Great Langdale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great Langdale |
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 Great Langdale
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| Population | 317 (2025) |
| OS grid reference | NY 30343 06520 |
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| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Keswick |
| Postcode district | LA22 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
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Great Langdale is a beautiful valley located in the amazing Lake District National Park in North West England. It's called "Great" to tell it apart from a smaller valley nearby, Little Langdale. The name "Langdale" probably comes from an old Norse word meaning "Long Valley."
This valley is a favorite spot for people who love the outdoors! Many hikers, climbers, and fell-runners come here. They enjoy the tall mountains, called fells, that surround the valley. Some of the most famous mountains here are the Langdale Pikes. These are a group of peaks on the north side of the valley. You can even start a climb to Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain, from Langdale. The valley also offers stunning views of places like the Dungeon Ghyll Force waterfall, Harrison Stickle, and Pike of Stickle.
Long ago, during the Stone Age, Great Langdale was a very important place. People here made special stone axes. Later, it also became a key area for the slate industry, which used stone for building.
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Ancient History: Stone Axes and Carvings
The Langdale Axe Industry
Long, long ago, during the Neolithic period (also known as the New Stone Age), Great Langdale was a busy place. People here had a special industry: making stone axes! The valley had a unique type of rock called greenstone. This rock was perfect for making strong, polished axes.
These axes were very popular. They have been found all over the British Isles and even in parts of Europe. People collected the greenstone from the mountain slopes, especially on Harrison Stickle and Pike of Stickle. archaeologists call these special tools "Group VI axes." They were traded far and wide, from the south of England to the Orkney Islands in the north.
Mysterious Rock Carvings
Great Langdale is also home to some amazing ancient art. At a place called Copt Howe, you can find England's largest collection of Neolithic rock carvings. These carvings are super old, dating back to around 3300–2900 BC. They were rediscovered in 1999.
The carvings show lines and ring shapes etched into the rocks. They look a lot like art found in ancient Irish passage tombs, like Newgrange. This suggests that people in Great Langdale had connections with cultures far away. These carvings might have been part of special ceremonies.
Great Langdale was a very important place in early Stone Age Britain. It was a center for making tools, trading goods, and likely had spiritual meaning. Its influence helped shape the building of large stone monuments, like stone circles and henges, across the region.
Exploring the Valley's Geography
The entrance to Great Langdale is near Skelwith Bridge. This spot is about two miles (three kilometers) west of Ambleside. Inside the valley, you'll find two charming villages: Chapel Stile and Elterwater. There's also a tiny settlement called a hamlet at High Close.
Great Langdale has a special shape, like a giant "U." This shape was carved out by huge sheets of ice, called glaciers, long ago. Its neighbor, Little Langdale, is a different kind of valley called a hanging valley.
The Slate Story: Building with Stone
Great Langdale and the village of Elterwater were once very important for the Lakeland slate industry. Slate is a type of rock that can be split into thin, flat pieces. It's often used for roofing and building.
Today, two quarries, Elterwater Quarry and Spout Cragg Quarry, are still working. They use modern tools to extract the slate. Elterwater is the bigger quarry, and both are run by the Burlington Stone Company. Many other local quarries, like Lingmoor and Thrang Crag, are no longer in use.
Meet the Langdale Pikes
One of the most famous sights in Great Langdale is the Langdale Pikes. These are a group of impressive mountains on the north side of the valley. From below, they look like a sharp, rocky ridge. However, they are only steep on their southern side. To the north, the land slopes gently towards High Raise, which is the main mountain of this group.
The Langdale Pikes include four main peaks, listed from west to east:
- Pike of Stickle
- Loft Crag
- Harrison Stickle
- Pavey Ark
Pike of Stickle: A Mountain of History
Pike of Stickle, sometimes called Pike o’ Stickle, stands tall at 709 meters (about 2,326 feet). Its slopes are made of different kinds of rock. You can find pebbly sandstone and breccia (a rock made of broken fragments). The front of the mountain shows layers of rock like tuff (rock made from volcanic ash) and other volcanic materials.
From the top of Pike of Stickle, you can see other peaks like Loft Crag and Gimmer Crag. Bowfell mountain is about three kilometers (two miles) to the west-southwest. On a clear day, you might even spot the Southern Fells and Skiddaw in the distance.
Loft Crag: Climber's Paradise
Loft Crag reaches a height of 2,238 feet (682 meters). It sits right between Harrison Stickle and Pike of Stickle. This mountain has a small, sharp top. Below it is Gimmer Crag, a very famous spot for rock climbing in the Lake District. The rock here is called Rhyolite. Climbers first explored Gimmer Crag in the early 1880s, thanks to Walter Parry Haskett Smith.
Harrison Stickle: The Highest Pike
Harrison Stickle is the highest point of the Langdale Pikes. Its rocky cliffs drop steeply to the south and east. This gives amazing views from the valley floor, which is 2,000 feet (610 meters) below. To the north, the mountain ridge goes over Thunacar Knott and then climbs to High Raise.
The deep valley of Dungeon Ghyll forms the southwestern edge of Harrison Stickle. It cuts through the mountains and into the land below. To the west, across Dungeon Ghyll, you can see Thorn Crag, Loft Crag, and Pike of Stickle. Below Harrison Stickle's eastern side is Stickle Tarn, a beautiful mountain lake. This lake is about 50 feet (15 meters) deep and has a small dam. The water from Stickle Tarn is used by people in Great Langdale.
Pavey Ark: A Giant Rock Wall
Pavey Ark is a mountain that is 700 meters (about 2,297 feet) high. Its main face is a huge rock wall, over a quarter of a mile (400 meters) wide. This wall drops about 400 feet (122 meters) down. To the southwest, it joins the cliffs of Harrison Stickle.
Stickle Tarn, the mountain lake, is completely within Pavey Ark's area. It's a corrie tarn (a lake in a bowl-shaped hollow). A low stone dam was built to hold more water, but it doesn't spoil the lake's natural beauty. The water from this tarn, which is about 50 feet (15 meters) deep, is used by hotels and homes in the valley.
Other Amazing Mountains
Great Langdale's tallest mountain is Bowfell. Other notable mountains in the area include Crinkle Crags, found at the head of the Oxendale valley. You can also find Pike o' Blisco on the southern side of the valley.
Dungeon Ghyll: Waterfalls and Ravines
Dungeon Ghyll is a deep, narrow ravine on the north side of the valley. It starts on the mountain slopes between Harrison Stickle and Loft Crag/Pike of Stickle. It's not a path for walkers to go all the way through. Much more open is Stickle Ghyll, which flows down from Stickle Tarn.
There's a popular path from the Stickle Ghyll car park up to the tarn. Parts of this path have been improved with stone slabs to prevent erosion. Another beautiful waterfall, called Dungeon Ghyll Force, can be found up a path behind the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.
The Middle Fell Bridge in this area was a central part of the story in the 1945 film Brief Encounter.
Fun Things to Do: Tourism in Langdale
Great Langdale is a fantastic place for many outdoor activities. There are several popular fell walking routes. You can hike up Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, the Langdale Pikes, and even England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike.
The valley also has amazing spots for rock climbing, like Raven Crag, Gimmer Crag, and White Ghyll. These offer some of the most exciting rock climbing routes in the UK. The Langdale Leisure Limited company operates a hotel, timeshare lodges, and leisure facilities in the valley.
The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel: A Climber's Hub
The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel was originally a farm and an inn. A famous historian, Professor G. M. Trevelyan, bought it and later gave it to the National Trust. He is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Chapel Stile.
This hotel and its Hikers Bar are well-known among climbers. Many famous climbers have stayed there or enjoyed a drink in the bar. In climbing circles, it's often called the "ODG." Further down the valley, you'll find the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, which was built in 1862. If you like camping, there are campsites nearby, including a National Trust site and Baysbrown Farm campsite.
