Parking
Use Stickle Ghyll car park in Great Langdale, signed off the B5343 near New Dungeon Ghyll (LA22 9JU). It is pay-and-display; public toilets are nearby. Expect pressure at peak times.
Overview
About High Raise, Sergeant Man and Blea Rigg from Langdale
A circular high-fell walk of 7.8 miles (12.6 km) with around 838 m of ascent, typically about 5.5 hours, rated 8/10 hard. From Stickle Ghyll car park the line climbs by Dungeon Ghyll to Thorn Crag and Harrison Stickle, one of the Langdale Pikes, then crosses Thunacar Knott to High Raise and Sergeant Man before turning along Blea Rigg and returning over high ground to Stickle Tarn and down beside Stickle Ghyll.
Why go
- Six summits and a proper high-fell day
- Stickle Tarn is a strong finish
Heads up
- Boggy, indistinct ground on the high tops
- Long rough descent with stream crossings
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation97–756 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
8 active Lake District alerts
- ClosureChapel Stile footpath closed for retaining-wall riskPart of Footpath 543030 between Chapel Stile and Baysbrown campsite is closed because a retaining wall beside the path could collapse and material it supports could fall across the footpath.Official details
- ClosureStanley Ghyll Lower Falls footpath closed for rockfallThe section of Footpath 408037 leading towards Stanley Ghyll Lower Falls is closed because severe rockfall damage has made the path unstable and further rockfall remains a danger.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake District Tour Guide
Your drive to High Raise, Sergeant Man and Blea Rigg from Langdale, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Langdale Pikes and Stickle Tarn0:00 / 1:15
“You're approaching Stickle Ghyll at New Dungeon Ghyll, the starting point for walks up to Stickle Tarn and the Langdale Pikes.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Great Langdale: Crinkle Crags and Bowfell
- Blea Tarn: Shore Walk or Side Pike
- Elterwater: Lakeshore to Skelwith Bridge
- Wrynose Pass: Two Summit Loops
- 298 audio storiesacross Lake District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Eurasian Otter, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 265 trails, 89 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking High Raise, Sergeant Man and Blea Rigg from Langdale
Footing and exposureExpect steep stone-pitched and rocky path low down, rough rocky steps, and short easy…
Expect steep stone-pitched and rocky path low down, rough rocky steps, and short easy scrambling where hands come in useful. Higher up the ground is boggy grass with narrow, sometimes indistinct paths. Wet or wintry rock is slippery, there are steep drops and cliffs close to parts of the route, and the ghyll crossings bring fast water and slick stones.
Views and the tarnThe walk looks down into Great Langdale and across the central Lake District, with the Langdale…
The walk looks down into Great Langdale and across the central Lake District, with the Langdale Pikes prominent and Silver How and Grasmere in view on the eastern half. The Pikes are volcanic remnants. Stickle Tarn and its 1838 dam make the closing payoff; the dam enlarged the tarn to supply the former gunpowder works at Elterwater.
Access, parking, facilities and dogsStart and finish at Stickle Ghyll car park in Great Langdale, near New Dungeon Ghyll, signed…
Start and finish at Stickle Ghyll car park in Great Langdale, near New Dungeon Ghyll, signed off the B5343, postcode LA22 9JU. Public toilets are nearby. Dogs are allowed under the normal local rule and must be kept on leads around livestock, especially sheep. Gates, stiles and steep rocky ground can be awkward for dogs.
How it comparesThe shorter official option from the same start is the 3-mile Stickle Tarn out-and-back, steep…
The shorter official option from the same start is the 3-mile Stickle Tarn out-and-back, steep and rocky but far less committing. The full loop adds sustained ascent, exposed high ground and real navigation demands, so pick it only if you are confident on rough fell terrain and with a map.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake District
81 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
13 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
76 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
51 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
233 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
176 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
