Category: Jack's Rake - Mountain Journeys - Guided Walks

Fun filled weekend of adventures

5/10/2020

#adventurous-activities-lake-district

All smiles on Jack's Rake

This weekend I've been out with Julia, Barbara, Vicky, and Ruth. It's now around 10 years since I first met Julia, and since then we've met up each year for big mountain days and challenge events in the Lakes and Snowdonia. This weekend was due to be something similar, but with a poor weather forecast for Saturday I decided to suggest some alternatives to mountain walking. The idea of canyoning went down rather well, and the plan amended so that Saturday would see us heading into the wild waters of Church Beck in Coniston. Abseils, pool jumps, climbs, swims, and scrambling make up this fun filled descent. An amazing amount of fun was had by all.
Jack's Rake was the plan for Sunday and the weather came good for it. A rapid walk up to Stickle tarn gave all a good look at what lay in store on the big cliffs of Pavey Ark. All gave the thumbs up so we blasted over to the base of Jack's Rake, here we donned helmets and set off up the narrow channel. Fun scrambling that is at all times engaging and with exposure building all the while. We made swift progress, but did occasionally stop to admire the views.
Once at the top we clambered over rocky outcrops to reach the summit of Pavey Ark. Then it was on to Harrison Stickle and Pike O'Stickle before returning to the valley via Martcrag moor.

Such a great weekend, see you all next year :-)

Mark

#jacks-rake-pavey-ark

Top of Jack's Rake

#outdoor-activities-near-ambleside

Waterslide in Church Beck

#fun-days-in-the-lake-district

Big fun on a wet day

Classic Langdale

31/5/2019

#jacks-rake-pavey-ark

Nigel nearing the top of Jacks Rake

The Lake District is home to hundreds of great scrambling routes. Some are long enough to fill a day, others are somewhat shorter, so can be enjoyed as part of a walk, or may be linked with other scrambles to create a full day out in the mountains. One of our favourites is this:

Starting from The New Dungeon Ghyll hotel in Langdale there is a very short walk (2 minutes max) to reach Stickle Ghyll. This is where things get interesting. Get in the Ghyll and follow easy rocks up the stream bed, passing waterfalls and cascades along the way, all of which can be tackled direct or avoided via easier alternatives as desired.

After a few hundred metres of fine scrambling, a spur of rock comes down from the hillside on the right, take to this and follow it diagonally rightwards to reach Tarn crag. Walk under this to its right hand edge where 'The Spur' can be joined. This is a grade 2 scramble on lovely rough rock and in a wonderful position high above the Langdale valley.

From the top a gentle walk reaches Stickle tarn, walk around this to reach the magnificent Jacks Rake. This is the best of the 'easier' scrambles in the Lake District. Taking a dramatic line cutting right across the craggy face of Pavey Ark. It may only be a grade 1 route, but not to be under-estimated and certain variations can call for a rope. It is possible to scramble all the way to the summit too.

From here we walked over to Harrison Stickle before making our way back to the valley for a refreshing cup of tea back at The New Dungeon Ghyll.

Big thanks to Nigel and Geoff for joining me on this.

Thanks is also due to Mila for helping with the photos. To see what she can do click here :-)

Mark

#mountain-guide-lake-district

Starting a day of scrambling in Stickle Ghyll, Langdale

#mountaineering-instructor-lake-district

Top of Pavey Ark after a fab day of scrambling

Great Mountain days in the Lake District

3/10/2018

#thingstodonearambleside

Pavey Ark from Stickle Tarn

Yesterday I had the pleasure of showing Jon & Sara some of the best Rock Scrambles in the Lake District. There's so much to choose from and we'd discussed a variety of options in advance of meeting. A day in Langdale became the plan, and what a great day we had.

We began scrambling within a couple of hundred metres of the car park. Following Stickle Ghyll we scrambled by the side of waterfalls, traversing over and around pools of deep water, and boulder hopped all the way up to Stickle Tarn. This in itself is already a few hundred metres of top notch scrambling. Today this merely got us to our lunch break, a warm up if you like.
The main event lay ahead, across the far side of Stickle Tarn, on the big brooding face of Pavey Ark. Jack's Rake is an absolute classic Lakeland scramble. For situation and character alone it's amongst the very best there is. Add to this the impeccable rock found on. the upper section of the route and for me it shoots up to numero uno.

We cruised up the rake, taking our time to enjoy the moves, the rock, the views, and stopping from time to time to savour the splendour of Langdale and the distant skyline of the Coniston Fells.

All too soon we arrive at the top and on to the summit of PAvey Ark. The wind on the summit was doing its best to ask us to leave, so we obliged!
A hasty retreat back towards the tarn and down to the valley via Pike Howe saw us comfortably out of the bitterly chilly wind.

Costa del Langdale welcomed our tired bodies with warm sunshine and autumnal colours all around.

A brilliant day in the mountains, thanks to Jon & Sara from the flatlands of Norfolk.

Mark

#lakedistrictactivities

The start of a classic mountaineering day in the Lake District

#thingstodointhelakedistrict

Traversing above waterfalls in Stickle Ghyll

#jacksrakescramble

At the top of Jack's Rake with Stickle tarn now far far below us

Langdale walking extravaganza

26/9/2018

#guidedwalksnearambleside

Summit of Harrison Stickle

Our previous walking trip with Nigel had been hampered by poor weather, well that's North Wales for you! So a new schedule was put together, this time in the Lake District and its finest of valleys, Langdale.

As Nigel was booked in at The New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, we made a plan to walk from the door each day, and we succeeded.

Monday gave us glorious sunshine for much of the day. We took in all of the Langdale Pikes and included an ascent of Jacks Rake, so plenty of fun scrambling squeezed in to the day. We fly around this circuit in under 5 hours too, phew!

Tuesday brought more challenging weather, a good wake up for us. Very strong and bitterly cold winds saw us don hat & gloves early on. We had Bowfell in our sights and choose to go up The Band then on to the Climbers Traverse as far as The Great Spout. After a rest here it was onwards and upwards via the majestic Great Slab. After being sheltered from the wind below The Great Slab it was something of a blow (so to speak) being up on the summit of Bowfell and back in the full force of that North-Westerly!! A few other hardy walkers were out enjoying the day too.
We dropped down to Three Tarns then took a small path into Oxendale - a valley I'd never visited before - so we could visit Whorneyside Force and Crinkle Gill. This proved very worthwhile as the valley and Gills are all stunningly beautiful.

For our final day of walking this week the weather gods had turned against us somewhat. So we decided to turn this to our advantage and stay in the valleys to visit some amazing waterfalls. Again walking from The New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel we followed good tracks to Little Langdale and Cathedral Quarry, having an explore here before continuing to Colwith Force and Skelwith Force, both in full flow and most impressive. Our return route being via Elterwater and Chapel Stile then along the bottom of Langdale valley. Looking ahead to Stickle Ghyll in spate was very impressive. The power of nature is so great.

Tired legs and refreshed minds all round. Thanks Nigel.

Mark

#jacksrakepaveyark

Getting ready for Jacks Rake - a classic Lakeland scramble

#guidedwalkslakedistrict

Looking to The Great Slab and on to Langdale Pikes from the summit of Bowfell

#cathedralquarrylakedistrict

Cathedral Quarry main chamber

#colwithforceguidedwalkslakedistrict

Colwith Force in full flow

Jack's Rake, Pavey Ark

1/8/2018

#mountaineeringdaylakedistrict

Harrison Stickle

Another fantastic day out in the mountains of the Lake District. Got lucky with the weather and enjoyed great company all day.

The objective being Jack's Rake on Pavey Ark. We walked briskly to Stickle Tarn, took a quick breather and a few photos (which i managed to delete!) before cruising around to the base of Jake's Rake. This being the 'main event' and I think something Jane has been keen to complete for quite some time.

We geared up with helmets & harness, then set off into the Rake. Taking our time to consider movement over steep, rocky terrain and look at various safety issues that scrambling routes give rise to. Jane quickly got into a rhythm and was flying up the rocky groove. We paused occasionally for photos and of course to admire the spectacular scenery we were now amongst.

A solo scrambler passed us about half way up, other than that we had the route to ourselves, pretty lucky for summer holidays.

Lunch with a view at the top and a quick visit to the summit of Pavey Ark, then over to Harrison Stickle, well why not?!

It looked like some heavy rain was fast approaching, so we decided to call it a day and head for home. A grand day with far reaching views and overall lucky with the weather.

Thanks Jane, it's been a pleasure.

Mark

#jacksrakepaveyark

Jane tackling a short rock wall

#jacksrakescramblelakedistrict

Taking in the view at the top of Jack's Rake

#guidedwalkslakedistrict

Summit views from Pavey Ark

Rock scrambling course - Lake District

25/7/2017

#Jacks rake scramble

Looking down to Stickle tarn from Jack's Rake

A perfectly timed weather window arrived on Monday and has given us 2 days of excellent conditions for a Rock Scrambling skills course for father and son team Paul and James.

Monday began on the fantastic Raven crag, Yewdale. We took a grade 2-3 route to include some steeper terrain where the rope could be used. This gave a good introduction to anchor selection and belay methods. When the rope wasn't being used we used route choice and spotting to keep each other safe and discussed the limitations of this and the pros and cons.
After lunch we moved on to Coniston and a scramble up the broad buttress of Long Crag. At about grade 1 this is a noticeably easier route, but still gives plenty of interest and we steered ourselves towards some of the steeper sections. The rock is at all times wonderfully grippy, providing excellent friction that quickly builds confidence in foot placements.
The descent from here involved a fair amount of bracken bashing and crawling under the Yew trees! Quite an adventure in itself!

A mountain day with plenty of scrambling was the request for today. So we headed for Langdale which can always provide a brilliant link up of top quality scrambles.
The Groove on Tarn crag provided the starter. En-route to this is a pleasant spur that allowed us to consolidate movement skills from yesterday and discuss spotting techniques further.
At grade 3, The Groove is best enjoyed with the safety of a rope. We climbed about 3 pitches before escaping leftwards onto grassy terraces. Here we could continue mostly unroped, occasionally dipping back in to roped sections to further consolidate skills.
After summiting we descended to Stickle tarn and made our way to Jack's Rake, stopping for some lunch at the base.

For most of the way up Jack's Rake we used spotting techniques to allow for fluid movement whilst keeping things safe. Once at the crux section the rope was back out so Paul could put some skills into practice. And for a finale we brought the rope out again to allow us a safe passage through a more difficult finishing line up the superb Tufa of Pavey Ark.

A quick boulder hop to the summit before heading for home.

A cracking could of days in the mountains. Thanks Paul & James for good company and loads of enthusiasm.

Mark

#jacks rake scramble lake district

Deploying the rope for the tricky step on Jack's Rake

#Jack's rake - Pavey Ark

Enjoying the final slabs on Jack's Rake

Jack's Rake, Pavey Ark

29/4/2016

Rock-scrambling-Jack's-Rake-Pavey-Ark-Lake-District

Jack's Rake

Earlier this week we welcomed back returning clients Sam & Natasha. Having enjoyed a gorge scramble with us last summer, they now had their sights set on the classic Langdale scramble of Jack's Rake.

In order to enter into the scrambling mindset straightaway we took the more adventurous option of ascended via Stickle ghyll (keeping dry), boulder hopping and easy scrambling on good rock.
Soon we were resting at the picturesque Stickle tarn and looking over to the main event of Jack's Rake. Whilst walking over to the base of the climb it began to snow!! We were well prepared and wrapped up ready for the cold, so we pressed on.
The initial section of the climb is easy but has lots of loose rock, so care is needed the whole time. Due to some rock being damp we took care to place feet well and always find good, positive handholds. About a third of the way up I noticed a large rockfall had happened (I had always advised people not to use said rocks due to their instability) and the debris now fills the 'Rake'.
Again, due to slippery rock and chilly fingers, we roped up for the crux section by the Rowan tree and again for the final climb as Natasha decided she wanted to climb a more direct and more difficult route, nice one.

A warm sense of achievement came once at the top and enjoying a lunch break, this had been on Sam's bucket list for some time I think. Well done both.

A stroll back to the New Dungeon Ghyll via Stickle tarn finished the day off rather nicely.

Really good to see you both again.

Mark

Multi-activity adventures

3/10/2015

Troutdale-Pinnacle

It's been another very busy few days here in the Lakes, and the weather has remained amazing throughout. Colours are now turning with autumn well and truly on the way. So the coming few weeks will be the perfect time to visit the area and enjoy the autumnal colours whilst they last.

We've been helping our friends at Highpoint Mountain Guides - guiding Geology students up Jacks Rake on Pavey Ark. This classic scramble is always memorable and can be enjoyed during most weather conditions.

We've been around the Elterwater circuit a couple of times too. Organising guided walks for Canadian couple Monty & Frith, and a couple from Devizes Gemma & Jonathan. This walk never fails to impress, with so many highlights along the way and something of interest around every corner.

The water in the gorges is still rather pleasant. We've been in the Langdale gorges a few times recently, and water levels have been low - moderate meaning all the big obstacles have been successfully tackled by our parties.

Not satisfied with only day work, I was also involved in a 3 Peaks challenge event (working on behalf of Advocate Events) on Scafell Pike. The moon was so bright that head torches were not needed even though we walked between the hours of 11pm and 4am!! I think this is a first for us.

Towards the end of the week it was back out on the rock for an indoor to outdoor climbing transition course with Tom, Alice, and Jack from London. We did this at Church crag in St. John's in the Vale. Catching all the morning sun, this proved a perfect venue for our early session. Views to Blencathra are unsurpassed too.

Then it was onto a Navigation skills course for Renata & Anna. We based this above the village of Elterwater and covered skills ranging from basic map reading, to walking on bearings, pacing, back bearings, and re-location techniques. A full day with loads covered.

Despite being really busy, there's still been time to get out climbing with friends, with visits to Sergeant Crag Slabs in Langstrath, Raven crag in Langdale, and Black crag in Borrowdale for an ascent of the classic Troutdale Pinnacle.

Great times, thanks everyone.
Mark

Here's a few photos of the days

Mountaineering day in the Lake District

22/9/2015

Mountaineering-Lake-District

After a night of torrential rain, a visit to Pavey Ark was always going to be an adventure! It didn't disappoint.

Myself & Adrian walked up by Stickle Ghyll as it thundered down the hillside, misty at first, soon the cloud began to break giving some outstanding views of Lingmoor and over to the Coniston fells.

The rain abated, the views opened up, all was well. The rock was still very wet, but our route is definitely best savoured on a damp day, and wow was it damp!!!

The first pitch, all 50 metres of it felt very greasy so we took extra care. The traverse pitch had a waterfall falling onto it, so it was hoods up and prepare for a drenching, oh yeh. This is the 'money' pitch and absolutely amazing, especially so with so much water on it, epic conditions.

Soon we were onto Jack's Rake, so a quick ascent up to the top, break for lunch and a swift descent back to the New Dungeon Ghyll.

A really top day out, thanks Adrian.

Mark

Guided-climbing-Crescent-climb-Pavey-Ark-Lake-District

Multi-activity in the Lake District

3/8/2015

Pavey-Ark and Jack's-Rake

Thanks to many fab customers it's been very busy here at Mountain Journeys.
We've been Gorge Scrambling, Rock Climbing, Rock Scrambling, Abseiling; providing support for 3 Peaks Challenge teams, and guiding on Scafell Pike, phew!

Whilst the weather has been mixed, there we've had a few dry days, times when the mountains can be fully savoured. My mountain day in the Langdales proved to be excellent, with moderate temperatures and sunshine throughout. Des & Adam were keen to push themselves on some Rock Scrambles and learn a few tricks along the way. Tarn crag provided the testing start to the day, whilst Jack's Rake on Pavey Ark gave the perfect finishing touch, a classic scramble if ever there was one.

More rock scrambling for me on Sunday, this time on the accessible Raven crag in Yewdale. Perfect rock and great company made for a fine morning outing with Mark & Lynda.

And today I met up with a friend from Sheffield for some rock climbing. Anna is a fine climber, having travelled far and wide for that perfect rock trip, thankfully she sees the Lake District as a brilliant destination for a climber (okay, apart from the weather!!). So we consider the weather conditions of easing rain and strong winds. Where to go for a good climb? Let's try Bram Crag Quarry, the Lake District's most recent Sport climbing venue.

A micro-granite quarry in St. John's in the Vale. Well bolted, easy access, excellent friction, plenty 3-D climbing, many tricky routes providing unusual moves. Sheltered and with a fantastic outlook towards Blencathra and Skiddaw, what's not to like.

Photos:
Stickle tarn and Pavey Ark
Anna leading at Bram crag quarry

Bram-crag-quarry