Great Carrs, Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell

Tuesday 1st May 2018

Under low clouds I set off from the Coniston Coppermines Youth Hostel and up the valley past the remains of mining towards the encircling fells. I had set myself the challenge of climbing all the hills in the Lake District that are more than two and a half thousand feet high and on the first day in the Lake District thanks to tremendous sunshine I had already bagged six of these High Fells. I had only planned on doing two, but the weather was so good I just kept going until I had been to the top of almost all the Coniston Fells. I had planned to do those four extra fells on this day, but that plan for the day was now unnecessary, except for the one Coniston Fell that I had left out: Great Carrs. At Paddy End Copper Works I took a path that climbs beside Levers Water Beck across scree slopes. There is a track that effortlessly goes up to Levers Water, but I was keen on taking this narrow path that I had never taken before through dramatic landscape even though it wasn’t the greatest path in the world and soon me brought up to Levers Water. Going around the reservoir I began to slowly climb the steep fellside into Gill Cove until eventually, after plunging into low clouds I reached the encircling ridge at Levers Hawse.

Turning right I climbed the ridge through the same cold winds that I had encountered the day before, though without the sunshine it now felt a lot colder, and I knew that rain was forecast this time. After walking along the ridge for a while I came across a tall cairn that I immediately recognized as Swirl How, the High Fell that I had been the second that I had bagged on my walk the day before. Unfortunately it doesn’t count towards my High Fells Challenge if I do the same fell twice. Turning left I descended to the top of Broad Slack and, after paying my respects at the memorial to the Canadian crew of the Halifax bomber that crashed at this spot on 22nd October 1944, I made my way up to the top of Great Carrs that sits right on the edge of the cliff above Broad Slack. Continuing along the ridge I made my way down Wet Side Edge and it wasn’t long before I dropped below the clouds and I was able to enjoy the view all the way down the ridge into Little Langdale. The clouds were quickly lifting all around me so it wasn’t long before both Great Carrs and Swirl How were also clear.

On my original plan I would have been coming down this ridge at the end of the day, but due to my enthusiasm the day before it wasn’t even midday. Therefore, half way along the ridge I came off to take a path that snakes down the northern slopes to the Three Shires Stone at the top of Wrynose Pass. I was trying to think when I had previously been on this path and I had to go all the way back to 2005, which is tragic as this is a great, little path that follows a terrace clinging to the steep slopes coming down from Wet Side Edge with views behind me along Wrynose Bottom towards Harter Fell. By the time I reached the Three Shires Stone not only had the clouds lifted but the sun had come out which seemed to be promising a great rest of the day, but sadly it wasn’t to last as rain was forecast. Looking towards the next High Fells on my list I climbed the path beyond the Three Shires Stone all the way up to and past Red Tarn eventually branching off onto a tedious path that slowly climbs between Cold Pike and Great Knott on an uneven, loose rock surface all the way up to the Crinkle Crags. A cold wind was blowing into my face throughout this tiring walk while overhead clouds enveloped the sky to once more leave a grey, sombre cast to the day.

Eventually I reached the first top of the Crinkle Crags and after successfully negotiating my way across I reached the foot of the Bad Step, a ten foot vertical rockface that Wainwright described as “the most difficult obstacle met on any of the regular walkers’ paths in Lakeland”. Except for in 2012, I have never chickened out of the climb, and this was no exception. Any difficulties are very short lived and soon I was climbing the loose scree above the Bad Step and arriving at the summit of the Crinkle Crags. It was very cold at the top so after having lunch my hands were frozen and I kept alternately keeping one of them in my jacket pocket, despite wearing gloves, as I made my way across the remaining tops of the Crinkle Crags. Ahead of me Bow Fell was looking ominously foreboding under dark, grey clouds as I made my way along the fabulous ridge that Wainwright declared was “Positively one of the finest ridgewalks in Lakeland”. Upon reaching Three Tarns I headed up the screes and across to the summit of Bow Fell where, sheltered from the cold wind, I was able to enjoy clear, though grey, views of the surrounding fells including Scafell Pike on the far side of Eskdale.

Rather than retrace my steps back to Three Tarns, I thought I’d try to find the path that heads down to the start of the climber’s traverse, but I don’t think I found it. The latest, Walkers Edition, of Wainwright’s guide describes a terrace on the left at a gap in the wall of rocks and says it is not difficult to locate in good visibility. I found no path but instead I made my own way across the top occasionally passing a small cairn until eventually I reached the path that leads to the climber’s traverse. By now there were a few drops of rain in the wind and I knew that the long forecast rain was soon going to make its appearance so I headed quickly down the path and onto the ridge that is known as the Band. Before too long it did start raining and gradually got heavier as I descended so that by the time I reached the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel at the bottom of Great Langdale I was in no mood to walk any further so I waited for the bus in the Hiker’s Bar. There was a lot of change in the weather on this walk with an ever present, bitterly cold wind, but I still managed to do three of the fells on my High Fells Challenge, and what fabulous fells. The traverse of Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell is a great walk in any weather and if you have a view you need ask for no more.