Time and place : Tuesday 15th Aug 2003 The Langstrath Valley, Cumbria UK. Occasion : A Walk with Jill, Nigel, Richard and Matthew Batchelor, Ann and the dogs. Walk details :6.25 mile walk up Eagle Crag and Sergeant's Crag, returning via Langstrath. 2080 feet of ascent. 6hrs approx. Weather :Warm and dry with occasional cloud cover. Slight breeze on top.

The assembled crowd - myself, Nigel, Ann, Jill, Richard and Matthew ready to go.

( Crowd scene? well it was crowded with all that lot, the rucksacs and dogs, all in one car !! )

The Langstrath Beck joins Greenup Gill just below these falls, to become Stonethwaite Beck,

eventually joining the Derwent in Upper Borrowdale.

.

The direct ascent of Eagle Crag involves following the right hand bank of Greenup Gill, then climbing steeply adjacent to the second wall. At this time of year, the path is in places almost hidden by the bracken, but the views were not.

Looking north down Stonethwaite and over to Maiden Moor.

The path crosses over the stile next to the crag, and then continues to climb in a zig-zag fashion

in a slightly complex but perfectly safe way up through the rocky outcrops to the summit itself.

Layla, in deference to her age (she's over 13 yrs old now) takes a break to admire the view.

Ahead is Sergeants Crag, with Great End, Esk Pike, Bowfell and Crinkles at the head of the valley.

A 360 degree panorama from our lunch spot on the summit of Eagle Crag. (click on picture for a bigger version )

On towards Sergeants Crag. Our height now gave us views back to

HopeGill Head on the left, and Skiddaw and Blencathra on the right

Second summit - Sergeant's Crag.

Our descent was quicker than we expected as we foreshortened Wainwright's suggested route to the top bridge.

Instead we followed the stream down from Brown Crag, and took a right, over to the top of Blea Crag.

.

In wet weather this would be a wet and slippery scramble but not today.

Saying that, there were one or two spots where longer legs were an advantage.

.

Sundew plants grace the wetter slopes of the fell. They gain nutrients from catching and digesting insects, as their roots often can't gain sufficient food from the poorer soil.

Lichen covers the exposed rock in a colourful display of yellows, browns and greys.

.

Time for a swim - for the dogs at least.

Blackmoss Pot in Langstrath itself.

.

Blea Rock, with its untouched layer of vegetation. Perhaps more of the valley would be like this if not for the constant grazing of the sheep.

Highlighted against a blue sky, it forms a dramatic feature as you walk the path below it.

Nigel, Ann and Jill lower down the valley.

Blea Rock is in the middle distance, Bowfell behind.

A closing picture of Eagle Crag, in shadow at the end of the walk.

( From the bridge in Stonethwaite village near . . . the pub )

.

The end of the walk . . . . at the Langstrath Hotel.

The plaque above the seat has the inscription " In remembrance of a sunny day in Borrowdale "

I'll drink to that.

Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon IXUS 400 Digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed . . . with a pint of Landlord Bitter.

Go to Top . . . Home page . . . Go To Archive 2003

© RmH . . . Email me here