Tuesday 7 August 2018

The Lovely Langdales. . .

Despite my many trips to the Lake District, last Sunday was my first time walking among the Langdale Pikes.  It's an area that my walking group regularly frequents (and now I know why!) but we had always been busy whenever it came up in the schedule.

And all I can say is WOW!  This is a post where really all the photos can speak for themselves - we had perfect weather and perfect views. It was a circular walk about 8.5 miles.

From the National Trust parking lot, it was straight up into the climbing, but on a very good, stony-stepped path.  You can see how popular this area is - almost all the paths we went on were well-maintained.


This is about halfway up looking back on the valley. The path follows Stickle Ghyll.




And ends up at Stickle Tarn.  At the opposite end is Pavey Ark and there is a diagonal scramble of a path called Jack's Rake. My partner went up that, but he was on the harder walk - I don't have a head for prolonged scrambling so was happy to just skirt the tarn.


We then started heading up Harrison Stickle with lovely views looking back on the tarn.  You can also see Lake Windermere in the distance.


At the top was time for a break and a bit of knitting. That little round knob of a hill in the middle is Pike O'Stickle which we headed for after lunch.



It looks a little bigger as you get closer.


This was one of those walks where you had spectacular views in every direction. Here on the top, you can just see the top of Great Gable disappearing into the clouds with Green Gable beside it. 


Looking back on Loft Crag.


We then descended over glorious moorland with spectacular views in every direction - you can see Skiddaw in the distance.




I love the dramatic play of light and shadow on the landscape. It was such a stunning day out in the hills.



We then came across these huge bags full of Herdwick fleece.  My guess is that it'll be used in much of the path repairs taking place in this area. The wool forms a good barrier between the bog and the stone path.



Finally we swerved around and returned back along this valley path.  Definitely a walk for the top ten list!


1 comment:

Anne A said...

So fabulous! Very glad the weather was kind to you. Good to see a practical use for the fleeces.