Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause up Esk Pike: route map, distance and time

885 m · Cumbria

Esk Pike is a rocky peak between Esk Hause and Bowfell, and walkers cross it on routes from Langdale or Borrowdale towards the Scafell range.

Walk up Mickleden, climb Rossett Gill, pass Angle Tarn and reach Esk Hause before the rocky final climb.

Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause starts at about 97 m and gains 803 m over 7.2 km to 858 m on the track. The first 3 km are the easy part, averaging 2%. The steepest kilometre is the one ending at 5 km, which climbs 213 m at an average of 21%, with a 500 m stretch from 3.6 km at about 27%. The final 0.2 km eases to the top. About 27% of the way is steeper than 1 in 5, so expect hands-on-knees going and a slow descent.

Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause at a glance

Distance	7.2 km one way, to the top
Ascent	840 m
Climb on the track	803 m up, 38 m down on the way
Start and top of the track	97 m to 862 m (summit 885 m)
Steepest 500 m	About 27%, from 3.6 km
Steeper than 1 in 5	27% of the way
Time up	2h 50m by Naismith's rule
There and back	4h 15m, down the same way
Grade	Moderate
Start	Old Dungeon Ghyll National Trust car park
Start grid reference	NY 286 061
Summit grid reference	NY 236 075
Parking	Old Dungeon Ghyll National Trust car park

Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause map

The track from the start (green) to the summit (blue), with a marker at each kilometre.

Height profile and getting to the start

Start 97 m7.2 km to the top

Start grid ref NY 286 061 · Driving directions · By bus or train

Near the start

From OpenStreetMap, within 2 km. Check opening times before you rely on them.

Download the Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause GPX

Ascent only: plan your way down. A planning track, not checked on the ground; it doesn't show safe scrambling moves. Track data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), heights from a terrain model.

Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause kilometre by kilometre

Height, climb and average gradient for each kilometre of the track, with a grid reference at the end of each one to check your position on the map.

At	Height	Climb	Gradient	Grid ref
1 km	119 m	+22 m	2%	NY 276 061
2 km	129 m	+10 m	1%	NY 268 066
3 km	169 m	+40 m	4%	NY 261 073
4 km	372 m	+203 m	20% steep	NY 252 072
5 km	585 m	+213 m	21% steep	NY 248 074
6 km	647 m	+63 m	6%	NY 240 077
7 km	851 m	+204 m	20% steep	NY 237 074
7.2 km	858 m	+7 m	4%	NY 236 075

How long Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause takes

Pace	To the top	There and back
Brisk 6 km/h, 8 min per 100 m up	2h 20m	3h 30m
Steady (Naismith) 5 km/h, 10 min per 100 m up	2h 50m	4h 15m
Relaxed 4 km/h, 12 min per 100 m up	3h 30m	5h 15m

Times leave out stops. Coming down the same way, the table counts the ascent once; steep descents on rough ground can be as slow as the climb.

Today: sunrise 07:47, sunset 18:08. Start by 12:53 to be down before dark, allowing 4h 15m for the walk and an hour for stops.
Tomorrow: sunrise 07:49, sunset 18:06. Start by 12:51 to be down before dark, allowing 4h 15m for the walk and an hour for stops.

Esk Pike summit weather for this route

Good Today Sunday 18 October

Partly cloudy, up to 5°C at the summit, feeling as cold as -4°C, summit wind 16 mph gusting 21 mph, 0% chance of rain. Rated Good. Sunrise 07:47, sunset 18:08.
Marginal Tomorrow Monday 19 October

Dense drizzle, up to 8°C at the summit, feeling as cold as -2°C, summit wind 39 mph gusting 49 mph, 51% chance of rain. Rated Marginal. Sunrise 07:49, sunset 18:06.

Best day of the next seven for Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause: Sunday 18 October, with summit gusts around 21 mph and a 0% chance of rain.

Hour-by-hour Esk Pike forecast · 14-day forecast · Is it safe to climb Esk Pike?

Before you go, also check: MWIS Lake District forecast · Met Office mountain forecast · Weatherline fell top conditions.

What to take today

An insulated jacket, hat and warm gloves: it feels like -4°C on top.
A waterproof jacket. It can rain on the tops in any forecast.
Microspikes for icy paths. In snow, an ice axe and crampons and the skills to use them.
Map and compass, and the skills to use them. A phone is a backup, not a plan.
A head torch, food, water, a charged phone and a small first aid kit.

About Esk Pike

Esk Pike is a rocky peak between Esk Hause and Bowfell, and walkers cross it on routes from Langdale or Borrowdale towards the Scafell range. More about Esk Pike, with the live forecast.

On the lists: Wainwright, Hewitt, Nuttall, HuMP, Birkett.

Extend the walk: tops near the summit

Bowfell North Top (866 m), 0.9 km south-east
Allen Crags (785 m), 1 km north
Ill Crag (931 m), 1.3 km west
Great End (910 m), 1.3 km north-west
Bowfell (903 m), 1.3 km south-east
Rossett Pike (651 m), 1.3 km east

Challenges that include Esk Pike

More walks from Old Dungeon Ghyll National Trust car park

Routes in Peakify's guides that start within 500 m of this one, for another day from the same car park.

Great Langdale via Rossett Gill up Allen Crags
Old Dungeon Ghyll via The Band up Bowfell
Climbers' Traverse up Bowfell
Great Langdale via Red Tarn up Cold Pike
Old Dungeon Ghyll via Oxendale and Red Tarn up Crinkle Crags - Long Top
Langdale via The Band and Three Tarns up Crinkle Crags - Long Top
Langdale via Rossett Ghyll and Angle Tarn up Glaramara
Old Dungeon Ghyll and the Langdale Pikes up Harrison Stickle
Mickleden via Stake Pass up High Raise
Old Dungeon Ghyll and the Langdale Pikes up Loft Crag
Great Langdale via Red Tarn up Pike of Blisco
Old Dungeon Ghyll and the Langdale Pikes up Pike of Stickle

Other routes up Esk Pike

Route	Distance	Ascent	Time up	Grade
Seathwaite via Grains Gill	5.5 km one way	750 m	2h 20m	Moderate
Seatoller via Stockley Bridge, Grains Gill and Esk Hause	8.5 km one way	800 m	3h 0m	Hard

In an emergency

Call 999, ask for the police and then mountain rescue. Give your location (the start is at NY 286 061, the summit at NY 236 075), what happened and how many are in your group. If you have no signal for a call, a text to 999 works once you have registered your phone with emergencySMS: text "register" to 999 before you go.

Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause: questions and answers

How far is Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause?

Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause is 7.2 km one way to the summit of Esk Pike, with 840 m of ascent. There and back by the same way is about 14.4 km.

How long does Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause take?

About 2h 50m to the summit of Esk Pike and 4h 15m there and back by Naismith's rule (5 km/h plus 10 minutes per 100 m of ascent), before stops. A relaxed group takes nearer 5h 15m for the round trip.

How steep is Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause?

The steepest 500 m averages about 27%, starting 3.6 km from the start, and 27% of the way is steeper than 1 in 5. Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause climbs 803 m in all on the track.

Where do you park for Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause?

Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause starts from Old Dungeon Ghyll National Trust car park. The grid reference is NY 286 061. Old Dungeon Ghyll National Trust car park

Is Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause suitable for beginners?

Yes, for fit walkers on a clear day. Peakify grades it Moderate: a long climb on a made path, but the top is high, exposed and colder than the start. Turn back if the cloud comes down and you can't navigate.

What time should I start Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause today?

By 12:53 at the latest. Sunset on Esk Pike today is 18:08, Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause takes about 4h 15m there and back, and that leaves an hour for stops. Start earlier in winter or if the forecast turns.

Is there a GPX for Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and Esk Hause?

Yes. Download it from this page. It is an ascent-only planning track from the start to the summit, plotted on OpenStreetMap paths and not checked on the ground.