Esk Pike & Bow Fell
The forgotten fell, by a route nobody but you has ever been on (perhaps). Ronald Turnbull urges you up the rocky side of Esk Pike then on to Bow Fell.
Abrand new fell that nobody knows about and that never got named! Okay, you're not going to say that about Lakeland today. But when they did last say it, back in 1876, that undiscovered peak was Esk Pike. To find Esk Pike as if for the first time, take it by the untrodden east flank above Angle Tarn. It's one of those Lake District ascents of bare rock and little grassy terraces all over. The rocks are clean, grippy, and gently angled. Whatever route you choose, chances are your line has never been used before, unless your first ascent already got snatched by a sheep. Esk Pike leads naturally to Bow Fell. And to add some adventure to the afternoon, descend alongside the Great Slab to the great hollow below Bow Fell Buttress. You won't see many other people in this stony scoop – but you will see an awful lot of Great Langdale, stretched directly below your feet.
A narrow, exciting path, the Climbers' Traverse, leads across the high slope above Mickleden. And down The Band's well-pathed ridgeline, you can look along Langdale in a more relaxed frame of mind, and try and decide between the three inviting inns down there.