A great few days in the high fells over Thursday and Friday, setting off late morning on Thursday we climbed from Wha House in the Eskdale Valley to Slight Side and Scafell, meeting the cloud as we climbed to Scafell.

From Scafell we descended by Fox's Tarn to re-climb by Mickledore to Scafell Pike.

After a short break on the sumit we continued over Brad crag and Ill Crag to Esk Hause, desceding on the Borowdale side to our camp site, with views over Borrowdale and Great Gable.

Although there was a little cloud covering the high tops we had some great views through the evening with most tops eventally clearing.

On Friday we set off just after 8.30 to climb to the summit of Esk Pike before continuing to Bowfell, wonderful clear views from the summit including a great views of yesterdays route over the Scafells.

As we descended to Three Tarns the cloud blew over us, covering Bowfell behind and the Crinkle Crags ahead, we continued along the Crinkles ridge stopping on the summit of Long Top for our lunch before descenting to Red Tarn and down to Great Langdale.

A fantastic day above Langdale today climbing from the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel we headed up climbing to the summit of Pike O'Blisco, great weather so far although some of the high tops were in cloud, including the Crinkles and Bowfell.

We continued past Red Tarn and up the gentle path to the First Crinkle, the cloud was coming and going over the ridge all the climb, but by the time we reached the First Crinkle the cloud had lifted, we stopped here for our lunches before continuing onto the second top, Long Top, the highest of the Crinkle Crags, via the 'Bad Step'.

After a brief stop on each of the remaining Crinkles we continued over the Shelter Crags down to Three Tarns before climbing the steep path to the summit of Bowfell, the Scafells were still in a little cloud but all other tops were clear by now, although it did look very dark further east over Hight Street and the Pennines.

We descended to the top of Bowfell to the top of the Great Slab, descending over the Slab to the base of Bowfell Buttress and following the Climbers Traverse to meet the top of The Band path and followed this down to the valley and back to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.

A fantastic days walking.

A great day on the Crinkle Crags today, yesterdays rain meant that all the waterfalls were full and spectacular.

We climbed from the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel to Red Tarn and followed the ridge over the Crinkles, stopping for lunch on the first crinkle before climbing to Long Top, the highest Crinkle via the 'Bad Step'.

We were just in the cloud on the tops with occasional views down into Langdale and Eskdale, but as we descended towards Three Tarns we dropped below the cloud base and were rewarded with some great views all around.

We descended in sunshine down The Band to Stool End Farm and back to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.

A wonderful day on Bowfell and the Crinkles today, we  set off from the Old Dungeon Ghyll in Langdale at 10am and climbed along The Band, into the thick cloud pretty quickly. This continued as we climbed towards the Climbers Traverse path, the snow was getting thicker as we climbed, but at this level it was still pretty wet snow, we decided against the Climbers Traverse path and climbed directly to the summit, emerging from the cloud as we climbed, through now thicker and firmer drier snow.

We were rewarded with a Brocken Spectre as we climbed towards the summit. We took shelter  from the cool wind on the summit of Bowfell and watched as the cloud blew over the Scafell Range while we ate our sandwiches.

After lunch we descended to Three Tarnsas we ppassed the top of the Great Slab we saw another Brocken Spectre, over the slab. We descended to Three Tarns and followed the ridge climbing onto the Crinkles. The snow at three tarns was a little wetter again, but it improved again as we climbed onto the Crinkle Crags.

The skies cleared throughout the afternoon giving us some wonderful views from Long Top, the highest of the Crinkles. We descended by Bad Step and crossed the final Crinkle and followed the long slope down to Red Tarn and the Brown Howe path down to Oxendale and the Langdale Valley, a wonderful day in the snow.

A great day on Bowfell today, we set off from the Old Dungeon Ghyll and climbed from Stool End up The Band, turning off onto the Climbers Traverse path and crossing to the foot of The Great Slab.

As we reached the slab the cloud blew over us and we were in cloud for much of the next few hours walking.

We climbed up the Great Slab, emerging above it to walk to the summit of Bowfell and stopped for our packed lunches just below the summit rocks, unfortunately no views here today so we pressed on, descending in very thick cloud to Ore Gap and crossing the summit of Esk Pike to descend to Esk Hause and Angle Tarn.

As we reached Angle Tarn the cloud began to break and we were rewarded with some wonderful views from the summit of Rossett Pike.

We descended the Rossett Gill path to Mickleden in warm sunshine and followed the valley back to the Old Dungeon Ghyll.

A good day climbing Bowfell and the Crinkle Crags today, the weather wasn't great but we had a good time climbing Bowfell by the Climbers Traverse and the Great Slab.

As we set off from the Old Dungeon Ghyll this morning the weather was looking promising with only the tops of The Crinkles and Bowfell in the cloud but as we climbed The Band the rain set in continuing for the rest of the day.

We climbed from The Band onto the Climbers Traverse to the foot of Bowfell Buttress, although this was invisible in the mist, and climbed The Great Slab to the summit of Bowfell.

We didn't stop for long on the top of Bowfell, the view wasn't up to much, so we descended south to Three Tarns and cmbed by the Shelter Crags, stopping for lunch in the shelter of the crags while the rain briefly stopped.

We continued crossing the Crinkle Crags climbing to the summit of Long Top, the highest of The Crinkles and descended by the newly laid path crossing the final Crinkle and descending out of the cloud to Red Tarn.

From Red Tarn we climbed to the summit of Pike O'Blisco back in the cloud before descending the southern path from the summit, the pitched path was very slippery and took some care to descend but we made it down to the road and the Old Dungeon Ghyll in one piece.

An absoloutely amazing day climbing some of Langdales finest.

I met Terry and Carol at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel and we set off to make our way  up the band. The sun was already high in the extremely clear skies, and we knew it was going to be a hot one! We made our way up The Band towards Bowfell, and as we got higher our views of The Langdale Pikes and the Crinkles just got better and better! We took the climbers traverse off of The Band and made our way to the base of The Great Slab. We climbed to the summit of Bowfell via the path alongside the impressive Great Slab, from where we for incredible views in all directions. We stopped just off of the summit for a bite to eat, during which we enjoyed one of the best views of the Scafells.

After lunch we descended to the Three Tarns before starting the next part of our journey over The Crinkle Crags. We climbed up and over the different Crinkles, and as we got to Long Top (the highest) we opted to avoid The Bad Step. With the Crinkles under our belts we walked across easier ground towards Cold Pike. On the way we took in Great Knott, and then climbed the short distance up to the summit of Cold Pike.

We enjoyed another stop on this summit, which is a great viewpoint back over The Crinkles with Bowfell behind. Still enjoying the afternoon sun we descended down to Red tarn before re-ascending up to our final summit of the day, Pike O' Blisco. We took a few minutes on this summit to soak up what we had achieved over this route, before starting our descent back to the valley floor.

On our way down a Hercules flew through the valley across the face of the Langdales which was highly impressive.  We got back to the ODG just as the sun was setting behind The Crinkles to provide us with one final great view of our entire route. An amazing route, and Happy Birthday Carol!

A superb day up Bowfell and The Great Slab, then onto Esk Pike and Rossett Pike.

Starting from the Old Dungeon Ghyll we made our way through the farm (where we saw a bright orange goat chasing two deer, very odd!) and onto the path that climbs up The Band. We ascended The Band (a large spur that leads to Bowfell) and the morning heat was already blasting down on us. Towards the top of The Band we took the path over its crest and onto the climbers traverse. After walking along the narrow track we ascended up the rocky path next to The Great Slab. A short walk from the top of the slab brought us to the fine summit of Bowfell.

We stopped on the summit for our lunch and enjoyed the incredible views it has to offer, especially over towards the Scafells. While we were having our lunch we could see some showers working their way across the bottom of the park, but fotunately they didnt look like they would come near us.

From Bowfell we descended, and then climbed up and over Esk Pike, from which we descended to Esk Hause. Now on our return leg we descended a short distance to Angle Tarn, from which we again climbed up to the summit of Rossett Pike. Now with just our descent left we took the steppy path down into Mickleden, and then enjoyed the flat track back to the Old Dungeon Ghyll.

Another great day on Bowfell today, we set off from the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel just before 10am and climbed the long path up The Band, turning off this path to climb onto the Climbers Traverse and following this along to the base of the Great Slab.

So far we had had a few snow flurries, but nothing too bad, the Slab was pretty greasy today, so we followed the rocky path to the side of the Slab emerging near the summit of Bowfell.

As we reached the summit of Bowfell the latest snow flurry cleared giving us some wonderful views to the Scafell range.

From Bowfell we descended to Ore Gap, stopping in some shelter fr our lunches before climbing to the summit of Esk Pike, descending over Esk Hause to Angle Tarn, by now in warm sunshine as we climbed to the summit of Rossett Pike and the good views of the Great Slab.

All that was left now was the descent by the new Rossett Gill path and down into the Mickleden Valley, following the track back to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.

A great day today climbing Bowfell and the Crinkles from the Old Dungeon Ghyll.

We set off from the Old Dungeon Ghyll climbing The Band, it was quite hard work today in the heat, but as we climbed higher there was a little more breeze.

From The Band we climbed onto the Climbers Traverse and followed this to the foot of the Great Slab and climbed the slab emerging a short walk away from the summit of Bowfell.

The views today were a bit hazy, but from the summit of Bowfell we had a wonderful view across Upper Eskdale to the Scafell Range.

After a short lunch stop we left Bowfell and descended to Three Tarns, climbing again by the Shelter Crags and onto The Crinkles following this wonderful ridge to Long Top, the highest of the Crinkle Crags, descending by the 'Bad Step' and crossing the final Crinkle.

We descended the long slope down to Red Tarn deciding to include the summit of Pike O'Blisco making short work of the steep climb to the summit. By now Bowfell and the Crinkles were in cloud, but the views over the Langdale Valley were good.

We descended the path east from the summit of Pike O'Blisco dropping eventually down to the roadside just above Side Farm and following the lane back to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.

Another fantastic weekend of toughing it out on the 24 Peaks Challenge in 24 Hours.

On Saturday morning I met the group in Buttermere, and after a few minutes of finalising kit we were on our way (8.17am). The start of the challenge is not a kind one as we got straight into the climb by heading up the steep steps leading to Red Pike. We made great progress up this steep climb, despite intentionally taking it easier as to not burn out. After the final scramble we were on the summit of Red Pike after 1 hour and 20 minutes. There was a bit of mist on the Buttermere Fells but there was more over towards Great Gable where we would be heading later.

From Red Pike we followed the ridge and a short climb brought us up to summit number 2, High Stile. From High Stile another ridge walk brought us quickly onto summit 3, High Crag. With 3 summits in the bag within a couple of hours we now had a large descent to deal with. We descended the steep slope of Gamlin End before heading across Scarth Gap. From here we scrambled quickly up the slope to the summit of Haystacks, unfortunately not one of the 24 peaks!

We headed south from Haystacks past Inominate Tarn and weaved our way around the many tarns and outcrops before joining the track that climbs up to the Moses Trod Path. We joined this path for a short while before cutting off to hoin the northern slope of Green Gable. A short drag up into the mist brough us summit number 4, Green Gable. Great Gable soon followed as we headed across windy gap and up over the boulders to its windswept summit. We didnt linger long as we were planning on having Lunch at Styhead pass. We reached Styhead Pass after the knee crunching descent and the break was very well received!

After the break we were back on the ascent and we made our way up the Corridor Route to the summit of Lingmell. We were still climbing really well and focused on now reaching the highest summit in England. The group continued to climb well and after about 20 minutes we were on the summit of Scafell Pike. We were lucky enough to have some views so we took a moment to soak them up before heading onto our next peak. We crossed Broad Crag Col follwed by Broad Crag and Ill Crag before a short ascent brought us up to Great End. We continued with great pace across Esk Hause and summited Esk Pike shortly after. 9 down, 1 to go. We crossed Ore Gap and picked our way through the boulders and onto the summit of Bowfell.

With all of Day 1's peaks done we now just had to descend, and we had 1 hour 30 to get to the bottom to do it in 12 hours. We descended to the Three Tarns before turning east and joining The Band. We walked very quickly down the good path and we got to the bottom at about 12 hours exactly!

The alarm clock went off way too soon on Sunday morning, but we had some unfinished business to attend to, so out of bed we had to get! Unfortunately 3 of the 10 were unable to continue onto day 2 of the challenge.

After meeting in Ambleside at 7am we got our lift to the Kirkstone Pass, a great place to start the second day as its 350m above sea level. However, despite having a head start the first slope up Red Screes was by no means an easy one. We set off and the sun was already breaking through the patchwork of clouds, it was looking like a good day. We actually made amazing progress up this steep slope and we were on the summit after just 35 minutes.

We took a few minutes to have a breather on the summit, but then we made our way across the grassy slopes to Dove Crag. Hart Crag and Fairfield followed soon after. With just over 2 hours gone we were now on the toughest section of the day. We descended down the steep western side of Fairfield before climbing the very steep slope on the side of Seat Sandal. From this summit we had to descend straight away. Back in the col we chose to take the steep runners path up to the summit of Dollywagon Pike, this was hard work, but once again the group climbed well.

We were now onto the easier section of the walk and the summits would start to come much quicker. After Dollywagon Pike we took in Nethermost Pike, Helvellyn, White Side and Raise. We had just 3 summits left and we seemed to be walking better than ever. It had been windier across these last few summits, but the sun was starting to come out again. We cracked on to the Dodds, and we had soon taken in Stybarrow Dodd, Great Dodd and our final summit, Watson's Dodd. We had done it, all we had to do was descend down to the roadside.

We descended down the grassy slope towards Castle Rock, and after passing the rock face we had made it to the roadside. John met us at the bottom and produced some champagne to celebrate our success. We had managed to complete the second day in just 8 hours 20 minutes, brining our total time to 20 hours and 20 minutes! Well done Chaps!!

A good day today climbing the Crinkle Crags from the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in Langdale.

We climbed from Stool End up The Band, making good progress up the path to Three Tarns, at Three Tarns the wind was quite strong, and we were in quite thick cloud, but we pressed on, crossing the Shelter Crags and then up onto the Crinkles, crossing the ridge in good time and were soon coming down of the final Crinkle by Cold Pike and down to Red Tarn, we were just dropping out of the cloud as we came down to Red Tarn and as we dropped down the path towards the valley we had some good views over the Langdale Pikes and even a brief glimpse of the Crinkles ridge as it emerged from the cloud for a short while.

We dropped down into Oxendale and followed the track back by Stool End to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, a great days walking.