Great Langdale - Cold Pike - Crinkle Crags - Whorneyside Force

Joe Jackson

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This is a breathtaking walk that takes in the best of Crinkle Crags and nearby Cold Pike. The route starts off at the end of Great Langdale by the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, follows the floor of the valley up to Oxendale and continues along the base of this smaller valley to cross Oxendale Beck and start a steep ascent to Red Tarn. Browney Gill is followed south to join the outflow of Red Tarn where the path turns west. The route follows a faint path south off the main route to take in the lovely quiet peak of Cold Pike; at 701m above sea level the views are fantastic.

From here the route heads back to the main path and up to the start of the Crinkle Crags ridge route. It starts by ascending the First Crinkle before heading to the highest point on the whole walk on top of the Second Crinkle, known as Long Top (859m above sea level). Prior to reaching the top you have a choice of routes; to scramble or not to scramble. The scrambling route heads over the Bad Step, a short twelve-foot or so climb up rocks and easy enough for most walkers.

The ridge route continues across the next three crinkles and over Shelter Crags for about a mile. The route is rocky with light scrambling but nothing too difficult and nothing as hard as the Bad Step.

At the col between Crinkle Crags and Bowfell are three small tarns and this is where the route turns east and starts to head back to the valley floor, but not without another last feature! Instead of following the 'tourist' route over The Band, it follows a quiet path, intermittent at times to start with, along Buscoe Sike. This brings you down to a good path along Hell Gill and then on to Whorneyside Force, a beautiful high waterfall that cascades down the fellside.

England - North England - Cumbria - Lake District - South East