BG route advise

[youngfeller]

Hello,

Have an attempt at the BG coming up. Have done hours of recce but still unsure on Bowfell. Managed to lose quite a bit of time getting the ascent 'wrong'.

Going from the cross in the footptahs after Rosset Pike (c'wise round) not sure whether to:

go up onto the plateau as quickly as possible on a line similar to the county border only on the less rocky ground to the south,

or follow a diagonal route (which does have some cairns we have managed to find only once!) that leads you gradually but sometimes slowly to the summit

or has anyone ever continued all the way over towards the summit and gone straight up either side of cambridge crag or the buttress to bring you out close to the summit itself?

going to check this out one more time and any advice would be appreciated!

[Bob]

I think that one of our club did the traverse then climb up (not sure who was pacing her on that section and her description was vague so can't be sure). There were a couple of shots put on here some time back showing the best lines.

Basically from the top of Rossett Gill (the cross in the footpaths you mention) you should be able to see a pair of rocky ramps crossing the Langdale face of Hanging Knotts. Aim directly for these over the intermediate ground, there is a very faint path here but it isn't cairned and I have only really followed it when descending this way. The line leads you to a spring in the gully before the ramps. Take either ramp, both have been used and have small cairns, cross a scree slope to the continuation ramps. The lower of the continuation ramps brings you onto the summit plateau about 100m short of Bowfell Buttress plus you get a grassy section before the final bouldery section to the summit.

The gully between Bowfell Buttress and Cambridge Crags is fine for descending from routes but just a ball-ache in ascent. You could take the path that goes up by the side of the Great Slab. Not sure what the ground is like traversing between Rossett Gill and the foot of Bowfell Buttress - I suspect that it is slow going.

Not done the direct line to the summit of Hanging Knotts (the county border) so can't comment on that. Looks more of a scramble than is useful at that stage in the round.

Hope this helps.

Bob

[Bob]

Here's a couple of links:

A pohoto showing the lines up Bowfell from Rossett Pike. Doesn't have the direct line from the col to the start of the ramps marked - this lies to the right of the lower dashed lines.
http://www.aqvi55.dsl.pipex.com/pict...fell-rakes.jpg

A thread on the various choices (along with some strong opinion!)
http://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/showthread.php?t=325

[Marvin]

This shows in green the route we followed on a reccy a couple of weeks ago, and in blue the route taken on a successful BG by another group the week before. Our route was easy enough to follow and took a pretty direct line.

bowfell1.jpg

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge it.

PM me if you want to be put in touch with one of those who took the blue line.

[ydt]

The first website quoted by Bob shows the route well. Start with the dotted line (photo) which is a small path that goes round the bottom of a spur. Round the spur turn uphill up a small stream with good water for a refill, up some boulders and diagonally left along a rocky shelf with small cairns, as shown by the solid line finishing at A. Finishing at C involves a small loss of height at the top.
Yiannis

[youngfeller]

thanks to everyone for their contributions. especially quick going up bowfell, manged to do the split in 24 minutes! don't expect to be ask quick on the day.

went up the middle route from the bottom, and then having gone up the scree there were cairns to follow all the way to the top. a very good route.

cheers all