It's Bowfell, but Knott as I knew it - No photos today
Today will be another attempt to see the view from Esk Pike, on my previous three visits I have arrived at the summit in dense mist. As I set off from the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel up Mickleden the mist can’t escape from the valleys but I am hopeful that it will have cleared by the time I reach Esk Hause.
I prefer the climb directly up Rossett Gill to the old, easier path although I prefer the old route for descent. There are plenty of walkers ascending the Gill but there are no others beyond Angle Tarn up towards Esk Hause. As I reach the top of the footpath, it is quite misty and I sit down near the shelter to enjoy the stillness and quietness, the spell is broken by the sound of an aeroplane that passes overhead.
At Esk Hause itself there are several groups of walkers, another busy day on Scafell Pike? I set off for Esk Pike alone again, a fine, safe walk over rocky footpaths up to the fine viewpoint of the summit. The mist is patchy but the views are satisfying, if brief – the Scafell group bathed in sunshine showing off some fine crags. Esk Pike is a fine mountain, it shouldn’t be as neglected as it is.
Down to Ore Gap, I can see that Bowfell is a big mountain but the view from Esk Pike makes it look dull. Instead of following the cairned path to the summit, as the path bears right I head off left for the ridge that I hope will lead me to Hanging Knotts and wonderful views of Angle Tarn.
There are a couple of cairns and occasional signs of a footpath path on the climb up to a large cairn as the high ridge is reached, the view along the length of Langstrath is excellent. Southwards to Bowfell there are some ancient looking cairns but no path and no view as the mist has returned. The popular path is rejoined for the final rocky ascent to Bowfell summit, a popular place but today I have it to myself.
The plan was to go down to Three Tarns and then go over to Crinkle Crags, but as I got to the Great Slab there were walkers coming up from the Climbers Traverse path. This is a path that I have not used before so I thought I would use that way of getting to Three Tarns.
I missed the path that turns off to the right at the waterspout at the bottom of Cambridge Crags and I descended over greasy boulders hoping to pick up the path. By the time I realised that I had missed the path I was a long way down, better to carry on than to re-climb the boulders. The view of Bowfell Buttress made the awkward descent well worth the effort.
I then made a traverse over pathless boulders, scree and wet grass to a point where I could see the skyline, a scramble up to the ridge above and within twenty yards I had found the other end of the Climbers Traverse. I decided I would find out where I went wrong so I followed the path back the way I came, this is an excellent high level path, safe but more exhilarating and more exposed than Pillar’s High Level route and with much better views.
Having arrived back at the waterspout I couldn’t work out where the upwards path was, I followed a path over the scree and started an awkward slippery climb up the scree when I recognised the Great Slab on the other side of the waterspout. So I have another pathless scramble across scree and slippery boulders before I climb back up to my starting point at the top of the Great Slab.
Down to Three Tarns the conventional way and then down the Band, I’ve used too much energy to attempt Crinkle Crags now but I’ve found a fine new way of getting there in future.
Andy Wallace 22nd September 2001