Langdale Pikes Round
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Great Langdale (New Dungeon Ghyll)
Getting here Parking: New Dungeon Ghyll (LDNPA, paid), 0.1 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 516 stops at New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, a 140 m walk from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Severe steepness: Steepest sustained climb about 39% around the 1.0 km mark. Easy scramble: Pike of Stickle's summit rocks, up and back (km 9.1–9.3).
Before you choose
- Avoid Jack's Rake on Pavey Ark unless you're a confident scrambler — the walkers' route reaches the same summit.
- Boggy ground and confusing navigation on the High Raise and Sergeant Man plateau in mist.
- Steep, rocky ground around the Pikes.
- Loft Crag: The small abrupt summit stands right above Gimmer Crag, a sheer climbing buttress falling to Langdale. Keep well back from the southern edge near the top, especially in cloud or wind — and if scrambling on the south side, be aware climbers may be on the crag below.
- The boggy plateau has few landmarks, and the sheer drops of Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle lie close by. In mist a wrong bearing off Thunacar Knott can take you to a cliff edge. Navigate carefully by compass and know where the crag edges are before you move.
Hazard & incident notes: Loft Crag · Pike of Stickle · Harrison Stickle · Pavey Ark · Thunacar Knott · High Raise (High White Stones) · Sergeant Man
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 7 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.
See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
Route map
1 Sergeant Man2 High Raise (High White Stones)3 Thunacar Knott4 Pavey Ark5 Harrison Stickle6 Pike of Stickle7 Loft Crag8 Thorn Crag
Easy 62%Moderate 23%Hard 11%Severe 5%
Heights on this chart and its high point are read from the track itself (a terrain model sampled along the line, or a GPS recording), so a top can differ from its listed height, usually reading lower.
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
The elevation profile is under the map; the stage notes follow.
The line to the summit of Pavey Ark is drawn, not recorded.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Great Langdale (New Dungeon Ghyll) → Sergeant Man (4.2 km, 637 m)
Decision pointFrom the New Dungeon Ghyll / Stickle Barn car park follow the signed stone path up Stickle Ghyll; stay on the broadest, most engineered-looking route. At Stickle Tarn cross the dam at the outflow and contour the eastern (right-hand) side with the water on your left, then take the obvious walkers' path up the rough ground to the small rocky cairn of Sergeant Man.
Easy to get wrongSteep but straightforward - avoid small trods into bracken. Do NOT take the steep, loose line heading directly into the cliffs above the tarn: that is Jack's Rake, a serious scramble that should be avoided. Sergeant Man is a key junction where several paths fan out, so note your line before moving on.
If you need to get offEarly escape — Stickle Tarn. If energy levels drop or the weather worsens early, do not start the climb to Sergeant Man. Turn around at the dam outflow and descend the engineered stone path alongside Stickle Ghyll straight back down to New Dungeon Ghyll.
© Lee McCoy · 3 photographs - 2
Sergeant Man → High Raise (High White Stones) (0.9 km, 46 m)
Decision pointFrom Sergeant Man's cairn follow the clearest path gently north-west, dropping a little onto grassier ground; pick up the intermittent old fence posts and the more worn trod, which lead to the broad summit dome of High Raise with its trig point and shelter.
Easy to get wrongIn poor visibility High Raise is not obvious. If you find yourself heading steeply down towards a tarn you have gone too far east - re-check your bearing.
If you need to get offTurn back towards Sergeant Man and take the established south-east ridge path towards Blea Rigg, branching south-west to Stickle Tarn, then descend the stone-pitched Stickle Ghyll path to New Dungeon Ghyll; this is a substantial alternative descent, not a short escape, and requires careful navigation in mist.
© Lee McCoy - 3
High Raise (High White Stones) → Thunacar Knott (1.6 km, 39 m)
Decision pointFrom the trig point turn roughly south, back towards the Pikes, and pick up a faint but definite path across the grassy plateau (old fence posts mark the line) down to a shallow col and up to the modest summit cairn of Thunacar Knott.
Easy to get wrongDon't drift too far right (towards Stake Pass) or left (towards Easedale) - aim straight for the jumble of tops above Stickle Tarn. In mist the several knolls and trods are confusing; hold a steady line on the most-used path. Thunacar Knott's boggy plateau has few landmarks, and the sheer drops of Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle lie close by.
If you need to get offNo confirmed direct escape leaves this broad, boggy plateau; continue to Thunacar Knott and follow the established route via Harrison Stickle towards Stickle Tarn, then descend the stone-pitched Stickle Ghyll path to New Dungeon Ghyll, taking particular care with navigation in mist.
- 4
Thunacar Knott → Pavey Ark (0.7 km, 27 m)
Decision pointFrom Thunacar Knott head south-east towards Stickle Tarn and Pavey Ark on a clear, slightly stony path, weaving between rocky humps; aim for the higher ground above Pavey Ark, with a short detour right to the summit.
Easy to get wrongYou are moving back to the edge of the plateau - in poor visibility stay on the main trod and don't be drawn too far east onto steeper ground. The drops on Pavey Ark's north side are sheer, so keep well back from the edge, and take care not to start down Jack's Rake by mistake.
If you need to get offBefore reaching Pavey Ark's summit, leave the main route towards the col between Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle, then descend the established path towards Stickle Tarn and follow Stickle Ghyll down to New Dungeon Ghyll; avoid Jack's Rake and the steep gullies on Pavey Ark's cliff face.
- 5
Pavey Ark → Harrison Stickle (0.8 km, 64 m)
Decision pointFace south-west towards Harrison Stickle and take the clear path leaving the summit area, dropping over rough grass and stones before climbing a flank of natural steps and rock shelves to the summit cairn.
Easy to get wrongThe trail is well trodden but rocky underfoot - watch your feet. You may need your hands occasionally for balance on the short steep pull, but it stays walking rather than scrambling if you keep to the main line.
If you need to get offAt the col between Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle, descend the established path towards Stickle Tarn and follow Stickle Ghyll down to New Dungeon Ghyll; avoid Jack's Rake and the steep gullies on Pavey Ark's cliff face. Or carry on along the route to Harrison Stickle and the Mark Gate path (below), or go back the way you came.
- 6
Harrison Stickle → Pike of Stickle (1.0 km, 58 m)
Decision pointDescend west, initially north-west, into Harrison Combe on the obvious path, then follow the often-cairned line across the grassy hollow and climb towards the dome of Pike of Stickle.
Easy to get wrongThe descent drops steeply over rocky steps that can be slick in the wet - take your time and don't cut corners. The final approach to Pike of Stickle is a short, hands-on scramble: keep three points of contact and choose clean rock over loose stones.
If you need to get offThe way down is the route itself. From Harrison Combe, carry on over Loft Crag and down the pitched Mark Gate path (below). Do not head straight down the combe towards Dungeon Ghyll: lower down it is a ravine, not a path.
© Lee McCoy - 7
Pike of Stickle → Loft Crag (0.5 km, 13 m)
Decision pointCarefully reverse the short scramble back down to the main path, then turn south-east along the high valley rim; the trod skirts the roughest ground and climbs gently to the cairn on Loft Crag, a fine balcony above Great Langdale.
Easy to get wrongTake particular care reversing the scramble if you are tired - face into the rock and use your hands as needed; don't rush. The final few metres to Pike of Stickle's top are a short rock scramble — straightforward for the confident in the dry, but exposed and awkward when wet or icy, and a fall from it would be serious.
If you need to get offAfter reversing the short scramble from Pike of Stickle, continue towards Loft Crag and take the established south-east descent via Mark Gate, crossing Dungeon Ghyll lower down and following the path back to New Dungeon Ghyll; avoid the steep scree gullies and any direct descent into Dungeon Ghyll gorge.
© Lee McCoy - 8
Loft Crag → Thorn Crag (0.2 km, 0 m)
Decision pointContinue east on the clear path towards the wide grassy shoulder above Langdale, then look for a slightly fainter trod branching left that contours round and rises the last few metres onto the small rocky top of Thorn Crag.
Easy to get wrongLoft Crag's small abrupt summit stands right above Gimmer Crag, a sheer climbing buttress falling to Langdale.
If you need to get offFinal ridge escape — the Mark Gate descent. Once on the return ridge you can bypass the minor rocky top of Thorn Crag altogether by staying strictly on the main, pitched Mark Gate path. This engineered trail gives a direct, non-technical descent off the ridge to Sticklebarn Tavern and the car park.
Thorn Crag → Finish (2.2 km, 0 m)
Decision pointFrom Thorn Crag pick your way carefully south-east off the rocky top to rejoin the main pitched path below - the engineered Mark Gate route - and follow it all the way down to New Dungeon Ghyll, passing the fenced viewpoints for Dungeon Ghyll Force, to the wall and stiles by Stickle Barn where you started.
Easy to get wrongThe path is steep at first on stone steps and gravel before it eases onto greener, more level ground.
© Lee McCoy
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, June 2024
Make it easier or harder
Easier: For a shorter day, from the path below Pavey Ark cut round the northern side of Stickle Tarn and to the right of Pavey Ark to bag Thunacar Knott, then pick up the track to Harrison Stickle. It leaves out Sergeant Man and High Raise and makes a shorter day, though we have not mapped or timed that line.
Summits bagged (8)
- 1Sergeant Man736 m
- 2High Raise (High White Stones)763 m
- 3Thunacar Knott723 m
- 4Pavey Ark702 m
- 5Harrison Stickle735 m
- 6Pike of Stickle708 m
- 7Loft Crag682 m
- 8Thorn Crag644 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
The path beneath your boots
On the peat of Martcrag Moor, below the Langdale Pikes, Fix the Fells floated the path on sheep-fleece rafts across the bog — wool spreading the load where a hard path would simply sink.
Fix the Fells built and maintains this path. How a fell path is made → · Give back (opens in new tab)
Path-repair data © Fix the Fells (National Trust / Lake District National Park). Source (opens in new tab).
More about this walk
Conditions and timing
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.
When the sun reaches the tops
Not sunrise — the moment the sun clears the skyline from that summit, which on a fell with high ground to its east can be a good deal later.
- Sergeant Man — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00. It waits longest in midsummer — about a quarter of an hour after sunrise.
- High Raise (High White Stones) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00. It waits longest in midsummer — about a quarter of an hour after sunrise.
- Thunacar Knott — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
- Pavey Ark — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
- Harrison Stickle — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
- Pike of Stickle — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
- Loft Crag — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00. It waits longest in midsummer — about an hour after sunrise.
How to read these times
The two equinoxes are shown because they fall in the walking season, and late December too wherever a top keeps you waiting then; the clock gap between the equinoxes is British Summer Time, not the hill. Rounded to the nearest quarter hour and meant as a general idea, not a schedule.
Modelled from a 30 m elevation model against each summit’s own skyline — the same figures the fell pages carry, never observed. Cloud is not in it.
Getting there and back
Nearest fuel to the parking at Old Dungeon Ghyll: Hills Garage, Ambleside, 11.6 km by road (Mon 07:00-21:00; Tue 07:00-21:00; Wed 07:00-21:00; Thu 07:00-21:00; Fri 07:00-21:00; Sat 07:00-21:00; Sun 08:00-21:00 when checked on 8 August 2026; hours change, so check on the day). Nearest shop: Langdale Co-operative Society, 4.4 km. Both measured along the road from that parking, which is not where this route starts, checked 8 August 2026. Coming in from a particular direction you may pass a closer one — the last petrol before each valley →
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
Positions are approximate.
Of the pay-and-display machine tickets sold at New Dungeon Ghyll from 17 August 2024 to 31 March 2026, 33% were bought before 10am (our count of FOI/2026.500 ticket data). Contains public sector information provided by the Lake District National Park Authority and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.
If the parking is full
There is no real plan B by car here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so expect them to fill on the same mornings. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off. The bus below is the exception: it is not limited by car-park space, though it runs to a timetable and can be full.
- Great Langdale, valley road verge (free) — a 550 m walk to the start
- New Dungeon Ghyll (LDNPA, paid) — a 230 m walk to the start
- Stickle Ghyll (NT, paid) — a 210 m walk to the start
- By bus: buses stop at New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, a 140 m walk from the start. A bus is not affected by a full car park. Its return times are under Buses.
We never say whether anywhere has spaces today. Walks to the line are measured along mapped paths (OpenStreetMap), not in a straight line. How we choose these places.
No signal when you get there? RoutePark keeps this list on your phone: choose this walk’s GPX at home, keep it, and it opens offline.
Buses
The 516 stops at New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, a 140 m walk from this start. As timetabled from 29 October to 1 November. Towards Kendal (516): Thursday, Sunday 20:13; Friday and Saturday 22:33. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 23 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 516 passes this route at 0.0 km (New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, 100 m off the line). It passes again at 11.5 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival New Dungeon Ghyll car park, about 125 m from the start: pay and display at the machine. The National Trust’s Stickle Ghyll car park is about 170 m away. 127 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked 10 August 2026)
- Toilets Toilets are mapped about 30 m from the start. 28 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments Sticklebarn is mapped beside the start, and Walker’s Bar about 50 m away. Opening hours are not recorded here. 13 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation Jack’s Rake on Pavey Ark is a scramble; the walkers’ route reaches the same summit. The plateau is boggy and confusing in mist, with the drops of Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle close by. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
At New Dungeon Ghyll (LDNPA, paid), the closest parking we hold to where this route starts:
Distances are straight lines from the car park, not walking routes. Opening hours change; none of this is checked daily.
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap too, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of the start and not already listed above:
Also mapped within reach: a bench, an information board.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.
Water, shelter & getting away
Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is not proof the water is drinkable, so carry your own or use a supply you know is safe. Never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock upstream and leave you seriously ill. Use a treatment method suited to what might be in the water, and follow the device’s own instructions. Boiling and ordinary filters do not make water with dissolved metals or chemicals safe: where that is possible, choose another source.
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Planning detail
How each grade on this page is set, and the timings stage by stage.
Difficulty profile
Severe overall — hardest: Steepness; terrain not assessed
Five independent axes, not one score. Two of the five were set on the ground; the rest are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground.
How we grade: each axis is Easy, Moderate, Hard or Severe, and a route between two bands takes the higher one. Length: under 8 km, 8–14 km, 14–20 km, over 20 km. Steepness, the steepest 500 m of the track: under 15%, 15–25%, 25–35%, over 35%. Terrain, navigation and exposure are judged rather than measured, and each note says why. How we grade.
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sergeant Man | 4.2 km | 637 m | 1:54–2:31 |
| 2High Raise (High White Stones) | 5.1 km | 683 m | 2:09–2:52 |
| 3Thunacar Knott | 6.7 km | 722 m | 2:33–3:23 |
| 4Pavey Ark | 7.4 km | 749 m | 2:44–3:38 |
| 5Harrison Stickle | 8.2 km | 813 m | 3:00–4:00 |
| 6Pike of Stickle | 9.2 km | 871 m | 3:17–4:23 |
| 7Loft Crag | 9.7 km | 883 m | 3:25–4:32 |
| 8Thorn Crag | 9.9 km | 884 m | 3:28–4:36 |
| Finish | 12.1 km | 884 m | 3:54–5:11 |
A fast–steady range from Naismith’s rule, deliberately on the slow side. Breaks, weather, rough ground and the slowest person in your party all add to it. How we time walks.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A long, steep ~49% drop over 250 m around the 10.9 km mark — hard on the knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: rock and scrambling. The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 39% around the 1.0 km mark.
- Rock and scrambling: Easy scramble: Pike of Stickle's summit rocks, up and back (km 9.1–9.3). Ground underfoot: Not assessed.
- Stiles and gates: Stiles of unmapped type at 11.6 and 11.8 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 9 July 2026)
- Drops and exposed ground: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. Takes the walkers' line up Pavey Ark, not Jack's Rake, so the only scrambling is the short one onto Pike of Stickle's top - but the Dungeon Ghyll descent is tricky underfoot.
- Ways off early: None recorded for this route.
- Livestock, shade and water: Not recorded for this route yet. We never call a stream safe for a dog to drink, so carry enough for both of you. The lead rules, and what to do around cattle, are on dogs on the fells.
On the line: 2 gates · 1 kissing gate · 2 stiles (type unmapped)
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 9 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
From Great Langdale: 3 places in Grasmere
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Great Langdale — 0.9 km from this start
- Walks from Stickle Tarn — 1.4 km from this start
Straight-line distance from this walk’s start. Those lists hold the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km of the town, ranked nearest first.
