The 'infamous' Bad Step - Why a Grade I Lake District scramble lives-up to its name

Lake District hikers are being urged to consider Crinkle Crags and, specifically, the “infamous” Grade 1 scramble known as Bad Step in the Langdale Valley. The article says the AllTrails route to the Crinkle Crags summit is 10.5 kilometres long with 750 metres of elevation gain and is rated “hard.” It also describes the out-and-back hike as requiring scrambling and steep, rocky terrain with loose rock, with views of the Langdale Valley from Three Shire Stone, a historic meeting point of Cumberland, Lancashire and Westmorland. Guidance stresses careful route selection because the scramble involves hands-on climbing and the paths can be indistinct, with advice to tackle it in dry conditions. It cautions that snow, ice, rain and high winds would make the trail very difficult. The article quotes Alfred Wainwright praising Crinkle Crags while warning it is not for bad weather. It adds that Bad Step appears in 12 AllTrails routes and references options including a 15.8km trek up Esk Pike, Bowfell and Crinkle Crags, near Bowfell, Cold Pike, Pike of Blisco and the Scafell group, within the remit of the Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team.