Tuesday 22nd August 2023
After getting soaked the day before, the weather forecast for this walk seemed to be no better so I was not looking forward to starting and as I left the Langdale Youth Hostel for the last time on this holiday it was raining again, although as I descended into Langdale it was very intermittent. When I reached Chapel Stile I branched off the road and passed the Baysbrown Campsite, where I had stayed in 2021 echoing the walk that I had done two days earlier so for some variation I turned off the Cumbria Way at Oak Howe onto a bridleway that took me along the bottom of the valley to the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel where I rejoined the Cumbria Way and followed it to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. My original plan for this day, assuming fantastic weather, was to ascend Rossett Pass on my way to Esk Hause and over Scafell Pike, however in view of the bad weather my goal was now solely to get to Eskdale. Therefore instead of heading down Mickleden I turned towards Stool End and after passing through the farm I headed down Oxendale. I walked from Langdale to Eskdale two years ago taking a route from Stool End up the Band to the Three Tarns pass and I didn’t want to repeat myself so I decided I would climb up to Red Tarn on a path that I had descended two years ago but never actually climbed.
The rain was more persistent as I made my way down Langdale and with strong winds near Stool End it was definitely not the weather for climbing a mountain, especially the highest mountain in the Lake District, but I would still need to climb over the mountains to get to Eskdale. By the time I reached the bridge over Oxendale Beck the sun was beginning to break through the clouds which prompted me to take many pictures of the stone-filled river, both towards the waterfall, Whorneyside Force, and back down Langdale, and soon after I started to climb I was prompted to take my waterproofs off. A well-made path of laid stones led me steeply up the hill and long before I reached the top the weather closed in again and it started to rain. By the time I reached Red Tarn I was in the clouds and my waterproof trousers were back on. I turned right at the junction near the tarn and headed up the path towards Crinkle Crags between Cold Pike and Great Knott. Cold Pike is a Wainwright and I had planned on visiting it on this holiday, but the wind, rain and low clouds was enough to convince me otherwise, so I just kept my head down and slowly climbed up the path. This is a tedious ascent at the best of times across featureless grassy slopes on a wide, stony path, so in this weather I just soldiered on until the terrain finally started to become steeper and craggier just before the first of the Crinkle Crags and I took this as the point to come off the path.
This is not a common route between Langdale and Eskdale, although it is quite direct, and features a tricky, pathless traverse. Wainwright describes a route up Crinkle Crags from Eskdale through Adam-a-Cove and I was trying to find that route down even though there is not a path. I came this way in 2015 in good weather but this time I was not so fortunate so I had to be careful to avoid the ravine that Swinsty Gill falls through or the crags in the area. Slowly, I crossed the southern slopes generally veering to my left to avoid difficulties, checking the terrain ahead of me before proceeding until eventually the clouds parted to reveal a very steep, but grassy descent all the way down into the valley far below. I was grateful that I had safely traversed the pathless hillside and now I carefully made my way down the hill until eventually I reached the Lingcove Beck. It was now 1.30 in the afternoon and potentially there was not much left of the walk to do, but I wasn’t worried about this and decided to take my time and the opportunity to relax, slowly meandering beside the beautiful stream. I took loads of photos of the Lingcove Beck, with Pianet Knott in the background and enjoyed the feeling of being in this amazing part of the Lake District.
Eventually I reached Lingcove Bridge and after lingering to take in the awesome scene that I have probably not seen since 2015 I proceeded down the valley beside the River Esk branching left at a junction to pass below Yew Crags and partially up the side of the hill. I’m sure I have previously kept to the path beside the river so I enjoyed exploring this more interesting path as the weather slowly began to improve with no more rain though it was still quite windy and overcast. I ignored the path down to the farm buildings of Brotherikeld and kept above the fell wall to eventually reach the road and Jubilee Bridge. I was more than happy to slowly wander along Eskdale, which I would definitely rank as my favourite valley in the Lake District, and since the last time I was there was in 2016 I was glad of the return visit. North of Lingcove Beck is stunning for its mountainous scenery, but south of Brotherikeld is also breathtaking for its tranquillity and abundance of trees. I had a blissful walk through this delightful valley, which did much to help me relax and shake off my remaining stresses from work. When I reached Doctor Bridge I kept going along the path on the northern side of the river until I reached St Catherine’s Church where the whistles from the little railway not far away could be clearly heard. After seeking out the distinctive gravestone for Tommy Dobson that Wainwright featured in his “Walks from Ratty” booklet, I returned beside the river back to Doctor Bridge and thence to the Youth Hostel. Even though I didn’t reach the top of any mountain on this walk, though I did climb very high, my primary goal had been to walk to Eskdale, and after doing that I had a wonderful walk through a fabulous valley that was a highlight of my holiday.
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