Belated Birthday Weekend – Langdale Pikes

Last few years birthday presents have been replaced with birthday nice weekends away in Cornwall. For my birthday treat this year I fancied a change and wanted a a trip to the Lake District, probably to replace the weekend in Wasdale we missed a couple of weeks earlier. Visiting northern England is always a risk of a washout but we struck gold and as you can see from this and next couple of posts we had three superb days out.

We reached the area with time for a Friday afternoon walk. What better than a round of some of the Langdale Pikes. Short but steep.

I’d forgotten just how steep the walk up to Stickle Tarn was. I’d also forgotten just what a fine walk it was as well

It rekindled a whole host of great memories from the many times I’ve walked this classic route although this is the first time for maybe 20 years

Stickle Gill is wonderful companion on the steep climb and as it was a week day it was relatively quiet.

The weather was rather hazy but the views were still fabulous and the setting at Stickle Tarn is magnificent

Across the lake to the cliffs of Pavey Ark

And Harrison Stickle

Time for a short rest to take it all in

On a whim I decided to tackle Jacks Rake for the first time in ages. You can see it slanting up across the face of Pavey Ark from right to left in the photo below

I love this photo from the shore of the tarn below the face off Pavey Ark

In my younger days (when I was a couple of stones lighter, more nimble and with fully functioning knees) Jacks Rake was always seen as an easy scramble route, a sort of training scramble not much more than a rocky walk. As the years have progressed scrambling is something I rarely do and I was out of practice to the extent I found I was close to my limits

I found the route exhilarating and a little intimidating. I used to take risks of all sorts when I was younger but no so any more. I’m not sure whether its an awareness of my own mortality or whether its having a family to be responsible for but I feel so much less at home on rock now

The route is in fact technically very easy but with a feeling of exposure out of character with most scrambles in the same grade. TBF is more lithe and agile than me and I think she was enjoying herself immensely, thriving on the challenge. I was just nervous for both of us

I still enjoyed it of course, just with a little less of the carefree attitude of my youth. It was also good to enjoy the route in dry weather as it becomes a little greasy and slippery in damp conditions. If you are keen to try a more adventurous route up a mountain its a pretty good one to start with. Its a long steep ledge/gully with loads of holds, steep enough and exposed enough to be interesting but never difficult

TBF in full rock athlete mode

Enough photos of TBF, so here’s one of your truly smiling after conquering the climb

After a cuppa on Pavey Ark summit we headed off to Harrison Stickle. The steepness and rocky terrain of these peaks gives them a big mountain feel despite their relatively low height

Pike of Stickle in the distance but we ran out of time (we had an appointment with a fine bistro in Coniston)

We headed down via the spectacular path that traverses high above the deep ravine of Dungeon Ghyll

The Coniston Fells in the distance (more on those in a later post)

The view along the green fell-lined valley is one of my favourites, quintessentially Lake District

A fabulous afternoon revisiting old mountain friends. I can’t believe it had been so long since I’d done this walk. A day further enhanced by dodging the scandalous £8 parking charge and one of the best meals I’ve had in quite a while. And there was even better to come