Lake District
SECOND-CLASS SUMMITS
1 NY327047 Cross the bridge at the foot of Elterwater village and keep ahead, passing Elterwater Hostel. In 400m, fork right in an uphill lane. This degenerates into rough track up through woods into open fields.
2 NY317038 At the point where the track starts to descend, a gate on the right leads to a path slanting left to another gate. The path then slants uphill, with views over Little Langdale Tarn. After another gate, it zigzags uphill, then rambles along the ridgeline of Lingmoor Fell. There’s a slight dip before the final rise to the main top, with the cairn across a stile on the right.
3 NY302046 Return across the stile and go down a clear path to left of a wall. After 250m, stay left of the wall, down to the little shoulder of Birk Knott. Below this the faint path slants down leftwards for a gap in some rocky ground to reach the road below. Turn right over a cattle grid, to a gate opposite the car park, and a wide, smooth path along the foot of Blea Tarn. Across the outflow stream, take a rough path directly uphill under gloomy conifers, a wall nearby on the left. At the wood top, keep uphill to a gate onto open hill.
4 NY290042 A faint path continues uphill, through summertime bracken, slanting left to rejoin the wall at the start of steeper ground (320m contour). Head up on grass between small outcrops onto flat ground above. The wall here becomes a fence, with a broken stile under some larch trees, also broken. Head up onto a flat shoulder just above.
5 NY286043 The ground above is steep and rocky. For the most straightforward route, cross the flat shoulder south-west and continue slanting up steepening grass, past the foot of a grassy gully with a tree in it. Then slant back up to the left, south-east, on grassy slopes to arrive below the crag of Bleaberry Knott. Head up along the base of the crag, to the flat moorland ridgetop. Cross the pathless rocky moorland westwards. At the steeper summit lump, tend to the right to join the well used path arriving from the road below Side Pike. This slants up, with a few scrambly moments, to the summit cairn, with a second cairn 100m south-east for views towards Windermere.
6 NY271042 From the main summit, drop south into a dip between the two summits, for the path leading down to the col of Red Tarn. Here, take a path down right for Oxendale. There’s a scrambly step across a gill, and some gentle rock slabs to cross. Cross Oxendale Beck on a long footbridge and head downstream, between walls at sheep handling pens, then downvalley to Stool End Farm. Follow its tarmac driveway out to the valley road.
7 NY285059 Turn left to the Old Dungeon Ghyll. Pass up to right of the hotel to a small gate on the left. Head directly uphill to another gate on the right, for a path below climbing crags before dropping to the New Dungeon Ghyll. Pass down to right of the Sticklebarn Tavern and through the car park to the valley road.
8 NY294063 Cross onto a surfaced driveway to Side House farmyard. A footpath gate leads left along the foot of a short field, then slants up to the right. The path works its way downvalley, with a poorly waymarked right turn in front of Oak Howe knoll, to a junction at Oak Howe house. Turn left, on a wide driveway track, keeping to right of the small river. Pass through a riverside camp site to the bridge into Chapel Stile.
9 NY318053 Where the main track bends left towards the nearby road, keep ahead on a walled path, to join the road at the end of the village. Keep ahead
past Wainwright’s Inn, then turn right to cross Great Langdale Beck. Turn left on a cycle path through woods alongside the river. After 350m it eases up right to join a quarry access road. Keep ahead to Elterwater bridge.