The south top seen from the Bad Step
Crinkle Crags South Top
Trying to make sense of the maps around Crinkle Crags can lead to a bit of a headache. While classic guidebooks usually just rely on what you can see with your own eyes—breaking the jagged undulating skyline down into five distinct 'crinkles' numbered south to north—the official hill-bagging registers look at things a bit differently. The South Top is widely known to walkers as the 'First Crinkle', standing as the rugged southern gateway to one of the most exciting ridge walks in Cumbria.
If you're keeping score on peak classifications, things get even more interesting. The official Hewitt and Nuttall lists don't bother counting the middle sequence of crinkles along the ridge. Instead, they pick out the main summit, this South Top, and two high points further along on Shelter Crags. For walkers ticking off the lists, that makes this particular mound of stone a mandatory stop rather than just another bump on the path.
Summit of the South Top
The top itself is a great spot to pause, especially if you've just tackled the ascent out of Langdale or finished working your way through the nearby 'Bad Step'. Marked by a humble, weathered stone cairn, the summit feels beautifully exposed to the elements. Standing right on the edge of the first major rise, you get a brilliant perspective of the ridge rolling away ahead of you, with the massive, craggy profiles of the higher fells providing a spectacular backdrop across the skyline.
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