A shapely 903-metre fell at the head of Great Langdale, one of the most walked and best loved of the high Lakeland tops
Open accesson open access land, where the right to roam applies
Bowfell is one of those Lake District fells that people come back to again and again, and with good reason. At 903 metres it stands at the head of Great Langdale, a proper pointed summit of piled rock rather than a rounded lump, with big views across to the Scafells and down into the valleys on either side. The most popular way up starts from the road end near the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel and climbs The Band, the long grassy shoulder that leads towards the top.
If you have a head for rough ground, the Climbers’ Traverse is the walk people talk about: a path that cuts across the steep eastern face beneath the crags and passes the Great Slab, a huge tilted sheet of rock, before a scrambly pull to the summit. It is not a climb, but it is hands-on in places and best left for a clear, dry day.
Bowfell sits in good company. The connecting ridge south leads over Crinkle Crags, and Esk Pike is the next top north, so plenty of walkers link them into a longer round. The Langdale Pikes rise across the valley to the east. This is high, exposed ground where the weather turns quickly, so carry a map and warm layers and pick a settled day, because the summit rocks are no place to be caught in low cloud.
More at hill-bagging.co.uk
