Height: 696 metres / 2283 feet Grid reference: NY 25965 04273
Great Knott from Cold Pike
Looking across Red Tarn to Great Knott, the Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell
Great Knott
Cold Pike
Start point: Three Shire Stone (NY 277 027)
Three Shire Stone – Rough Crags – Cold Pike – Great Knott – Red Tarn – Pike O’ Blisco – Black Crag – Three Shire Stone
Distance: 4 miles Total Ascent: 600 metres Time Taken: 2 hours
Weather: Cold and clear. 2oC.
After the poor weather recently, it was nice to get a clear day and blue skies again for a walk up to Cold Pike and Pike o’ Blisco, starting from the Three Shire Stone. The wind on the summit of Cold Pike was incredibly biting, but once out of the wind and back into the sunshine it soon warmed up nicely – a lovely day for a great walk.
Pike o’ Blisco
Start point: Three Shire Stone (NY 277 027)
Three Shire Stone – Rough Crags – Cold Pike – Great Knott – Red Tarn – Pike O’ Blisco – Black Crag – Three Shire Stone
Distance: 4 miles Total Ascent: 600 metres Time Taken: 3 hours
Weather: Sunny intervals but a lot cooler. 12°C.
The weather felt distinctly colder today on this walk from the top of the Wrynose Pass to Cold Pike and Pike o’ Blisco. Today was the day John Patterson completed his round of the Wainwrights, his 214th fell being the Pike o’ Blisco, and I met up with him and a group of friends en route to help him achieve a 40 year goal and to celebrate with champagne (of course!).
Pike o' Blisco
Cold Pike from the approach to Red Tarn.
Harter Fell. The Wrynose Pass road can be seen snaking down the valley.
Swirl How, Great Carrs and Grey Friar across the Wrynose Pass.
Looking across Red Tarn to Great Knott, the Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell.
Pike o' Blisco and Red Tarn from the ascent of Cold Pike.
The Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell from Cold Pike.
Great Knott from Cold Pike.
Pike o' Blisco from Great Knott.
Angus on the summit of Great Knott.
Great Langdale and the Eastern Fells from Pike o' Blisco.
The Langdale Pikes across Mickleden.
Champagne for John Patterson on his 214th and final Wainwright, Pike o' Blisco.
Some names to faces on the summit.
Crinkle Crags
Start point: The Old Dungeon Ghyll car park (NY 286 062)
Old Dungeon Ghyll – Pike O’ Blisco (61) – Red Tarn – Cold Pike (62) – Great Knott (63) – Crinkle Crags (64 – 68) – Shelter Crags (69) – 3 Tarns – Bowfell (70) – Climbers Traverse – White Stones on The Band (71) – The Band – Old Dungeon Ghyll
Weather: Sunny with scattered showers.
Today’s round is a high ridge round with great views of the Langdale Pikes and the Scafell range. Today started off sunny, but the clouds on the tops looked ominous.
Up the tarmac from The Old Dungeon Ghyll car park, past Wall End and then a right turn onto the fell side for the ascent of Pike O' Blisco. This view of Mickleden over Wall End is from the road.
The path to Pike O' Blisco is a steep stairway. This view of the Langdale Pikes is from the path. The path eventually levels out and the summit dome of Pike O' Blisco is reached by a rocky scramble.
The rain set in as I reached the top. Here Windermere can be seen from Pike O' Blisco summit.
Red Tarn from the descent of Pike O' Blisco. The route I took was around the far left of the tarn from this view and then straight up the side of Cold Fell following the (electric) fence all the way to the summit.
Pike O' Blisco from the summit of Cold Pike. Then it's an easy descent to the main path going to Crinkle Crags and striking northwards from the path I headed for Great Knott summit.
The Crinkle Crags from (a rainy) Great Knott summit. Great views of the Crinkle Crags ahead now, the main path is hard to miss.
The second Crinkle, Mickle Door and the third Crinkle across Great Cove. There are five Crinkles in all, each is a separate summit. The highest summit is the second Crinkle, named Long Top. The Crinkle Crags can be a very confusing place in mist as the path does not follow a direct line. At the start of the second Crinkles ascent, there is a vertical rock face approximately 3 metres high known as 'the bad step'. This requires either climbing the rock or circumventing the step by following the path to the left flank of the buttress.
The first Crinkle, left looking to the Scafells..
and the Third Crinkle looking over Mickleden.
Windermere from Long Top, the second Crinkle.
The Langdale Pikes from the fourth Crinkle, left and the Coniston fells from the fifth Crinkle, named Gunson Knott. When walking the ridge it appears there are more than five Crinkles, indeed there seems to be seven. The first top after the Crinkles is named Shelter Crags and there is a further un-named peak just before the descent to Three Tarns.
Bowfell from the summit of Shelter Crags. As the cloud was clearing, I decided to press on to Bowfell.
Bowfell looms over Three Tarns. The steep path can clearly be seen rising up to the summit.
It was well worth climbing Bowfell for the spectacular views. Here Lingcove Beck, Hard Knott, Harter Fell and Black Combe can be seen from the summit.
A distant Grasmoor, Eel Crag, Sail and Grisedale Pike over Brandreth and Allen Crags from Bowfell.
Scafell, Mickledore, Scafell Pike and Ill Crag from Bowfell.
Pillar from Bowfell. From here I took a different line of descent from the route of ascent. Following the path known as the climbers traverse from the summit alongside the Great Slab, a gigantic slab of steeply angled rock
The Great Slab of Flat Crags
Pike O' Blisco and the Coniston Fells from the climbers traverse. From the climbers traverse, a path known as The Band is joined. Just north of the path is the appropriately named White Stones.
The Langdale Pikes from the summit of White Stones on The Band. Picking up The Band again, it was a simple descent to Stool End and The Old Dungeon Ghyll car park.