Esk Pike and Glaramara

Wednesday 2nd May 2018

After rain all night, it was pleasing to walk out of the Elterwater Hostel to sunshine as the rain cleared to reveal a lovely but still cold and windy day to walk in the Lake District. The day before I had caught a bus from the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel to Elterwater, but to get back I thought I would take the old fashioned way and walk. There are two different walking routes along Langdale with one following the river along the route of the Cumbria Way which is the route that I have taken many times before since my earliest days in the Lakes, while the other is one that I have used in more recent years and once again on this occasion. It climbs above the slate quarry through lovely woodland before passing Baysbrown and is undeniably the better route, which is why it is now my preferred route. Eventually joining the Cumbria Way I followed the trail across the valley past lovely herdwick lambs and after walking through a National Trust car park I continued along the Cumbria Way to pass the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel and along a track that heads down Mickleden. My original plan for this walk was to go up Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell, but after the excesses of my first day I was still ahead of schedule having done those High Fells the day before.

Those fells dominated my view while I walked down Great Langdale and I eventually passed them by to reach the imposing cliff faces below Rossett Pike and the seemingly impossible climb out of the valley. The difficulties are more apparent than real and a good footpath zigzags cunningly all the way up to the strong winds that were blowing through the pass. These winds were bitterly cold and forced me to heavily wrap up though they were short lived and soon I was sheltered from the strong winds again on the short descent to Angle Tarn. Branching off the main path before the winds returned I climbed the fragmentary path up to Ore Gap and from there to the summit of Esk Pike. It was at this point that I think the walk changed markedly as my strenuous efforts to climb Rossett Gill and up to Ore Gap were now past and I was now finally able to enjoy being at the top of a mountain. Esk Pike is a queen among kings. A magnificent mountain humbled by its presence among some of the greatest mountains in the Lake District that encircle the top of Eskdale. I love Esk Pike because of its humility, and it was now my tenth High Fell on this holiday where I was aiming to climb all the High Fells.

The morning sunshine was now fighting against heavy clouds that brought patches of hail or snow over the mountains while the sun shone a short distance away. Sheltered from the cold wind I watched this battle with awe and amusement until finally and thankfully the clouds cleared just as I was finishing my lunch so that I now had fantastic views across Esk Hause to Great End and north over Allen Crags and Glaramara towards Derwent Water. A great path that passes over shelves of rock took me down to Esk Hause, which is the place that I would consider to be the heart and centre of the Lake District where all the mountains and streams radiate. Crossing the pass I climbed the path that heads towards Scafell Pike, but upon reaching the top of Calf Cove I turned right leaving the tourists behind and headed up to the top of Great End. It wasn’t too windy on Great End which enabled me to have a wonderful time as I wandered around the various cairns until eventually I reached the south-east cairn that marks the summit. I was elated at being at the top of this mountain with clear views all around me including across the scattered rocks towards Scafell Pike. There is no better place to be when the weather is right than at the top of a mountain and at that moment I felt on top of the world.

Returning to the top of Calf Cove and back down to Esk Hause I headed to the lower pass and up to the top of Allen Crags, my twelfth High Fell, and as I began the long traverse to my thirteenth the sunshine finally lost its battle with the clouds. Despite dull, overcast skies I enjoyed walking along the ridge between Allen Crags and Glaramara on a fabulous path that weaves around the crags and pools slowly making its way along the undulating ridge even when the path is not very clear. After a long walk I eventually reached the top of the peak that had been in my sights since leaving Allen Crags only to discover that there is another peak a good distance away. After crossing this lengthy depression I climbed the long slopes and got up to the top of the next peak only to find that I had been deceived again. Another crossing brought me to a third summit where there is a cairn, but is also not the summit. Glaramara is a very tricksy mountain, but eventually it does deliver and finally I reached the summit and was rewarded with a splendid view down Borrowdale towards Derwent Water even though it was marred by grey skies.

There is a very steep descent from the top of Glaramara down a twenty foot rock step (note the Bad Step on Crinkle Crags is only ten foot) and is a little tricky, but eventually I managed to reach the bottom and made my way past Coombe Head on a rather vague and boggy path that heads down the ridge towards Borrowdale. The path does improve during the descent and made the end of this walk a pleasure despite the grey views ahead of me. This was a good walk over some great mountains in very cold but often sunny weather. I had been very tired at the start of this walk after my exertions earlier in the week, but I bounced back when I reached Esk Pike where the elation at being at the top of great mountains overcame all my weariness. The views may have been grey and overcast at times, but these mountains never failed to deliver especially when I was standing at the top of Great End. There is nothing better to lift the spirits than standing at the top of a mountain in the Lake District and I was fortunate on this holiday to be visiting over fifty of them. With thirteen High Fells already under my belt I had another forty to go.