My Top 10 Favourite Lakeland Crags #7: Pavey Ark, Langdale

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Ideas by Chris, words by Anne

We're only up to number seven in the series, and this is the fourth crag I've chosen in the Langdale Valley. But that's not really surprising - Langdale has everything a climber could ask for. Amazing mountain scenery, many south-facing crags, an even spread from roadside to high mountain crags, and huge numbers of routes in the grades below E3.  And it's only 25 minutes from where I live in Windermere.

Chris Moore on Aardvark

Chris Moore on Aardvark

Pavey Ark is one of Lakeland's biggest crags, and it is part of the distinctive skyline of the Langdale Pikes. It faces south-east, so the climbing is best from early morning to mid-afternoon. The walk-in from the Stickle Ghyll car park is less than an hour, and the crag offers excellent climbing across the grades on superb rock. Haskett-Smith, quoted in the FRCC guide to Langdale said, "[The rock is] of splendid gripping quality; rough as a cow's tongue."

Here are my favourite routes, listed from easiest to hardest:

Gwynne's Chimney

First climbed: 1892 / Current grade: D** / Length of route: 30m / Number of pitches: 1

Crescent Slabs

First climbed: 1920 / Current grade: S+** / Length of route: 60m / Number of pitches: 2

Stoat's Crack

First climbed: 1933 / Current grade: HS** / Length of route: 112m / Number of pitches: 5

Chris Moore on the second pitch of Capella

Chris Moore on the second pitch of Capella

Golden Slipper

First climbed: 1958 / Current grade: HVS-*** / Length of route: 60m / Number of pitches: 3

Aardvark

First climbed: 1972 / Current grade: E1+** / Length of route: 55m / Number of pitches: 2

Capella

First climbed: 1997 / Current grade: E1-*** / Length of route: 70m / Number of pitches: 2

Arcturus

First climbed: 1962 / Current grade: E2-*** / Length of route: 81m / Number of pitches: 3

The fantastic view from the bottom of Astra

The fantastic view from the bottom of Astra

Astra

First climbed: 1960 / Current grade: E2*** / Length of route: 60m / Number of pitches: 3

Cruel Sister

First climbed: 1972 / Current grade: E3*** / Length of route: 73m / Number of pitches: 3

If you haven't seen the six previous posts in this series, you can catch up here:

My Top 10 Favourite Lakeland Crags #1: Raven Crag, Langdale
My Top 10 Favourite Lakeland Crags #2: Dow Crag, Coniston
My Top 10 Favourite Lakeland Crags #3: Gimmer Crag, Langdale
My Top 10 Favourite Lakeland Crags #4: Walllowbarrow Crag in the Duddon Valley
My Top 10 Favourite Lakeland Crags #5: Shepherd's Crag, Borrowdale
My Top 10 Favourite Lakeland Crags #6: Bowfell, Langdale

How about you? What's your favourite Lakeland crag, and why?