Crinkle Crags - Long Top routes, easiest to hardest: times, distances and GPX
859 m · Cumbria
Long Top is the highest of the Crinkle Crags, a rough, knobbly ridge above Great Langdale with a rock step known as the Bad Step.
Peakify lists 3 measured routes up Crinkle Crags - Long Top, traced on OpenStreetMap paths from the start to the summit. Distances and ascent are one way, to the top.
Crinkle Crags - Long Top routes, easiest to hardest
Sorted by grade, easiest first: Easy, Moderate, Hard, then Scramble. Routes with the same grade keep the order in which Peakify's editors listed them.
| Route | Start | Distance | Ascent | Time up | There and back | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Dungeon Ghyll via Oxendale and Red Tarn | Old Dungeon Ghyll car park, Great Langdale | 6.0 km one way | 782 m | 2h 30m | 3h 40m | Hard |
| Langdale via The Band and Three Tarns | Old Dungeon Ghyll National Trust car park | 5.8 km one way | 770 m | 2h 25m | 3h 35m | Hard |
| Wrynose walking paths and the Cold Pike ridge | Blea Tarn National Trust car park | 8.0 km one way | — | — | — | Hard |
Crinkle Crags - Long Top route times by Naismith's rule
The times above use Naismith's rule: 5 km/h on the flat plus 10 minutes for every 100 m of ascent, rounded to the nearest 5 minutes. "There and back" doubles the distance and counts the ascent once, for coming down the same way. Naismith assumes a fit walker and no stops, so add time for breaks, a heavy pack, rough or snowy ground, and a group that moves at its slowest member's pace.
Each Crinkle Crags - Long Top route
Old Dungeon Ghyll via Oxendale and Red Tarn
Climb out of Oxendale to the col by Red Tarn, then head north along the ridge over rough rock, taking or bypassing the Bad Step. It starts from Old Dungeon Ghyll car park, Great Langdale. 6.0 km one way with 782 m of ascent. About 2h 30m to the summit and 3h 40m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Hard.
Langdale via The Band and Three Tarns
A hard mountain walk to the summit from Old Dungeon Ghyll National Trust car park. It starts from Old Dungeon Ghyll National Trust car park. 5.8 km one way with 770 m of ascent. About 2h 25m to the summit and 3h 35m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Hard.
Wrynose walking paths and the Cold Pike ridge
A hard mountain walk to the summit from Blea Tarn National Trust car park. It starts from Blea Tarn National Trust car park. 8.0 km one way. Grade: Hard.
Crinkle Crags - Long Top route GPX
Download a GPX for each route with a track: Langdale via The Band and Three Tarns, Wrynose walking paths and the Cold Pike ridge. Each is an ascent-only planning track from the start to the summit, plotted on OpenStreetMap paths and not checked on the ground.
Before you pick a route
The grade describes the ground in fair weather. Wind, rain, cloud and ice change it: a Moderate path can be hard to follow in mist, and a scramble in strong gusts is a different proposition from the same rock on a calm day. Check whether it is safe to climb Crinkle Crags - Long Top today and the Crinkle Crags - Long Top 14-day forecast before you set off, and allow for the walk out in daylight.
Planning a day on Crinkle Crags - Long Top routes
The walking times above use Naismith's rule, which assumes a fit walker on good paths with short stops. Most groups take longer: add a quarter for a mixed group, more for children or heavy packs, and plan the descent as carefully as the climb, because tired legs and fading light cause more trouble on the way down than on the way up.
Start early. Car parks at popular starts fill by mid-morning in summer and at weekends, and an early start leaves spare daylight if the weather turns or the walk takes longer than planned. In winter, work back from sunset and leave a margin of at least an hour.
Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, even on a well-trodden path; a phone battery fails fastest in cold, wet weather. Pack a waterproof jacket and trousers, a warm layer, a hat and gloves in every season, plus food, water and a head torch. Tell someone your route and when you expect to be back.
If you are new to Crinkle Crags - Long Top, choose the easiest route in the table for a first ascent and save the harder lines for a settled day when you know the mountain. Turning back is always an option; the summit will still be there.
Questions about Crinkle Crags - Long Top
What is the easiest route up Crinkle Crags - Long Top?
Old Dungeon Ghyll via Oxendale and Red Tarn has the easiest grade of the 3 routes listed here (Hard).
How much time does each Crinkle Crags - Long Top route take?
Old Dungeon Ghyll via Oxendale and Red Tarn: about 2h 30m up and 3h 40m there and back. Langdale via The Band and Three Tarns: about 2h 25m up and 3h 35m there and back. Times are by Naismith's rule (5 km/h plus 10 minutes per 100 m of ascent), before stops.
Can I get a GPX file for a Crinkle Crags - Long Top route?
Yes. Open a route below and download its GPX: an ascent track from the start to the summit, plotted on OpenStreetMap paths.