Harrison Stickle routes, easiest to hardest: times, distances and GPX

Peakify lists 3 measured routes up Harrison Stickle, traced on OpenStreetMap paths from the start to the summit. Distances and ascent are one way, to the top.

Harrison Stickle 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.

Harrison Stickle 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 Harrison Stickle route

New Dungeon Ghyll via Stickle Tarn

Climb the pitched path beside Stickle Ghyll to the tarn, then work round to the back of the fell for the final climb. It starts from New Dungeon Ghyll car park. 2.7 km one way with 640 m of ascent. About 1h 35m to the summit and 2h 10m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

New Dungeon Ghyll via Pike How

Climb the slopes beside Dungeon Ghyll past Pike How to the summit from the south. It starts from Stickle Ghyll car park, New Dungeon Ghyll. 2.4 km one way with 642 m of ascent. About 1h 35m to the summit and 2h 0m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

Old Dungeon Ghyll and the Langdale Pikes

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. 3.1 km one way with 650 m of ascent. About 1h 40m to the summit and 2h 20m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Hard.

Harrison Stickle route GPX

Download a GPX for each route with a track: New Dungeon Ghyll via Stickle Tarn, Old Dungeon Ghyll and the Langdale Pikes. 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 Harrison Stickle today and the Harrison Stickle 14-day forecast before you set off, and allow for the walk out in daylight.

Planning a day on Harrison Stickle 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 Harrison Stickle, 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 Harrison Stickle

What is the easiest route up Harrison Stickle?

From the New Dungeon Ghyll, climb the pitched path beside Stickle Ghyll to Stickle Tarn and circle round to the summit.

How much time does each Harrison Stickle route take?

New Dungeon Ghyll via Stickle Tarn: about 1h 35m up and 2h 10m there and back. New Dungeon Ghyll via Pike How: about 1h 35m up and 2h 0m there and back. Old Dungeon Ghyll and the Langdale Pikes: about 1h 40m up and 2h 20m 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 Harrison Stickle route?

Yes. Open a route below and download its GPX: an ascent track from the start to the summit, plotted on OpenStreetMap paths.