Bow Fell and Great Gable

Wednesday 4th September 2013

On this fabulous day in the Lakes I left the Elterwater Youth Hostel first thing in the morning under misty conditions that didn’t take long to clear and reveal a scorchingly sunny day. A brisk cold wind at the top of the fells kept the temperature agreeable and guaranteed perfect weather conditions in the best place in the world for a walk and I made full advantage of the weather to do a scintillating walk over some of the greatest fells in the Lake District. At the start of the day I simply walked along the length of Langdale from Elterwater back to Dungeon Ghyll along the same route that I had taken last year via Baysbrown, but different to the route that I’d taken the previous evening when I came to Elterwater via Chapel Stile. This is a nice varied route, parts of which provoked many memories of having taken this route numerous times over the years.

After crossing various sheep-filled fields I passed through Stool End Farm and began to climb the popular path that ascends the Band on my way to Bow Fell. The only time I had ever previously been on this route was over ten years ago when I came off Bow Fell along this ridge following a walk around Oxendale in very hot weather. I wasn’t impressed with the route now as the ridge is too wide to be exciting and the path is heavily manufactured to cope with the thousands of people who traipse along it every summer. The best way to do this path is in descent with the awesome views along the length of Langdale ahead of you all the way down. When the path started to veer left towards Three Tarns I came off the path to keep to the top of the ridge on a boggy path that went up towards the climber’s traverse. This fabulous terrace path traces a narrow route high above the valley floor of Mickledon and just below the awesome rocks of Flat Crags. This was my second ever visit to the excellent rock-scenery on this path and it was just as breath-taking now as in 2007.

I love terrace paths, perched high above the valley with a sheer drop on just one side and a towering cliff on the other. At the foot of Cambridge Crag I stopped for a couple of minutes to take in the awe-inspiring surroundings and then started to climb a river of boulders that lies along the south side of Cambridge Crag. This led me up to the summit of Bow Fell where I paused briefly before heading across the boulder strewn terrain past Easy Gully to the top of Bowfell Buttress. The views in the perfect weather were sensational and emphasised just how fortunate I was to be at the top of these fells on such a day as this. From this vantage point the true structure of Bow Fell could be seen, including the climber’s traverse that I’d just walked along. Following the top of the ridge, rather than the path, I made my way across to Ore Gap and then up to the top of Esk Pike where I had my lunch sheltered from the cold winds by the summit rock.

Esk Pike tends to be ignored by fellwalkers due to its illustrious company, but I love it as it doesn’t shout about itself and quietly sits in the centre of the best fells in the Lakes, which affords it with stunning views of all of them. Making my way along a fabulous little terrace path, I made my way down to Esk Hause and thence down to Sty Head along familiar paths that seemed more pleasant to walk along than I’d remembered. After passing Sty Head I made my way onto another climber’s traverse: the South Traverse of Great Gable. After negotiating rocks and crossing scree slopes with tremendous views down Wasdale, I reached the awesome crags of the Great Napes. These crags are very popular with rock climbers with notable attention paid to the Napes Needle, including some climbers who were on the pinnacle while I passed far below. I was happy with my distant vantage point as rock climbing is not something that I am remotely interested in doing.

Just after passing the peculiarly shaped Sphinx Rock I reached Little Hell Gate, a stone chute that I hoped would provide me with a route up to the top of Great Gable. Keeping to the side of the loose, slippery stones that fill the steep gully, I slowly climbed Little Hell Gate and eventually, after much effort, reached the top of Great Napes. This is an incredible place to stand, usually the preserve of rock climbers, that affords one with great views of the surrounding crags and where a short, narrow ridge links to the main bulk of Great Gable and a delicious path that leads around the Westmorland Crag to the top of the fell. In 2004 I did the whole south traverse without climbing Great Gable, while in 2006 I walked along the traverse in the opposite direction before climbing White Napes on the opposite side of Little Hell Gate. Now that I was up close with Great Napes I completed the climb of Great Gable in awe of the towering pinnacles and enormous crags.

From the top of Great Gable I made my way across horrible shifting stones down to the Windy Gap and from there up to Green Gable, which I’d visited just last Easter when it was still covered in winter snow. My planned route of descent was over Base Brown, but that was the route I had used in 2006 after climbing Great Gable via White Napes, so I felt compelled to do something different now. While planning I’d contemplated a route of ascent over Grey Knotts, and now I suddenly thought about using it in descent where it would be more appreciated.  I was concerned that this route would take too long so I rushed across Gillercombe Head and up to Brandreth, and from there across to Grey Knotts. I had a thoroughly exciting descent from Grey Knotts along a pathless, grassy ridge that took me all the way down to Borrowdale as I took every advantage of the good weather. This was a perfect day in the Lakes over great mountains; it is the memory of days like this that keep you coming back to the Lakes.

Sergeant Man and the Langdale Pikes

Tuesday 3rd September 2013

At the start of this day the weather was really poor with clouds all the way down to the level of the trees that line the valley that contains the village of Grasmere. As I started my walk it looked like it was going to be a dreary day, but as I climbed up Easedale I could see breaks in the clouds where the sun was trying to break through, which hinted that things were not going to stay this way. It was a joy to walk along the lovely path that climbs past the waterfalls of Sourmilk Gill, despite the low cloud, with the sun occasionally breaking through and enveloping me in a heavenly ray of light while all around was dull. Beyond the waterfalls the gradient leveled off into the hidden valley of Easedale Tarn, which felt all the more delectable due to the low cloud a short distance above my head. After passing Easedale Tarn, the path began to climb once more with the clouds keeping pace above my head, rising as I climbed into the awesome cove edged by Blea Crag, Eagle Crag and Slapstone Edge. This is a great path, but I hadn’t previously walked along the whole length of it before because on my previous visit to Easedale Tarn, in 2006, I left the path at the lake to climb up to Blea Rigg.

I now had an enjoyable time climbing this excellent, well laid-out path with occasional scrambles and couldn’t understand why Wainwright had been so dismissive of the route saying it was too ‘deep enclosed to be attractive’, but the clouds ensured that I wouldn’t have had a view even if I hadn’t been stuck in a deep valley. As the clouds began to break a distinctive pointed peak appeared ahead and seemed to draw me on. This was Belles Knott and as I came alongside it the clouds lifted completely to reveal blue skies that promised smashing weather for the rest of the day. Although the back of Belles Knott is not the craggy face that it presents to Easedale Tarn, I couldn’t resist climbing up the grassy slopes and taking in the views that can be seen from the top down Easedale. On returning to the main path I resumed my climb on a path that from this point I had taken before (last year) and passes through an interesting stone gully before reaching the top of the path at a crossroad of paths with the Langdale Pikes arrayed in awesome splendour across the bowl of Stickle Tarn.

Last year, I turned left at this point towards Blea Rigg, but now I turned right towards Sergeant Man on a path that I have wanted to walk along for a long time, until now. I had always assumed the path follows the top of the ridge, but there appeared to be no path there and it wasn’t until I’d hunted around for a bit that I discovered a faint, cairned path that climbs just to the east of the ridge. I followed this excellent route up the broad, craggy ridge all the way to a small top that is marked on maps simply as ‘Pile of Stones’, but across a depression was the top that I was aiming for: the shapely peak of Sergeant Man. I consider the first ascent of the day to be the most significant while anything else that I do during the rest of the day is just ridge routes and not true ascents, so on this walk I did my first ever ascent of Sergeant Man after all my previous visits had merely been ridge routes, usually from High Raise.

I reached the top of the fells before noon and according to my plan for the day I had to find something to occupy myself for the next four hours in the relatively small area of the Langdale Pikes. However, I didn’t have much planned so I mostly made it up as I went along, starting with nipping across boggy ground to Codale Head and then over to the top of the broad grassy mound of High Raise. This vast fell is very dull compared with the nearby Langdale Pikes, but it is the highest point in the Central Fells and affords tantalising views into Borrowdale and across Derwent Water to Keswick. Turning my back on Keswick, I headed across long slopes towards the Langdale Pikes, stopping at the inconsequential Wainwright of Thunacar Knott before heading across the boulder strewn terrain to the top of what Wainwright called North Rake. Half way down I came off North Rake into Easy Gully, but half way down that I found my way blocked by huge boulders. I trembled at the thought of trying to drop down this big step so reluctantly I headed back up to North Rake and continued my descent there.

I may have found Easy Gully easier in ascent, but I didn’t fancy taking the risk in descent, which necessitated my encircling the bottom of North Rake and crossing steep slopes until I reached the bottom of Easy Gully where the start of Jack’s Rake lay enticingly nearby. I had my lunch while gazing across Stickle Tarn and contemplated my prospects on the rake. I previously climbed this treacherous route in 2007 and considered it the scariest thing I had ever done in the Lake District, but looking at it from a distance now I couldn’t see what the problem had been. After taking a brave pill I started Jack’s Rake, which is technically considered a rock climb, and soon I remembered what had terrified me six years ago. Wainwright said that while on the rake his mind had been fully occupied with nothing but a primitive desire for survival and that was exactly how I felt. There were moments when I was at a loss as to how to go any further, I felt stuck, cragfast, fearing that I was going to fall, but somehow eventually I found a way up. Once past the hardest section I collapsed into a heap and with shaking legs I ate an energy bar and had a drink before resuming the climb confident that the worst was now over.

The rest of the rake is still not easy, but I did eventually reach the sunshine at the top of Jack’s Rake in one piece, even though I was panting heavily. After a rest I decided that my best course over the Langdale Pikes would be to head across the pathless fellside north of the pikes to the western-most pike: Pike of Stickle and then head back across the tops to the highest of the pikes: Harrison Stickle. This final pike is deservedly very popular so when I finally reached the top I didn't stay there long before dropping back down onto the path that crosses the steep, southern slopes of the pike above the deep ravine of Dungeon Ghyll. The weather was fabulous all afternoon with stunning views down Langdale all the way to Windermere in the distance with beautiful, lush green trees between them. My path down descended steep grassy slopes to the splendid viewpoint of Pike Howe and eventually ended at the Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. This was a fun, enjoyable walk, terrifying at times, but also exciting, challenging and tiring while walking in fantastic weather over amazingly complex fells.