A moderate route in Central Fells. Check the GPS track on Outdooractive for full details of the route, waypoints, and terrain.
Starting Point: NT Great Langdale Campsite (NY 288 058). Alternatively, parking is available at the NT car park at the New Dungeon Ghyll (NY 294 063) — free for NT members. Starting from the car park reduces the total distance by approximately one mile.
Terrain: Road, campsite path, steep ghyll path, tarn path, rocky crag ascent, fell plateau, summit ridge, scramble, steep descent, valley path, Cumbria Way, beck path, bridge Notable features: Stickle Ghyll, Stickle Tarn, Easy Gully, Pavey Ark (697m — Wainwright 1), Thunacar Knott (723m — Wainwright 2), Harrison Stickle (736m — Wainwright 3), Pike of Stickle (709m — Wainwright 4), Loft Crag (682m — Wainwright 5), Mark Gate, Dungeon Ghyll Force, Cumbria Way, 5 Wainwrights IMPORTANT — MOUNTAIN SAFETY: This is a serious mountain walk with nearly 800m of ascent over technically demanding terrain. The ascent to Pavey Ark involves rocky crags and requires careful route-finding. The Pike of Stickle involves a scramble near the summit. The descent from Loft Crag via Mark Gate is very steep and requires great care. Full mountain kit is essential. Check the weather forecast carefully before setting out.
Few walks in the Lake District can match the Langdale Pikes circuit for concentrated drama and reward per kilometre. Starting from the Great Langdale Campsite — or the NT car park for non-campers — the climb up Stickle Ghyll to Stickle Tarn sets the scene immediately, with the great crag face of Pavey Ark rearing above the tarn and promising the excitement to come. The ascent through the crags to the Pavey Ark plateau is a proper mountain moment, and the five summits that follow — Pavey Ark, Thunacar Knott, Harrison Stickle, Pike of Stickle and Loft Crag — each have their own distinct character and reward. Pike of Stickle is the outstanding highlight: its unmistakable cone profile, the short but thrilling scramble to its summit, and the knowledge that Neolithic people were quarrying axes from these very screes thousands of years ago combine to make it one of the great Lakeland summits. The descent from Loft Crag via Mark Gate demands respect — the first section is very steep and needs care — but the path eases before delivering you past Dungeon Ghyll Force and back to the valley on the Cumbria Way. The views throughout are among the finest in the Lake District, and on a clear day the panorama from Harrison Stickle across the length of Great Langdale is a sight to treasure. A brilliant, brilliant walk.