I’ve made no secret that the Lake District is one of my favorite places in England, and in the entire world in general. This national park is home to some of the most stunning scenery I’ve ever encountered: lush valleys interspersed between mountain peaks, lakes spread out across the land, and plenty of hiking trails to explore it all. I recently hiked up Crinkle Crags, my first walk in the Langdale valley. This is a great hike and the views were incredible!
Crinkle Crags is located in Great Langdale, and is 859 meters high. It is one of Alfred Wainwright’s 214 classic Lake District peaks, and a gorgeous one at that!
Starting the Hike
You can start the walk by parking at one of the two National Trust car parks, either at Sticklebarn or the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. If you park at the Old Dungeon Ghyll, you’ll save a decent 15 minutes of walking each end. Both car parks have a charge for parking, but National Trust members park for free.
The path is easy to follow, and you can look up to the towering peaks of the Langdales around you. Eventually you’ll pass Stool End Farm, and follow the stream even further through the valley. After about 50 minutes of walking from Sticklebarn, I made it to the river crossing.
After this, the path climbs very steeply up the side of the valley to the ridge above. The views get better and better but it’s hard work! The path is mainly stepped with large boulders—we actually saw a volunteer crew rebuilding part of the path.
It took me a solid half hour to reach the top of the ridge. Here the path evens out as you pass a gully (and a small waterfall!), and then climbs a bit further.
After another 20 minutes, you’ll come to an intersection of multiple paths—for Crinkle Crags, you’ll turn left. Otherwise, you could follow it right to go up Bow Fell, or straight on to see the Three Tarns.
It’s a bit of a tough climb up to the summit for Crinkle Crags. It took me half an hour to get up to the top. The path meanders up through rocks and over large boulders. But the views are simply glorious. The wind was insane (fairly dangerous actually) but so worth it! It was too windy to take very many photos from the cairn summit, but there were a few areas around the rocky outcrop which are more sheltered.
Descending Through Langdale
This hike took me 2 hours and 15 minutes from my starting point in Sticklebarn up to the summit of Crinkle Crags. Despite all of the information I read online, I somehow ended up descending Crinkle Crags down the Bad Step! It was much easier going down than I can imagine it is climbing up, but still involving lots of scrambling.
At some point in my descent I missed the path that takes in Pike of Blisco. I’m not entirely sure how I went wrong, but by the time I realized I wasn’t wanting to hike halfway back up the mountain! So in theory avoid the Bad Step and look out for a path leading to the Pike of Blisco, and you can bag another Wainwright.
After negotiating the Bad Step, the path turned downhill and was stepped with rocks. I always use hiking poles now, especially for descents, and it’s had such a positive effect on how my knees feel after a hike! Eventually, the path led us out to the road. We went up to the top of the hill, then re-joined the footpath down.
This route takes you through the National Trust Great Langdale Campsite. I can only imagine how nice it would be to wake up and have all of Langdale literally on your doorstep! I definitely hope to stay here at some point—it’s a big campsite but didn’t seem crowded when I passed through. It took me about 2 hours from the summit to hike down to the campsite. It was an easy and gentle walk back to the car at Sticklebarn.
All in all, it took me almost exactly 5 hours to do the Crinkle Crags hike. This included a good 15-minute break at the summit, as well as plenty of photo stops!
Planning Your Trip
You should always be prepared for any hike you do. While in good weather the paths are fairly easy to follow, I still recommend having an OS map. I actually use the OS Maps app on all my UK hikes nowadays. I got disoriented on this walk and if the weather had been bad, it could have been pretty bad. Of course, you should always have proper gear like sturdy hiking boots, plenty of water and snacks, waterproof layers, and a hat/gloves. The weather can change quickly, especially if you’re high up in the mountains! Check out my outdoor gear guide before you go.
You can search for hostels in the Lake District here, and for hotels here! You can also sign up to and book accommodation through Airbnb here. There aren’t any trains in the Lake District, but there is a good public bus service (which includes the 516 route that travels through Langdale). If you’re arriving in the Lakes by train, Windermere would be the closest station. I always book my train tickets in advance through Trainline. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.
Crinkle Crags is a great hike and gives simply phenomenal views of the Langdales. While the climb up is steep, it’s definitely worth it for those views. If you’re planning a trip to the Lake District and wanting to visit Langdale, make sure you have time to do Crinkle Crags!
Have you ever hiked Crinkle Crags or another Wainwright in the Lake District?
You might like my other posts:
The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To England’s Lake District
Hiking Catbells In The Lake District
Hiking Scafell Pike: England’s Highest Mountain
Hiking Up Helvellyn In The Lake District
Hiking The Old Man Of Coniston In The Lake District
The Lake District: Keswick And Beyond
Staying At The Kirkstone Pass Inn In The Lake District
All of my hiking posts!
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