A sunny day in Oxendale

The traverse of Crinkle Crags is one of the most famous ridge-walks in the land; in fact, Wainwright said it was the best in Lakeland. Although I wouldn't go quite that far, the Crinkles are a great selection of peaks strung over an interesting ridge, with a couple of rock steps to make things interesting. The Bad Step is well-known. I have christened the easier one further up the main peak as the Easy Step.

There are two main approaches to Crinkle Crags: south to north, or north to south. Probably the most rewarding way is from the south, taking the difficulties head-on, and always looking towards the best scenery. I climbed the Crinkles from Bowfell in May 2005, tackling the ridge from the north as an add-on from the main objective of the day. Somehow I think that lessened the impact of the Crinkles ... after the dramatic majesty of Bowfell, they seemed a little less impressive than they otherwise might have been.

Still, it's a hike I remember with great pleasure to this day, and for the quality of views the Crinkles in some respects surpass even Bowfell. Because you're walking along a ridge between two valleys, the views are there for you all the time. You don't have to remain on the summit to enjoy them. And although some people will say that the Crinkles are too "dangerous" to walk without watching where you're putting your feet, there are several stretches where the terrain is easy and it's quite possible to stride along and look at the view at the same time.

For the majority of the ridge, however, caution is needed. It is nowhere exposed, but the terrain is very rocky for much of the way, and in some areas, strewn boulders litter the paths. There are many routes, both going over the tops and contouring around them; walkers setting off to the Crinkles for the first time are often advised to stick to the main path travelling up and down the ridge. Otherwise you could end up in Eskdale in bad weather. This is no joke: mountain rescue statistics show that this error is quite common.

The only two real difficulties encoutered are the Easy Step and Bad Step (in that order when travelling north to south). Both can be avoided by slithering down loose slopes strewn with scree and rocks, but scramblers will prefer to take them head-on. I managed to descend the Easy Step without any problems, but the Bad Step was something else: halfway down, I realised that my legs weren't long enough to reach the next foothold, and I chickened out. This has led to a resolve that I will do it next time, come hell or high water!

I have many photos of the Crinkle Crags. Here are some of the best.

From Pike of Blisco	From Cold Pike
From Bowfell summit	From the Band, Bowfell
The Easy Step	The Bad Step