Lingmoor Fell

Date: 17 May 2018 Weather: 13’C, cloudy, light wind
Height gain: 1,539 ft Distance: 5.0 miles
Time taken: 3 hrs 50 mins Wainwrights: 49 of 214

Route:  From Elterwater car park up the path towards Dale End then turning right to the top and back via Banks Quarry.

Sunshine was promised today but it only made a brief appearance – although it was warm enough for t-shirts once we got climbing.  It was certainly better than our first ascent in 2011 when we could barely stand up in gale force winds.

We picked Lingmoor for the last day of our holiday – a holiday where we’d been a bit out of condition and, combined with house-hunting, only bagged four relatively moderate tops in the week.

We arrived in Elterwater at around 10.30am and managed to get the last spot in the ever busy (and ever expensive) National Trust car park.  We put on our boots and started up the path towards Howe Banks.  It’s grassy and straightforward as it climbs but one of us (that wouldn’t be me) was finding it hard going – more uphill practice needed in the months and years to come!

The views open up once we pass Howe Banks and we make a right hand turn below Bield Crag and the gradient does get steeper, but is still grassy and straightforward.

We reach a fence line as we cross the path we’ll come back on and head left towards the top.  This bit always seems to take forever – the top is still nearly a mile away and not visible ahead as we go up a bit and down a bit for what seems like a long time.

There’s a fence to cross very near the top (which I remember from last time holding onto the  fencepost for dear life in the wind and fog) and finally we’re at the summit:

4

It’s a good pointy top and today the visibility is very good.  Great views north west towards the lovely Langdales:

1a

And to their right are Bowfell (just squeezing in on the right) and the Crinkles:

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To the right of Bowfell are Esk Pike, Great End, Great Gable and Green Gable:

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The four people who were at the top when we arrived swiftly moved off on their descent but now a couple with a very shouty woman have arrived so we decide it’s time to head down.

We take a path off to the south as although steep it looks grassy and easier than our ascent route.  We follow it down before heading east and crossing the path we came up on – we bear left here and follow the path which runs above Banks Quarry and have great views of various quarries, both disused and in use, as we descend.

The afternoon is pleasant, though, and the walking easy on the grassy path and we chatter away happily and soon reach the car.

Great views and a good top – but it does seem to take an age to actually get to it.