Helm Crag and Langdale Pikes
1
NY337076 From Grasmere centre, take Easedale Road north-west to cross Goody Bridge. In another 250m take a driveway forking right to Lancrigg hotel. Pass along its front for a path in open woods, gently uphill. After a pond down on the left, fork right, to emerge from woods at a gate.
2
NY327085 Keep ahead to a junction, where you fork up right on a well built path. It winds up below quarried rock faces then zigzags up the Easedale flank of Helm Crag to the ridgeline high above Grasmere. The path turns up the ridgeline to the first summit rocks, then along the summit ridge to the upstanding Howitzer rock, the true summit. Scramble up the near (south) corner on good holds.
3
NY326093 A rebuilt path leads down north-west to a col, then up the ridgeline of Gibson Knott. There’s no distinct summit. The path continues along the brink of Far Easedale to the cairned rise of Calf Crag. .Then it descends to a major path junction above the head of Far Easedale.
4
NY295102 Keep ahead south-west for 200m, then as the path starts to ascend contour ahead, crossing Mere Beck, to Birks Gill. Scramble the stream bed, or go up grass to left of it. As the slope eases, continue up south-west to find High Raise’s sprawling shelter cairn and trig point.
5
NY280095 A faint path leads south, through a shallow dip, to the flat top of Thunacar Knott. It’s now pathless, aiming towards the rocky tower of Harrison Stickle, around or over a preliminary moorland knoll. Behind this, bear down right to dip across the soggy Harrison Combe and arrive at the north side of Pike of Stickle’s rocky hump. A well-used path slants up through the rocks, with more direct scrambly lines, or circle round to the left (east) side for more challenging lines to the top.
6
NY273074 Return down the rock knoll and turn down right on a wide path, east, to cross Dungeon Gill beck. The ascending path’s right fork is steeper, somewhat rocky, and more direct to Harrison Stickle summit. Descend briefly north-west, then bear round right on the path towards Pavey Ark. Before the first rock knoll, turn down right, on a steep path with cairns, to cross the outflow of Stickle Tarn.
7
NY288075 Continue along the tarn side to its east corner. Here the main path bends left, but fork onto a smaller path ahead, north-east but with a dog-leg right to pass around a swamp. It rises to a wide ridgeline. Head up left to a cairn (NY292082) which is taken as the Wainwright summit of
Blea Rigg. Beyond it, at a very slight col, a path with some cairns turns back down to the right (east). It’s quite easy to miss in mist, but in clear weather you can see Codale Tarn below and glimpse Easedale Tarn at a lower level. The path descends quite steeply at first, to join a little stream valley down to Easedale Tarn.
8
NY303084 The path runs to the right of Easedale Tarn. Don’t cross the outflow but take the main path down above Sour Milk Gill to the valley floor. It runs beside the beck then across a field to cross a slantwise track. Now walled, the path rejoins the stream, then crosses footbridges to Easedale Road. Head back down it, across Goody Bridge. Take the path on the right alongside the road; it bends away right, to pass around the edge of Grasmere to join a tarred track. Turn left down this to the corner of Grasmere.