Pike O'Stickle - MASARNEN RAMBLERS

Pike O'Stickle - Sunday 6 July 2014

Route

New Dungeon Ghyll (NDG) - Pike How - Thorn Crag - Harrison Combe - Pike O'Stickle - Mark Gate - NDG

Parking

NDG (Charge) - Grid Ref NY296064

Mileage

4.2 miles

Terrain

Good mountain paths although care needs to be taken close to the top of Dungeon Ghyll near Thorn Crag as the path slants across the lower slopes of Harrison Stickle. Though the ascent of Pike O'Stickle looks challenging, in good weather the scramble to the top is not difficult.

Weather

Gloriously sunny, great visibility and no wind

Time Taken

3hrs

Total Ascent

2368ft (722m)

Wainwrights

1

Map

OL6 - The English Lakes (South Western Area)

GPX File

gpx pike_ostickle.gpx

If the above GPX file fails to download or presents itself as an XML file once downloaded then please feel free to contact me and I will send you the GPX file via e-mail.

Walk Description

We thought ourselves mad. Driving out to Langdale on a gloriously sunny Sunday, on the day of the Langdale Gala to walk up a very popular route to Pike O'Stickle - we were asking for trouble. We arrived in Langdale just after 1400 and managed to park quite easily in the Car Park opposite the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. Both Sticklebarn and the Hotel were busy as we walked through the grounds to the path behind the Hotel. Most of the people we saw today were coming off the hill and once we were beyond Pike How we saw nobody until we returned to the car. It just goes to show that there are occasions when you think it is going to be busy on the more popular fells and then you find it isn't.

As we made our way up the good path to Pike How it was important to remember to look back down over Langdale to see the exceptional views all around. The visibility today was superb and we were lucky to see Langdale in all its glory. The path makes a zig zag to the summit of Pike How and then levels out to provide a nice steady ascent up to the path junctions at Harrison Combe. Just before this point, the path runs parallel with a ravine and care is required when transiting across the slope of Harrison Stickle to the path junction.

From Harrison Combe the unmistakeable domed summit of Pike O'Stickle comes into view and this was a different scenario than the one we encountered on our last visit here (link) when we were unable to reach the top because of the very strong winds that day. Today was different and we made our way across Harrison Combe safe in the knowledge that today we would be able to get to the top and see the superb views from the summit. From the base of the dome there are numerous paths to the top and it is just a question of enjoying some basic scrambling to attain the summit cairn. From the summit the views over the head of Mickleden to Bowfell are amazing as are the views back to Loft Crag & Harrison Stickle. A panorama par excellence!

We descended via Mark Gate which is a good path back to the Hotel and once there left the revellers to it. A pint of something cold was taken in Wainwright's Bar in Chapel Stile. Today was 3 hours of sheer bliss up on a beautiful fell.