Bowfell

About Bowfell

Commanding the head of Great Langdale, this rocky, pyramid-shaped peak is one of the most popular fells in the Lake District. Its summit is a chaotic jumble of stones, featuring the remarkable Great Slab and offering a grandstand view of the Scafell range across the deep trough of Upper Eskdale.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Old Norse 'Bogi-fjall', meaning 'Bow Fell'. This likely refers to the distinct, curving shape of the ridge when viewed from the south or east, though some suggest it may have been named after a Norse settler called Bogi.
• •Alfred Wainwright held the peak in exceptionally high regard, placing it in his personal top six Lakeland fells. He described it as 'a pyramid of rocks' and noted that it is the only major peak that presents its best side to the popular valley of Great Langdale.
• •One of the most celebrated approaches is the Climbers’ Traverse, a narrow path that hugs the base of the summit cliffs. It leads directly to the Great Slab, a massive, tilted sheet of volcanic rock that looks like a giant's pavement leading toward the sky.
• •From the summit, you gain an unparalleled perspective on the Scafell Massif. You can look directly across the gap to the rugged Crinkle Crags, the sprawling Langdale Pikes, and see the full length of Windermere stretching away to the south.
• •The summit area is part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, characterized by hard, slow-weathering rhyolitic tuffs. This explains why the top remains a sharp, boulder-strewn wilderness while lower neighbors have been smoothed by erosion.
• •The summit is a chaotic landscape of boulders where the only thing harder than the climb is finding a flat enough spot to put down a thermos without it immediately toppling over.