A steady grind up to an old axe factory
For as long as man has gazed upon the Langdale Pikes they must have been revered. Viewed from the road as one emerges from Chapel Stile, there is no finer prospect of Lakeland majesty. Each beetling fell, like the ‘Fab Four’, characters in their own right, but together greater than the sum of their considerable parts. They are truly a special part of our mountain heritage; a scenic catalyst at once captivating and compelling. From that instant adoration comes a desire for a ‘must do’ ascent... so why delay? Perhaps it was this magnetism that drew neolithic people to quest high across these rugged slopes in search for suitable rock to manufacture their everyday tools. For them stone held more than practical purpose, it was held in reverence. Hence the hard volcanic tuff they discovered in this area, when fashioned into axes took on a status above and beyond mere utilitarian worth. Greenstone axes from this area have been discovered all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland, many polished and pristine suggesting they were used ceremonially. Perhaps status symbols treasured by elders and chiefs as signs of their authority and wealth. There are several so called ‘axe factory’ sites, from Harrison Stickle to Scafell Pike, but the most enigmatic lies high up the South Screes gully of Pike o’Stickle. The gully is excessively steep and wildly unstable, a near vertical fall of loose jagged stone. Indeed, it is quite ill-suited for walkers of any persuasion, consider it an irreverence to the archaeology and the physical order of the site to venture up or down. And for good measure not healthy for your bodily parts either! Situated a quarter-of-a-mile west of Chapel Stile, the Copt How erratics, known to rock climbers as the Langdale Boulders, are of principal interest in the axe-factory story. Quite literally smothered in cup-and-ring marks. This rock art, only identified in 1999, is thought to be contemporary with the axe-factory workings of some 4,000 years ago. Amazingly the bouldering of generations of rock climbers has little effected their imprint (refer also to the end of this feature).  Pike o'Stickle from Loft Crag The ascent of earlier man must have been similar to our own course. Indeed the path that climbs from the vicinity of the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel has a name that just might add fuel to the thought, it’s called Mark Gate. Our objective, the eye-catching rock stack of Pike o’Stickle is hidden for most of the ascent. The term stickle means ‘steep place’ and who can doubt the application, whether for the peak or the gill (alternatively called of Mill Beck, hence the farm-name). A webcam, sponsored by The Sticklebarn tavern, points up Stickle Ghyll to Pavey Ark, frequently, all that it shows home-based observers is a blanket of mist. Visit the www.LangdaleWeb.co.uk site to confirm the early morning state for your day. Cannily the website focuses attention on the tavern for accommodation and refreshment, though both the Old and New Dungeon Ghyll Hotels merit their share of the spoils. While visitors preferring the outdoor life can take their pitch at the adjacent Langdale Campsite run by The National Trust. Decades in the fellwalking limelight has resulted in heavy wear to the fell-paths around this valley-head. Concerted remedial work has concentrated resources in the locality. Stickle Ghyll continues to receive attention, the lure of Stickle Tarn as a way to the tops is unabated. Currently some of the western slopes of Blea Rigg, beneath Tarn Crag, are out-of-bounds for helicopter landing, during the hauling process. Let the show beginFrom the National Park car park follow the lane leading to, and between, the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel and The Sticklebarn, passing through the gate beyond. Or, from The National Trust car park, start from the interpretative shelter. Walkers unversed in mountain formation and shaping will find the panels intriguing with their exciting references to the action of fire and ice. Follow the confined path through, via a hand-gate, into the small paddock meeting up with the former path. Pass the Trust’s Stickle Ghyll estate emblem sign and after going through the coppice gap bear left. The part-pitched path rises quite roughly to a hand-gate at the top of the initial rise, go right, beside the wall. As the innocent-looking gill is seen close left, clamber over the tall stile. Bear abruptly down left to rock-hop over the gill. Under normal damp conditions no hazard. But this tame gill is about to get tough, it’s Dungeon Ghyll after all and the dungeon is imminent. You may enter the dark chasm but a timorous retreat is inevitable as there is no way through. A giant chock-stone a notable feature, as too a fuming fall, the defile environment a haven of ferns and mosses revelling in the tumultuous permanently shady hydro-sanctuary. Backtrack and step back onto the pitched path from where the chasm is hidden and only intimated by sprigs of birch and holly. The second phase of Dungeon Ghyll leads to a beautiful waterfall, that can be admired from the pitched path, though camera-touting walkers will be tempted to draw across the steep slope to get a closer angle.
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© Mark Richards 2006 |
