headed for the summit area of Great End.
Great Gable from Great End
The shadow on the left has been thrown by Lingmell. The water is Styhead Tarn.
Great End Summit 2984ft
Room for 1
On the southern slopes of Great End is a little shelter with room for one, laying down. Not sure if it is watertight.
Allen Crags
There is time for another one and we have Allen Crags in our sights. It's the fell on the right with shadowed crags on the northern slope; Glaramara is further away along the ridge.
Allen Crags Summit 2572ft
And after this it's time to find a way back to the cars. It will use up the rest of the daylight hours.
Mickleden
Rossett Gill is our chosen route back to valley bottom.
The Last of The Day's Sunshine
The timing has been good. As the sun goes down, or maybe the earth goes up, available light will diminish; we're on the home run...
Walkers: David Hall & Me.
Time taken: 8hrs 45mins over a distance of about 11 miles.
Route: Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, The Band, Climbers' Traverse, Bowfell Summit, Ore Gap, Esk Pike, Calf Cove, Great End, Esk Hause, Allen Crags, Angle Tarn, Rossett Gill, Mickleden, ODG Hotel
Weather and Conditions: Sunny, cool, no wind - perfect!
Greetings Count: Very few others on the fells today, maybe three by Esk Hause and then a few others on the way down.
Worth It? 143 mile round trip; 1hr 45mins from home to car park, slightly longer return journey time; fuel cost approx £25. Car park free to NT members.
Richard's Refreshment Review: I offered David a brew at the car using my camping stove, but the burner wasn't working properly, so we went into the ODG for two cups of tea. The barman clearly didn't want to serve tea, but he did. Stone floor and hard benches suit tough fellwalkers and their dogs. A smile doesn't cost a penny, Mr.Frumpy should cheer up!
"Basket of Eggs" Topology at Stake Pass
All photos copyright Richard Ratcliffe 2012 ©
Take me back to the start ....