Lingmoor Fell & Great Langdale
1 NY327047 Start at the bridge below Elterwater village. Follow the road south to a tarmac lane on the right (challenging bike route to Coniston). In 200m, turn right on a lane. In 400m turn left up a rough path, signed for Little Langdale to join a rough track above (ignore that Little Langdale bridleway ahead across the track). The rough track passes below a slate quarry onto open hill. After crossing a stream, turn up left at a waymark. A green path leads directly uphill, to the ridgeline wall above. Pass through a wall gap, and follow the wall up right, to Lingmoor Fell summit.
2 NY302046 Continue north-west down the ridgeline, on a rough peaty path. After 750m, keep ahead over a rocky knoll and down behind it to rejoin the ridgeline wall. Where it meets a side-wall from the right cross a stile on the left, and continue down to a fence gate in the col below Side Pike. The path runs up to the crag, then follows its base round to the left, behind a small pinnacle. It’s tight – well-built walkers may need to descend to the road below, to turn back up Side Pike from map point 4. Once past the pinnacle, the path spirals up to the right on the west side of the summit. The top is a small rock fin.
3 NY293053 Return by the same path at first, bearing right to continue downhill to left of a broken wall. You cross a hummock with a cairn, and soon after this the path bears down right, through a gap in the wall, and descends in rough zigzags down the western end of the hill. Below the steepest ground the path slants down to the left, passing through a kissing gate in a new fence. Just ahead is a second kissing gate with signpost, leading onto the road at its highest point.
4 NY289051 Take a path down to right of the road. Where the road bends left, the path continues directly downhill to the valley floor, where it enters the large camp site. Exit left, and take the road to the
right. Where it bends right, keep ahead across the ancient bridge to Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.
NY285060 Pass 5 up to left of the buildings, then take the upper of two gates to pass above the buildings
into a walled wide path. After 1km it descends to the New Dungeon Ghyll. Below Sticklebarn Tavern, don’t use the main exit driveway, but bear right through a car park to the Langdale road 200m further up-valley. Cross into the track across the valley floor to Side House.
6 NY295060 A gate to left of the buildings leads to a path slanting left up a field, then contouring above a wall, just up from the valley floor, to the large stone barn at Oak Howe. Turn right on a wide path, running down-valley to Baysbrown farm. Keep ahead above the buildings onto a tarmac lane. It runs uphill at first, through Baysbrown Wood. It passes above an active slate quarry, to rejoin the tarmac lane at the start of the route. Turn down left to Elterwater.