Explore with Amie

I probably say this all the time but, this was hands down one of the best walks that I’ve ever been on. It was snowy and beautiful! I’ve been so excited to share this one with you because, I think even without the snow, this walk probably has some of the best views in the Lakes. I’ve found my new favourite place in the world, I can tell you that. The Langdales are a popular area of the Lakes and, despite if being March, that was the case when we were there. I can see why though as this walk can be easily broken down to manageable areas. For example, walking up to Sickle Tarn would be great for beginners, though it does require crossing a stream on rocks but, that was as difficult as it got. But then, if you want to venture further, you have so many Wainwrights in the area. Plus, if you’re an advanced hiker, Jack’s Rake is there to be conquered. The opportunities are vast. However, this route is a great one that I would highly recommend giving a go.

The walk begins by heading up many many steps towards Stickle Tarn. This is the part of the walk that would be very accessible to non-hikers and well worth the trek to the top. The weather was absolutely glorious on the day that we completed this hike and we were taking of all out layers as we walked up these steps. It is a well trodden and easily followed path too. You can cross a bridge and then back across the water using rocks as stepping stones higher up, or you have the option of staying on the same side. We opted to cross and then came back down the side side of the river later on but, that is completely up to you. Both are probably the same difficulty if you’re okay with heading across the river.

Stickle Tarn is beautiful. I was blown away when we reached the top as I had never walked up here before. Alex had but, it was still phenomenal to experience. The snow capped mountains in the background whilst the sun shone on the water….it was one of those moments that just blow you away. It was the perfect conditions to witness it for the first time. I imagine this is an incredibly popular spot during the summer months but I completely understand why. You get some beautiful views from the edge of the tarn although, there are some even better views of the tarn later on in this walk. I mean, the pictures speak for themselves here. Just look at it!

We had hoped to head up Easy Gully but, there was much more snow on the ground than expected and we don’t own spikes or anything like that so we opted to go around. To be honest, the path that we chose did involve some clambering and minor scrambling and that was really fun. It wasn’t dangerous without spikes though many people were wearing them – if it was, we would not have continued. It was challenging but, manageable. It was a great experience and felt very rewarding when we reached the top. Very very advanced hikers can attempt to climb Pavey Arc via Jack’s Rake but, I’m not quite ready for that yet. It would have been impossible and highly dangerous in the conditions on this hike anyway, even if we had wanted to. So, that is one wainwright down for this walk!

From Pavey Arc, we headed across to number two: Thunacar Knott which is 723m above sea level. Although I have mapped this walk on paths for you, we didn’t actually stick to the paths because they were impossible to see underneath all the snow. It was very deep in places so, the best and easiest way for us to get around was to use the footprints of others. This mean’t that we often didn’t go the most direct route from peak to peak but, it was a lot of fun. From Thuncar Knott to High Raise, we followed a path that seemingly only one man and his dog had taken (and I mean that literally). The man must have been over 6ft because I had to basically leap between his footprints, haha! It saved us from getting completely soaked though.

At High Raise, the highest peak on this walk at 762m and the highest peak in the Central Fells area of the Lake District, we stopped to have our lunch. I mean, what a lunch spot. It was absolutely incredible. Yes, the snow made it a little cold but, honestly it didn’t bother me at all. It was very much worth it. You just can’t beat views like these.

But, arguably the best view of all came at the fourth and final Wainwright that we bagged on this route, Sergant Man. You can look across at the tarn and Pavey Arc from here and it really is spectacular. The pictures on this post are going to speak for themselves. Technically, Sergant Man is a second summit of High Raise, but Arthur Wainwright dedicated a full chapter to it so it has been given the title of a Wainwright nonetheless. It is worthy of the title in my opinion, even just so people head over here and take in the views.

From there, it was a walk back down to the side of the tarn and back down the waterfall – which was much quieter at this time – and then back to the car. I can’t tell you how satisfying this route was. It’s not the longest route ever or necessarily the most challenging but, with the weather conditions, it was the perfect day. You should definitely give this one a go for yourselves!

If you would like to do so, you can check out the link to the route HERE or follow the step by step instructions below.

Start Point: New Dungeon Ghyll Car Park

1. Head across the road and past the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. Continue straight past the holiday cottage and through the gate.
2. Take the path to the left and then head right alongside the river. It should be on your right.
3. Continue up the path before crossing the bridge across the river.
4. Follow the path up the steps.
5. Cross the river using the rocks as stepping stones and continue up the left hand side of the waterfall to Stickle Tarn.
6. Once you reach the tarn, follow the path to the right, skirting the water. You should see Jack’s Rake on the opposite side of the tarn.
7. Follow the path as it bends to the left. Ignore the path that heads towards Jack’s Rake and keep right to follow the path around the rocky outcrop.
8. Continue to follow this path as it climbs up to Pavey Arc.
9. From Pavey Arc, follow the path straight to the peak to Thuncar Knott. You may have to head to the right slightly.
10. Follow the path to the right from Thuncar Knott and head up to High Raise. You should be able to see the peak in the distance.
11. From the peak of High Raise, take the path towards Sergeant Man. The path we followed skirted the boundary posts and then headed down to the left but, this was under snow at the time and there may be a more direct route available.
12. Once you reach Sergeant Man, follow the path to the left and then as it bends to the right back down towards the tarn.
13. Retrace your steps around Stickle Tarn and back down the river. You can opt to follow the same route down or follow the river on the right hand side until you reach the bottom.
14. Head back down the path and across the road to the car park.

End Point: New Dungeon Ghyll Car Park

That’s the end of the route! It’s not a long route but a fabulous one and I hope you can see that from the photographs.

Let me know if you do this one!

Amie x