It's many years since we decided to set a rule, 'don't go walking in The Langdales at the weekend'. We did that for good reason, it was getting far to busy to enjoy at weekends, but it was only when we joined the long queue of traffic heading up the Langdale Valley that I remembered about our rule. There seemed to be an anxiety to grab the last parking place in the valley as the cars sped towards Dungeon Ghyll. We had planned to park at The Old DG, but the volume of traffic encouraged us to bail out sooner and take a place in The National Trust car park at Stickle Barn. It did seem increadibly busy and we soon learned that we had picked the busiest weekend of the year. It was The Langdale Horseshoe Fellrace!
We reckoned that they probably wouldn't be taking the same route as us anyway and once we got out of hearing distance of proceedings, it wasn't too bad. In fact, the walk up Mickledon was better than 'not too bad', it was pretty spectacular.
Leaving the car park behind us we crossed the fields that took us to The Old Dungeon Ghyll where more mayhem ensued. The car park here was full, every bit of ground along the road was full and a reserve car park for the event (a field) was rapidly filling up. A loud P.A. announcement encouraged runners to get their entrance forms filled in and proceed to kit check, ready for starting. We took the path around the back of the farm and soon we were leaving it all behind us and heading towards the magnificent glaciated valley of Mickledon.
Crinkle Crags and The Band
Custodian of the fells, a Herdwick
Herdwicks under Pike O'Stickle
As the cloud started to break up, shafts of sunlight illuminated different parts of the mountain. This particular sunbeam linked Rosset Ghyll with Bowfell.
This shaft of sunlight etched out the beautiful natural curve of the glaciated valley.
Pike O'Stickle.
Looking back towards the Blea Tarn road.
Looking towards Rosset Pike and Ghyll
My best friend and walking buddy.
The crystal clear waters of Mickledon Beck with Bowfell and Rosset Pike behind.
The small rounded hills are drumlins, a kind of moraine deposited at the end of the last ice age by the Langdale glacier.
At tis point the path divides. To the left, Rosset Ghyll and Esk Hause and to the right, Stake Pass and The Cumbria Way. Esk Hause is a wonderful place, it feels like the centre of The Lake District. It is the meeting point of valleys coming up from Langdale, Eskdale and Borrowdale, a little further on and the Wasdale Valley joins the group.
The signpost was out turning point for today and we made our way back along the track we had spent the morning on, enjoying 'the sights and sounds and intruiges of nature's beauty'.
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