Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
Long Top at 838m (2,749ft) is the highest point of the Crinkle Crags ridge — the first and tallest of the five crinkles when approached from the south.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 859 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 13° to 12°C, gusts to 39 mph, 11.9 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 859 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
About the walk
Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
Short version: yes, you can avoid the Bad Step — there is a bypass path, and taking it is the normal thing to do. Crinkle Crags is a rough, rocky switchback of five tops rather than one summit, and the walking is straightforward hill-going apart from a single short obstacle. That obstacle stops a lot of people, and it is entirely optional.
Where the Bad Step actually is — the bit nobody tells you. It is on Long Top, the Second Crinkle, and you only meet it on the direct south-to-north line (the popular direction, coming up from Cold Pike and Red Tarn towards Bowfell). It is a short rock chimney with one awkward move: not long, but steep enough and polished enough that plenty of walkers get to it, look up, and stop.
How to avoid it: the bypass runs to the left — the west side as you climb south to north. It is an easy path, it rejoins the ridge above the step, and it costs you nothing but a few metres. Take it if you are unsure rather than forcing the move; being stuck halfway up a chimney with a queue behind you is how a good day turns bad.
The bigger risk isn’t the Bad Step at all. It is the navigation. The path weaves among five rocky tops that look much alike, with steep ground falling away west, and the Crinkles are a classic place to descend the wrong side in cloud — know which valley you want before you are in it, and carry a map and compass. For the full traverse see the Langdale Horseshoe, which names the step and the bypass on the line.
Routes up Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Hardknott Pass (roadside pull-ins), about 3.7 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle) (within 3 km)
These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.
Routes over Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
The View from Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.
What you can see from Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), by direction
- North: Crag Hill (16 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (23 km), Skiddaw Little Man (23 km), Knowe Crags (23 km), Gategill Fell Top (24 km), Skiddaw South Top (24 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (24 km), Blencathra (24 km), Skiddaw (24 km)
- North-east: Dollywaggon Pike (13 km), High Crag (13 km), Fairfield (13 km), Cofa Pike (13 km), Nethermost Pike (13 km), Hart Crag (14 km), Dove Crag (14 km), Helvellyn (14 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (14 km), White Side (15 km), St Sunday Crag (15 km), Gavel Pike (15 km), Raise (16 km), Stybarrow Dodd (17 km), Little Dodd (18 km), Great Dodd (18 km), High Raise (22 km)
- East: Red Screes (15 km), Thornthwaite Crag (19 km), High Street (20 km), Rampsgill Head (21 km), Kidsty Pike (21 km), Harter Fell (22 km)
- South-east: Swirl How (5 km)
- South: Brim Fell (7 km), Dow Crag (7 km), The Old Man of Coniston (7 km)
- West: Scafell (4 km)
- North-west: Broad Crag (4 km), Scafell Pike (4 km), Great End (4 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (164 km, Wales), Slieve Donard (182 km, Ireland), Carnedd Llewelyn (151 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (186 km, Wales), Snaefell (87 km, Isle of Man), Moel Siabod (160 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (173 km, Wales), South Barrule (103 km, Isle of Man).
Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.
Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.
What you can see from Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales and the Isle of Man.
- Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Wales
- Carnedd Llewelyn Wales
- Snaefell Isle of Man
- Ingleborough Yorkshire Dales
- Whernside Yorkshire Dales
- Cross Fell North Pennines
- Irish Sea open water
- Morecambe Bay bay/estuary
All 94 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
Bowfell, Cold Pike, Pike of Blisco, Esk Pike, Hard Knott, Pike of Stickle, Loft Crag, Slight Side, Scafell Pike, Great End, Harrison Stickle, Thunacar Knott, Scafell, Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Pavey Ark, Swirl How, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Wetherlam, Sergeant Man, Glaramara, High Raise (High White Stones), Harter Fell (Eskdale), Blea Rigg, Sergeant's Crag, Dow Crag, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Eagle Crag, Silver How, Illgill Head, Green Crag, Ullscarf, Helm Crag, Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Black Fell, Loughrigg Fell, Whin Rigg (Wasdale), Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Stone Arthur, Nab Scar, Heron Pike (Rydal), Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Seat Sandal, Great Rigg, High Tove, Dollywaggon Pike, Low Pike, Fairfield, High Pike (Scandale), Nethermost Pike, Hart Crag, High Seat, Dove Crag, Helvellyn, White Side, St Sunday Crag, Raven Crag, Bleaberry Fell, Red Screes, Baystones (Wansfell), Middle Dodd, Raise, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Walla Crag, Watson's Dodd, Troutbeck Tongue, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Sour Howes, Great Dodd, Sallows, Thornthwaite Crag, Ill Bell, Froswick, Yoke, Gray Crag, Clough Head, Latrigg, The Knott (High Street), Kidsty Pike, High Raise (High Street), Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Skiddaw, Bannerdale Crags, Souther Fell, Knott, Binsey, High Pike (Caldbeck)
How Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.
Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.
Best parking to hike Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).
Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.
Water & shelter on the way up
On the Langdale Horseshoe route:
💧 Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is usually a tap or public supply, but never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock or a carcass upstream and leave you seriously ill. Run it through a filter or purifier (a LifeStraw, Sawyer Squeeze or HydraPak) or bring it to a rolling boil first.
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
Buses to Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle) from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere
No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
Hazard & Incident Information for Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
A superb but rugged switchback of five rocky tops. The two recurring problems are the Bad Step — a short rock obstacle on the popular south-to-north traverse — and navigation, since the undulating ridge is genuinely confusing in mist. The ground is rough throughout, so slips and ankle injuries are common.
- The Bad Step (Second Crinkle): A short rock chimney on the direct south-to-north line, with an awkward move that stops many walkers. There is an easy bypass on the left (west) — take it if you're unsure rather than forcing the move.
- Navigation over the five tops in cloud: The path weaves among the crinkles and is easy to lose in mist, with steep ground to the west. Carry a map and compass and know your bearings.
Most common causes: Difficulty or falls at the Bad Step · Navigation errors in cloud · Slips and ankle injuries on rough ground
Local Mountain Rescue: Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Reviewed 13 Jun 2026
Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.
Navigating Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle) in cloud
StraightforwardA rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.
In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.
How Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle) compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Frequently asked questions about Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
Is Crinkle Crags hard to climb?
It's a rough, rocky mountain day that's well within a reasonably fit walker's reach but shouldn't be underestimated. The 'crinkles' are five rocky tops (high point 859 m / 2,818 ft) linked by an undulating, bouldery ridge that tests footing and endurance more than nerve.
There's one notable obstacle — the Bad Step — but it has an easy bypass (see below), so no scrambling is forced on you. The main challenges are the rough ground and navigation among the similar-looking crinkles.
Sources: Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)
What is the Bad Step on Crinkle Crags, and can you avoid it?
The Bad Step is a short gully on the second (and highest) crinkle, blocked by a chockstone — a roughly 12-foot rock step that turns the direct line into a brief scramble. Many walkers find it awkward, especially the polished, committing move, and it's much harder to descend than ascend.
Yes, you can avoid it: a clear bypass path loops round to the left (west), letting you reach the top without any scrambling. If you're unsure, take the bypass — and don't try to down-climb the Bad Step.
How long does it take to walk Crinkle Crags?
Allow around 5 hours for the round from Great Langdale — roughly 12–13 km (8 miles) with about 1,100 m of ascent. The rough, rocky ground slows you down, so take a full unhurried day, especially on a first visit.
Many combine it with Bowfell for a classic horseshoe, which makes a longer 6–7 hour day.
What is the best route up Crinkle Crags?
The most popular start is the Old Dungeon Ghyll in Great Langdale, following Oxendale Beck up past Red Tarn and onto the first crinkle, then traversing the ridge over all five. It pairs naturally with Bowfell for a fine horseshoe back down The Band.
However you go, it's rough, rocky ground throughout — there's no soft option once you're on the crinkles.
Is Crinkle Crags suitable for beginners?
It's best left until you've a few easier fells behind you. There's no scrambling you can't avoid, but the rough, bouldery ground, the length, and the navigation among five similar tops make it a demanding day for a newcomer.
A fit, sure-footed walker can enjoy it in clear, dry weather with proper kit and a map and compass — but it's not a first-fell choice, and the ridge is bewildering in mist.
Sources: Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)
Is it easy to get lost on Crinkle Crags?
Yes — the five rocky crinkles look much alike, the path weaves among boulders and outcrops, and in cloud it's easy to lose the line or stray toward the steep western edge above Eskdale. The Bad Step also forces route-finding decisions.
Carry a map and compass, count the crinkles, and take care on the rough ground. Treat it as full winter mountaineering when there's snow or ice.
Sources: Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)
What should I wear and take for Crinkle Crags?
Wear proper walking boots with good grip — the ground is rough, rocky and bouldery throughout, and trainers struggle. Carry warm and waterproof layers; the high ridge is exposed and quick to cloud over.
Take a map and compass (essential among the crinkles), food, water and a charged phone, and check the mountain forecast. Save the Bad Step for dry conditions, and carry winter kit when there's snow.
Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-06-14 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)
Other fells near Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
- Allen Crags
- Black Fell
- Bowfell
- Brim Fell
- Cold Pike
- Dow Crag
- Esk Pike
- Glaramara
- Great Carrs
- Great End
- Green Crag
- Grey Friar
- Hard Knott
- Harter Fell (Eskdale)
- Holme Fell
- Illgill Head
- Lingmell
- Lingmoor Fell (Brown How)
- Pike of Blisco
- Rossett Pike
- Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot
- Scafell
- Scafell Pike
- Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)
- Slight Side
- Swirl How
- The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)
- Wetherlam
- Whin Rigg (Wasdale)
Maps & guidebooks for Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)
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