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Langdale to Borrowdale by the high route

19th &20th April 2013

Route.  Day 1 - O.D.G - Stool End - Oxendale - Whorneyside Force - Buscoe - Climbers Traverse - Great Slab - Bowfell - Esk Pike -Great End - Esk Hause shelter - Allen Crags - High House tarn. ( about 8 miles 4000ft ascent)

Day 2 - High House tarn - Looking Steads - Glaramara - Combe Head - Combe Door - Rosthwaite Cam - Tarn At Leaves - Bessyboot - The Combe - Strands Bridge. (About 5 miles 700 ft ascent)

Having not camped since October and with a couple of aborted outings over the winter I was determined to get out on the fells and the weather looked good for Friday and Saturday

I was back on public transport for this trip so it was just after eleven when I set of along the access road to Stool End farm. I was originally going to climb  to Bowfell by the Band (seen here on the right) but I changed my mind and went along Oxendale and followed the path by Hell Gill and Buscoe Sike.

Pike o' Stickle in the sunshine. 

I swear the bridge was like this when I found it :-)

 There has been heavy rain and snowmelt which must have knocked the bridge over

Luckily I didn't need to cross the broken bridge and I just followed the stream up to Whorneyside Force.

The bottom of Hell Gill where it meets Oxendale Beck

Looking over to Pike o' Blisco- a fine shapely mountain

The path by Buscoe Sike comes out near the top of the Band but I cut across to the Climbers Traverse, a narrow airy trod which skirts around Bowfell and leads to Bowfell Buttress.

Still a bit of snow about just to make the path that bit more interesting.

Climbing up the Great Slab.

On Bowfell now looking down into a sunny Langstrath.

From Bowfell I took the clear path by Ore gap and climbed up to Esk Pike. This is the final summit rock.

Hazy Skiddaw and Derwentwater from Esk Pike..

My next destination. Great End

Ill Crag on the left then Broad Crag and then Scafell Pike.

A little corner of Wasdale from Great End.

I retraced my steps down Great End and made for Esk Hause. Esk Pike and Bowfell seen from the path down.

Sprinkling Tarn with Great Gable Beyond from Allen Crags.

The Glaramara ridge is a lovely walk, peppered with little tarns and rocky outcrops. This is looking across to Bowfell from one of the Lincomb Tarns.

I camped just over the brow from High House Tarn as the ground was quite wet near the Tarn itself.

Angletarn Gill roars down the fellside.

I was up early on Saturday and was rewarded with a lovely sunrise and inversion over Langdale.

.

Great and Green Gable lit by the morning sun

As is Great End. I hadn't realised I had a neighbour ( camped on the other side of the tarn) 

The cloud rolling over stake Pass

 

I tried to capture it on video

On Glaramara now and the inversion looks to be over the Keswick to Grasmere valley as well

From Glaramara I made a bee-line for Combe Head

The top of Lingmoor fell just visible in the cloud.

Rosthwaite Cam

Looking down on Tarn at Leaves with Bessyboot behind from Rosthwaite Cam

Down at the tarn now looking up to Bessyboot, my last climb of the day.

And looking back over Rosthwaite Cam to Combe head.

Waterfalls in the beck on the walk down.

Unusually for me I timed the bus perfectly and arrived at the bus stop a few minutes before the eleven o'clock bus. The open top buses were running today so I took one last picture Derwentwater with Skiddaw behind.

 

Last walk -Dove Crag  - Next walk - Angletarn Pikes