Langdale Horseshoe
Key facts
Difficulty profile
Five independent axes, not one score — all field-checked on the ground here, with nothing left as a desk estimate.
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 9 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.
Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →
☀️ Daylight & turnaround
Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.
Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
1 Pavey Ark2 Harrison Stickle3 Thorn Crag4 Loft Crag5 Pike of Stickle6 Black Crags (Mickleden)7 Rossett Pike8 Bowfell9 Shelter Crags10 Crinkle Crags - Gunson Knott (Fifth Crinkle)11 Crinkle Crags - Fourth Crinkle12 Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)13 Crinkle Crags South Top (First Crinkle)14 Cold Pike15 Pike of Blisco
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 20.2 km with around 1497 m of ascent, taking in 15 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.
- Dog: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A long, steep ~41% drop around the 17.0 km mark — hard on the knees.
On the line: 8 gates · 1 kissing gate · 2 stiles (type unmapped)
These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-14. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pavey Ark | 2.8 km | 610 m | 1:35–2:07 |
| Harrison Stickle | 3.7 km | 632 m | 1:47–2:22 |
| Thorn Crag | 4.3 km | 634 m | 1:55–2:33 |
| Loft Crag | 4.5 km | 653 m | 1:59–2:38 |
| Pike of Stickle | 4.9 km | 684 m | 2:07–2:50 |
| Black Crags (Mickleden) | 7.4 km | 814 m | 2:50–3:46 |
| Rossett Pike | 8.2 km | 867 m | 3:05–4:06 |
| Bowfell | 9.7 km | 1169 m | 3:54–5:11 |
| Shelter Crags | 11.3 km | 1263 m | 4:22–5:48 |
| Crinkle Crags - Gunson Knott (Fifth Crinkle) | 11.5 km | 1270 m | 4:25–5:53 |
| Crinkle Crags - Fourth Crinkle | 11.7 km | 1286 m | 4:28–5:57 |
| Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle) | 11.9 km | 1309 m | 4:34–6:04 |
| Crinkle Crags South Top (First Crinkle) | 12.4 km | 1310 m | 4:40–6:12 |
| Cold Pike | 14.1 km | 1317 m | 5:01–6:41 |
| Pike of Blisco | 15.7 km | 1491 m | 5:38–7:29 |
| Finish | 20.2 km | 1497 m | 6:32–8:41 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.
The walk, stage by stage
Start → Pavey Ark (2.8 km, 610 m)
Climb of about 610 m over 2.8 km (around 22% average).
Pavey Ark → Harrison Stickle (0.8 km, 21 m)
Undulating section of about 0.8 km.
Harrison Stickle → Thorn Crag (0.6 km, 3 m)
Descent of about 86 m over 0.6 km.
Thorn Crag → Loft Crag (0.2 km, 19 m)
Undulating section of about 0.2 km.
Loft Crag → Pike of Stickle (0.5 km, 31 m)
Undulating section of about 0.5 km.
Pike of Stickle → Black Crags (Mickleden) (2.5 km, 130 m)
Climb of about 130 m over 2.5 km (around 5% average).
Black Crags (Mickleden) → Rossett Pike (0.8 km, 53 m)
About 0.8 km with 53 m of ascent.
Rossett Pike → Bowfell (1.5 km, 302 m)
Climb of about 302 m over 1.5 km (around 20% average).
Bowfell → Shelter Crags (1.5 km, 95 m)
Climb of about 95 m over 1.5 km (around 6% average).
Shelter Crags → Crinkle Crags - Gunson Knott (Fifth Crinkle) (0.3 km, 7 m)
Undulating section of about 0.3 km.
Crinkle Crags - Gunson Knott (Fifth Crinkle) → Crinkle Crags - Fourth Crinkle (0.1 km, 16 m)
Undulating section of about 0.1 km.
Crinkle Crags - Fourth Crinkle → Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle) (0.2 km, 24 m)
Undulating section of about 0.2 km.
Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle) → Crinkle Crags South Top (First Crinkle) (0.5 km, 0 m)
Undulating section of about 0.5 km.
Crinkle Crags South Top (First Crinkle) → Cold Pike (1.7 km, 7 m)
Descent of about 138 m over 1.7 km.
Cold Pike → Pike of Blisco (1.6 km, 174 m)
Climb of about 174 m over 1.6 km (around 11% average).
Pike of Blisco → Finish (4.5 km, 7 m)
Descent of about 605 m over 4.5 km.
Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.
Summits bagged (15)
- Pavey Ark 702 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Harrison Stickle 735 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Thorn Crag 644 m · Central · Birkett, Synge
- Loft Crag 682 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Pike of Stickle 708 m · Central · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Black Crags (Mickleden) 588 m · Southern · Birkett, Synge
- Rossett Pike 651 m · Southern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Bowfell 903 m · Southern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, HuMP
- Shelter Crags 815 m · Southern · Birkett, Synge, Nuttall
- Crinkle Crags - Gunson Knott (Fifth Crinkle) 822 m · Southern · Birkett, Synge
- Crinkle Crags - Fourth Crinkle 832 m · Southern · Birkett, Synge
- Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle) 859 m · Southern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, HuMP
- Crinkle Crags South Top (First Crinkle) 834 m · Southern · Birkett, Synge, Nuttall
- Cold Pike 700 m · Southern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
- Pike of Blisco 703 m · Southern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Marilyn
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
💧 Water, shelter & getting away
💧 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 — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
🚌 Buses
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
⚠️ Safety & conditions
- The Bad Step (Crinkle Crags, Long Top). A short, awkward rock step that turns a walk into a scramble and regularly stops people dead. There is a bypass path to the left — use it if you are unsure.
- Do not attempt Jack’s Rake on Pavey Ark unless you know what you are taking on. It is a graded scramble with real exposure, not a path. The walkers’ line goes round.
- 20 km, 1,497 m and fifteen tops. This is a full, committing day. Start early, and decide your turn-back time before you leave the car.
- The Crinkles are the classic place to descend the wrong side in cloud. Know which valley you want before you are in it.
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.
Make it easier or harder
Short version: turn back at about 10.5 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
📚 Maps & guidebooks for Langdale Horseshoe
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