Lake District
Crinkle Crags - Fourth Crinkle
832M
2730FT
About Crinkle Crags - Fourth Crinkle
Part of one of Lakeland's most celebrated ridge walks, this penultimate peak offers rugged, rock-strewn terrain and high-altitude drama. Situated north of the 'Bad Step' and the main summit, it provides a spectacular vantage point over the desolate upper reaches of Eskdale and the Scafell massif.
Key Statistics
Rank
42nd Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Fells
Prominence
?
3m
Nearest Town
Eskdale
Geology
You are walking on ancient layers of hardened volcanic ash and lava. These rugged rocks were shaped by explosive eruptions and cooling molten flows.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY249050
Latitude
54.4354°N
Longitude
3.1582°W
Did You Know?
- •The name 'Crinkle Crags' is purely descriptive, derived from the Old English 'crincan', meaning to bend or twist, perfectly capturing the undulating, jagged profile of the ridge when viewed from the Great Langdale valley.
- •While Alfred Wainwright famously grouped the Crinkles together in his guides, Bill Birkett and Tim Synge both identified this 832m high point as a distinct summit, rewarding it with its own classification.
- •The summit offers a peerless view across the deep trough of Upper Eskdale to the Scafell massif; from here, the sheer scale of the East Buttress of Scafell and the dark ravine of Piers Gill are particularly imposing.
- •This peak is often reached as part of a high-level traverse starting from the Three Shire Stone at Wrynose Pass, a route that keeps walkers above the 700-metre line for several miles of complex, volcanic terrain.
- •Navigating the Fourth Crinkle in thick mist is a classic Lakeland experience: it is usually the point where you realise that 'just one more rise' has been your internal mantra for the last forty minutes.