Crinkle Crags and Bowfell

Second walk of this holiday and a classic one at that. Wainwright claims the mile of walking across the Crinkles to be the finest ridge mile in Lakeland. That’ll do for me, with the bonus of Bowfell at the far end and a fantastic descent by The Band. The walk was a tough one, and the ups and downs of the Crinkles are hard on the knees. Still we made good time on a walk that will live long in the memory.

Start – Old Dungeon Ghyll

Route – ODG – Oxendale- Red Tarn- Great Knott – Crinkle Crags – Bowfell – The Band – ODG

Distance – 8 miles Start time – 10.45am Time taken – 6 3/4 hrs Highest Point – Bowfell 902m

Weather – Dry all the way, with sunny spells to start and finish, threatening low cloud on the Crinkles

Crinkles Crags straight ahead with Bowfell the high point on the right at the back

Looking out of Oxendale back into Great Langdale, pointy Side Pike on the right

Bowfell above Whorneyside Force and Hell Gill

The aptly named Crinkle Crags, Bowfell in the sun at the far end

Great Knott summit looking to Pike O’Blisco

Looking to Cold Pike and beyond the Coniston range from Great Knott

Great Langdale from the first Crinkle

Crinkle number 2 and the bad step, we took the easier path, to the left. Person in the blue gives some scale

Long Top, Crinkle 2 summit, Windermere in the distance

Long Top, Crinkle 2 summit at the Wainwright top, Windermere in the distance

First look at the Scafell range, Scafell Pike in the middle

Bowfell with Esk Pike back left

Three Tarns looking to the Scafells

The Great Slab on Bowfell with the Langdale Pikes beyond. It was brilliant looking down this tilted angled rock form to the valley below

Langstrath is the valley to the right, the dark fells in the distance are Skiddaw (l) and Blencathra (r). The stony ridge in front of me is Hanging Knotts as I reach the summit of Bowfell