Bowfell

Bowfell
Bowfell
	Bowfell from Shelter Crags, about 1 mi (1.5 km) south along the ridge
Highest point
Elevation	902 m (2,959 ft)
Prominence	146 m (479 ft)
Parent peak	Scafell Pike
Listing	Hewitt, Nuttall, Wainwright, Sub-Marilyn
Coordinates	54°26′51″N3°09′57″W / 54.44737°N 3.16582°W
Geography
	Bowfell Location in the Lake District Bowfell Location in Copeland Borough Bowfell Location in South Lakeland
Location	Cumbria, England
Parent range	Lake District, Southern Fells
OS grid	NY245064
Topo map	OS Landrangers 89, 90 Explorer OL6

Last updated July 10, 2023

Listed summits of Bowfell
Name	Grid ref	Height	Status
Bowfell North Top	NY244070	866 metres (2,840 ft)	Nuttall

Bowfell (named Bow Fell on Ordnance Survey maps) is a pyramid-shaped mountain lying at the heart of the English Lake District, in the Southern Fells area. It is the sixth-highest mountain in the Lake District and one of the most popular of the Lake District fells for walkers. It is listed in Alfred Wainwright's 'best half dozen' Lake District fells.

Topography

The Southern Fells include the highest ground in England, a horseshoe which begins with Scafell and Scafell Pike in the west and then curves around the north of Upper Eskdale to take in Great End, Esk Pike, Bowfell and Crinkle Crags.

In addition to Eskdale, Bowfell has a footing in two other well known valleys. It stands at the head of Great Langdale — its east ridge dividing the two branches of Mickleden and Oxendale — while to the north is the Langstrath branch of Borrowdale. From all of these valleys Bowfell presents a striking profile with a conical top resting upon a wider summit plateau.

To the north-west of Bowfell the main ridge drops to the depression of Ore Gap, named after its reddish soil, rich in haematite. Below the col on the northern side is Angle Tarn. This round waterbody occupies a corrie beneath Hanging Knotts, small trout lurking in its 50-foot (15 m) depths. Its outflow is a tributary of the Langstrath Beck, making for Stonethwaite.^[1] To the south of Ore Gap runs Yeastyrigg Gill, the main headwater of Lingcove Beck, flowing into the fastness of upper Eskdale. Beyond the Gap the ridge makes the stony three-tiered climb to the white-rocked summit of Esk Pike.

Southward of Bowfell the ridge falls steeply to Three Tarns, the col separating it from Crinkle Crags. The depression takes its name from a number of small pools, often two, but sometimes more after rain.^[1] Busco Sike flowing to the east is the longest feeder of Oxendale Beck in Great Langdale.

Bowfell sends out two subsidiary ridges to the east. The Band is a descending rigg starting from the southern end of the summit plateau. It is this ridge which divides Oxendale from Mickleden, making straight for Stool End Farm on the valley floor. The Band has a minor top about halfway down named White Stones,^[2] although most guidebooks do not consider it notable. The second ridge begins at the northern end of the summit plateau and crosses Rossett Hause, a sharp depression at the head of Rossett Gill, to make for Rossett Pike. The continuation of this ridge provides the connection to the Central Fells, forming the northern wall of Great Langdale as it crosses Martcrag Moor, bound for the Langdale Pikes.

Geology

The predominant rocks on Bowfell are the volcaniclastic sandstones of the Seathwaite Fell Formation, with interbeds of andesite outcropping near the summit. The pebbly sandstone and breccias of the Pavey Ark Member also cross the fell.^[3]

Summit

The summit area is a ridge running north–south with the final pyramid near the south-west corner and crags on three sides. The southern face is formed by Bowfell Links, a wall of rock scarred by nine vertical gullies and with corresponding tongues of scree at its foot, all of which are loose rock channels. The eastern face includes Flat Crag, Cambridge Crag and the Bowfell Buttress, the latter two providing good climbing. Flat Crag includes the Great Slab, a tilted sheet of rock. At the base of Great Slab a spring gushes forth from the bare rock: Wainwright claims, "And no water anywhere else tastes better."^[4] Below these faces runs the Climber's Traverse, a narrow path providing a high-level walking route to the summit from the highest point of The Band. This largely horizontal line contours around beneath many of Bowfell's steeper crags, finally reaching the summit via a rocky route known as the River of Boulders, running parallel to the Great Slab. Finally on the north- east corner of the summit ridge is Hanging Knotts, a complex series of faces and outcrops looking down upon Angle Tarn.

The highest point carries not so much a cairn as a rearrangement of some loose rock at the apex of the pyramid. Every major group of fells in Lakeland is seen from this vantage-point — the Helvellyn range from end to end and the Langdale Pikes across Langdale — according to Wainwright, the piece of the view is Scafell Pike towering above Eskdale.^[4]

Panorama

Ascents

The Band provides the most popular means of ascent. Other routes from Langdale climb via Rossett Gill and Three Tarns. Bowfell can be reached from Stonethwaite via Angle Tarn although the way is long. Equally time-consuming although perhaps more picturesque is the long march up Eskdale from Brotherikeld, gaining the ridge at either Ore Gap or Three Tarns.^[5] Indirect climbs can also be made via Crinkle Crags, Esk Pike or Rossett Pike. The summit can also be reached from the top of Wrynose Pass by following the Right of Way starting close to the Three Shire Stone and heading in a northwesterly direction. The route takes in the summits of Cold Pike and Long Top.

Gallery

The pyramid shape of Bowfell viewed from Lingcove
Looking south-west from just under Bow Fell summit towards Eskdale under darkening skies
The view south-east from the Great Slab, looking towards Pike of Blisco
Bowfell from Great Langdale
Scafells from Bowfell
Great Slab on Bowfell, from the 'river of boulders'

Related Research Articles

Scafell Pike is the highest and the most prominent mountain in England, at an elevation of 978 metres (3,209 ft) above sea level. It is located in the Lake District National Park, in Cumbria, and is part of the Southern Fells and the Scafell massif.

Scafell is a mountain in the English Lake District, part of the Southern Fells. Its height of 964 metres makes it the second-highest mountain in England after its neighbour Scafell Pike, from which it is separated by Mickledore col.

Great End is the most northerly mountain in the Scafell chain, in the English Lake District. From the south it is simply a lump continuing this chain. From the north, however, it appears as an immense mountain, with an imposing north face rising above Sprinkling Tarn (lake). This is a popular location for wild camping, and the north face attracts many climbers.

Crinkle Crags is a fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It forms part of two major rings of mountains, surrounding the valleys of Great Langdale and Upper Eskdale. The name reflects the fell's physical appearance as its summit ridge is a series of five rises and depressions (crinkles) that are very distinctive from the valley floor. In Old English, cringol means twisted or wrinkled.

Harter Fell is a fell in the western part of the English Lake District, located between the Eskdale and Duddon valleys. Its height is 649 m (2128 ft). There are several walking routes to the summit.

Cold Pike is a fell in the English Lake District. It is a satellite of Crinkle Crags and stands above the Upper Duddon Valley.

Esk Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, one of the cirque of hills forming the head of Eskdale.

Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park in North West England, the epithet Great distinguishing it from the neighbouring valley of Little Langdale. Langdale is also the name of a valley in the Howgill Fells, elsewhere in Cumbria.

Pike of Stickle, also known as Pike o’ Stickle, is a fell in the English Lake District. It reaches a height of 709 metres (2,326 feet) and is situated in the central part of the national park in the valley of Great Langdale. The fell is one of three fells which make up the picturesque Langdale Pikes, one of the best-known areas in Lakeland. A "stickle" is a hill with a steep prominent rocky top, while a "pike" is a hill with a peaked summit, the name being therefore partly tautological.

Pike of Blisco, or Pike o' Blisco, is a mountain in the Lake District in Cumbria, England. Located between the valleys of Great Langdale and Little Langdale, its relative isolation from neighbouring fells together with slopes falling away immediately from the summit in all directions mean it has excellent views: the view of the Langdale Pikes across Great Langdale is particularly arresting.

Thunacar Knott is a fell in the central part of the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria.

Eagle Crag is a fell in the Lake District in Cumbria, England, it is situated near the village of Stonethwaite where the valleys of Langstrath and Greenup join. Impressive walls of crag look down upon Stonethwaite, making Eagle Crag the most arresting sight from that settlement. It can be climbed direct by the average walker, picking a route between the rock faces.

Ullscarf is a fell in the English Lake District close to the geographical centre of the Cumbrian hills. It forms part of the watershed between the Derwentwater and Thirlmere catchments, a ridge running broadly north-south.

Allen Crags is a fell in the English Lake District, it lies in a group of very popular hills and is regarded as part of the Scafell group of fells. It is a hill that is frequently traversed by walkers along its ridge but is seldom climbed as the sole objective.

Slight Side is a fell in the English Lake District it stands 25 kilometres east southeast of the town of Whitehaven and reaches a height of 762 m (2,499 ft). Slight Side lies at the south western edge of the Scafell Massif, a four-kilometre-long crescent of high ground which includes the highest ground in England. The fells names derives from the Old Norse language and means "The mountain shieling with the level pastures", it is a combination of the Norse words "sletta" and "saetr". With a shieling meaning a shepherds hut or a mountain pasture used in the summer.

Rossett Pike is a fell in the English Lake District. It is located at the head of Mickleden, one of two tributary valleys of Great Langdale.

Green Crag is a fell in the English Lake District. It stands between Eskdale and the Duddon valley in the Southern Fells.

The Central Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Reaching their highest point at High Raise, they occupy a broad area to the east of Borrowdale. The Central Fells are generally lower than the surrounding hills, the Lake District's dome-like structure having a slight dip in the middle. The range extends from the boggy ridge between Derwentwater and Thirlmere in the north, to the rock peaks of the Langdale Pikes in the south.

References

1 2 Blair, Don: Exploring Lakeland Tarns: Lakeland Manor Press (2003): ISBN 0-9543904-1-5
↑ Birkett, Bill: Complete Lakeland Fells: Collins Willow (1994): ISBN 0-00-218406-0
↑ British Geological Survey: 1:50,000 series maps, England & Wales Sheet 38: BGS (1998)
1 2 Alfred Wainwright: A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells , Book 4: ISBN 0-7112-2457-9
↑ Richards, Mark: Mid-Western Fells: Collins (2004): ISBN 0-00-711368-4

Illustrated walk. Bowfell circular _ From Langdale via the Band, Esk pike

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[blair-1] 1 2 Blair, Don: Exploring Lakeland Tarns: Lakeland Manor Press (2003): ISBN 0-9543904-1-5

[birkett-2] Birkett, Bill: Complete Lakeland Fells: Collins Willow (1994): ISBN 0-00-218406-0

[BGS-3] British Geological Survey: 1:50,000 series maps, England & Wales Sheet 38: BGS (1998)

[wainwright-4] 1 2 Alfred Wainwright: A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells , Book 4: ISBN 0-7112-2457-9

[richards-5] Richards, Mark: Mid-Western Fells: Collins (2004): ISBN 0-00-711368-4

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v t e Wainwright's Southern Fells
Allen Crags Black Fell Bowfell Brim Fell Cold Pike Coniston Old Man (Old Man of Coniston) Crinkle Crags 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 Pike O'Blisco (Pike of Blisco) Rossett Pike Rosthwaite Fell Scafell Scafell Pike Seathwaite Fell Slight Side Swirl How Wetherlam Whin Rigg
Full list of Wainwrights by area