Walking Forum

Regions - Trip reports, destination advice, recommended routes, etc. => Lake District => Topic started by: heatybob on 11:17:54, 20/12/16

Title: Bowfell via the "Climbers traverse"
Post by: heatybob on 11:17:54, 20/12/16

Not a TR,but a bit of a heads up if doing this route ESPECIALLY if it snows in  the near future, there is an area of the path that is ready for breaking away,it's easy to see in normal conditions but covered in snow would be a different proposition,i'm sorry I dont have a GR as it only dawned on me when decending,it may well have also gone as I write but just take a little extra care and stick to the left of the path. Sorry I cant be more helpful

Title: Re: Bowfell via the "Climbers traverse"
Post by: JulianC on 12:29:15, 20/12/16

Crossed that bit last week and, although badly fractured, it was still relatively well anchored to the mountainside. I suspect a few more freeze/thaw cycles will see it come away completely, making that section of path rather 'entertaining'

Title: Re: Bowfell via the "Climbers traverse"
Post by: heatybob on 14:12:05, 20/12/16

Yeah Julian it's not a million miles off going now, the crack is about an inch an half wide and hopefully it will go before it get's hidden by snowfall.

Title: Re: Bowfell via the "Climbers traverse"
Post by: JulianC on 15:52:33, 20/12/16

Was only about a half inch wide last week, so it's widening fast :o Look out belooooooooow!

Title: Re: Bowfell via the "Climbers traverse"
Post by: Innominate Man on 20:34:31, 21/12/16

This ties in with something a friend of mine witnessed a number of years ago on the climbers traverse.
He'd gone on his own and came back with half of a chilling tale:- he got so far along the path (in snow conditions) and noticed a section was scooped out or collapsed and below it to the Mickleden/valley side was a lot of debris.
He described it as a large skid mark down the face, worse was that amongst this debris was evidence of a considerable amount of blood -highlighted against the snow.
That was all he reported/knew but I remembered reading the week before that two walkers had been killed in Langdale in separate incidents. One of which had been on Bowfell.
It sounds as though unwittingly he had come across the scene of one of those tragedies.
So anyone thinking of going up there please heed heatybob's warning - there are sections of that path that are treacherous.


It is possible the incident I mention is the earlier of two reported here : -http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7871787.stm