Langdale Pikes (Part 2)

Wednesday 14th September 2022

Continuing on from Part 1, I had reached the plateau of the Langdale Pikes and stopped for lunch. Now, I must walk on towards the true Harrison Stickle before the rest of my walk.

This was one of those days where the MetOffice had suggested it was going to be overcast and dry… While they got the latter part correct, I’d seen a lot of blue sky already, even if it wasn’t to be a cloudless scene.

I wasn’t alone, up amongst these pikes. Was I the only one a bit perplexed by my precise whereabouts? Were other walkers equally assuming they were further along in their course than in reality?

That would be Pike of the Stickle, the last of the pikes that I would head for in this outing. I must’ve taken this photo from Harrison Stickle, if not Loft Crag.

It must’ve been at the summit of Loft Crag, where I met a group of walkers from… I want to say the Philippines. But I absolutely cannot be certain! They were from Asia but also friendly and spoke English quite well. We talked about how we’d enjoyed our days.

Small cairns would mark the way from here on. Seeing an aiming for the pikes seemed straightforward enough. But the landscape would dip and turn under its own will.

I began climbing steps towards Pike of Stickle and continued along a path that… Met an abrupt end. Almost turning back in defeat, I noticed a slender path now up to my right and scrambled my way to the cairn on top.

Looking back to the other Langdale Pikes.

Leaving them all behind now, I would head north-westward across Martcrag Moor. There were worn paths on the ground to follow and no need for me to attempt an incorrect diversion across moorland!

I was heading for a pile of stones where I’d then join the Cumbria Way. At the same point, I could take the optional there-and-back route to the trig point of High Raise – the highest point in this locality…

On paper, it didn’t look too bad – which only shows that I’ve learnt nothing from my time in the Cairngorms in June! I would’ve had to cross a steep valley before beginning a longer climb. To then repeat all in reverse and return to this same point.

I’m sure that trig pillar will still be standing on another day.

Following the Cumbria Way was easy. Although there was no waymarking specific to this route (it’s not an official National Trail). But this was to be another ‘painful’ mountain day for me, with a very long descent and miles of stone steps to shock my knees.

But the valley floor was undeniably beautiful and this route levelled out as I crossed the wooden footbridge.

Another satisfying walk in the Lake District, then! I’d been looking forward to this one and it had certainly delivered. Being under nine miles in length, I’d deemed it as one of my ‘easier’ walks of the week… But that would become an understatements. Walking beside a lake, mere or water up here is probably the only definition of easy!

Link to my route on OS Maps

Thanks for reading.