This was to be the last walk of our visit to the Lakes in 2017. It was Thursday, the weather was turning, all day rain was promised for Friday and Saturday we had to go home. So despite cloud covering the hills we set off for Langdale in the hope it may clear enough to get at least occasional views,
We parked in the National Trust car park at the Old Dungeon Ghyll hotel and headed into Oxendale via Stool End Farm. After a few hundred yards we crossed the beck via a footbridge and set off steeply up to Brown How. The path has been built using beck stones and though it greatly aids the climb the local farmer told us that in winter it is very slippery and there are often accidents. At last the gradient eased and we walked above Browney Gill up to a path junction near Red Tarn. From here there is about a mile of badly eroded path past Great Knott which ends at a short scramble onto the first Crinkle.
Unfortunately by now we were in the mist with visibility only 10-20 yards for most of our journey across the Crinkles. We missed the “Bad Step” and took the path around the side to the top of the second Crinkle (Long Top) and carried on along the ridge as best we could. To be honest we could have been anywhere as there was no break in the clouds at all until we got to the end of the ridge at Three Tarns.
After a brief rest we headed off down the Band, stopping at White Rocks for lunch, only to see the clouds lift as we ate. Not only that but by the time we got down to Stool End the sun was out and it was getting pretty hot. It’s so frustrating when that happens, but on the plus side Linda is now determined to go again in good weather to see what we missed.
