The ascent of Bowfell from Langdale is one of those walks you can see from top to bottom before you start. From the Little Landale road on the other side of the valley, the eastern shoulder of Bowfell, The Band, displays the well worn path to the summit.
The best place to park for this walk is the car park at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in Great Langdale. Like all car parks in the Lakes these days you have to pay. It suddenly seemed to happen, and I first came across it at the top of Honister. We just had enough change to feed the meter. I don't begrudge it though; the National Trust are doing some good work to control erosion, to which I have contributed over the years! It does mean, however, that you are sometimes rushed to finish your walk before the meter runs out! It (the car park at the Old DG) does fill up quickly though, especially in the 'season', and you'll have to be there early to get a place. If you can't, you'll have to take your chances with the pull-offs along the road.
Walk along the road to the farm at Stool End, looking right for a view of the Langdale Pikes and take the path which heads up The Band. You can't miss it; it's a bit like a motorway, and in the Summer carries about as much traffic. It has suffered badly over the years since I first used it in the early eighties, and when I came down it in April '95 after climbing Crinkle Crags, I thought it was positively dangerous in places. In November 1988 it was cold and frosty in the shade as we walked along the road to Stool End, but a few yards up the Band, the sun caught us, and it turned quite warm; shirt sleeve weather, really.
After the initial ascent, the gradient eases for a while and the path swings left, with excellent views of Pike O'Stickle across the valley of Mickleden, which will be your return route, and the precipices of Cambridge Crags and Bowfell Buttress.
The path now steepens and becomes very rough and rocky as it climbs to the depression at Three Tarns. From here you can appreciate the unique structure of the South face of Bowfell. The crags are split by a dozen vertical gullies which look as though they were formed by a giant comb. These are Bowfell Links. Although, from the summit, they may appear to offer a quick means of descent, they should be avoided at all costs; they are steep and choked with loose boulders.
Also from the Three Tarns you get a good view of Scafell and Scafell Pike. It looks as if they can be reached quite easily, but the trench of Upper Eskdale lies between you and them!
The path now starts its final ascent, and becomes very steep and rough. About half way up, a faint path to the right leads round a rocky corner onto the top of the Great Slab, which is a vast expanse of rock, lightly fissured and sloping gently downwards towards Flat Crags.
Eventually the summit is reached across a boulder field. Visit the summit cairn, and then wander off to find a quieter place for lunch; personally I find that summit cairns are usually inhabited by the least desirable of people, namely parties of school children, and groups of noisy geriatrics.
The path for the descent leads down towards Ore Gap, the depression between Bowfell and Esk Pike. From here a path goes off the the right, descending steeply at first between crags, to join the Langdale - Esk Hause path near Angle Tarn. On that November day, the sun hadn't reached the back of Bowfell, and the grass was still frozen and quite slippery. The path climbs away from the tarn to the head of the notorious Rossett Gill. Personally I didn't think it was as bad as people say; I've cetainly come across worse, particularly Red Pike from Buttermere. Wainwright mentions on old pony track which contours the fell-side to the right, but I haven't found it yet.
At the bottom of Rossett Gill the worst is over, and there follows a pleasant, if somewhat lengthy, walk back along Mickleden to the Old Gungeon Ghyll. The first time I did this walk was with my son in the early eighties. It was a very hot day, and the sun followed us round in a clockwise direction. My left arm was quite sunburnt, while my right arm remained white. I stopped off for a very welcome pint (or two!) of Theakstons before returning to Keswick. In 1988 we mistakenly sampled the Yates. Perhaps we hit on a bad barrel, but it wasn't nice! For some reason the others took against the bar. Personally I think the fact that it doesn't appear to have been cleaned for several years only adds to its charm!