Blencathra - (via Sharp Edge & Hall's Fell Ridge).

Thursday 11th April had been forecast as a bright sunny day in the Lake District, with increasing cloud appearing during the afternoon. As things turned out weather-wise, the morning wasn't quite as good as expected, with quite a bit of cloud around, giving some lengthy overcast spells between sunny intervals. Things improved towards lunchtime, with much less cloud in the afternoon. It was a strange sort of day, with lots of atmospheric UV haze around. - (Which makes photography somewhat difficult by muting colours, and preventing clear views of the distant fells).

Due to other commitments later in the day, this time I wanted a relatively short walk, so decided upon Blencathra. - Ascent by Sharp Edge, and descent by Hall's Fell Ridge. - It's a walk, (or a variation of what are usually longer walks), I've done several times both in summer and winter, (some of which are reported separately here on WalkLakes), and which never ceases to impress.

Starting from a layby on the eastbound carriageway of the A66, near to Doddick, I walked generally north-eastwards, picking up the footpath behind the White Horse Inn at Scales. Then contouring around Scales Fell towards Mousthwaite Comb. Approaching Mousthwaite Comb, the path takes a more north westerly direction, running parallel with River Glenderamackin towards Mungrisdale Common. Eventually that path reaches Scales Beck, at which point I crossed the beck and made the short ascent up to Scales Tarn.

From the tarn, I made my way up to the start of Sharp Edge, stopping for a bite to eat and a drink before continuing. Sharp Edge was in fine condition, with bone dry rocks and very little wind to consider. It was quickly followed by an enjoyable scramble up Foule Crag, and then owards to Blencathra summit, with a quick detour onto the plateau of Blencathra's "Saddle", to photograph the White Cross Memorial.

The replacement for the "stolen" OS trigonometrical station ring had recently been installed at the summit, so I took a few photos before descending via Hall's Fell ridge, back to valley level at Gategill. Once back in the valley, it was a short walk of about half a mile or so along the A66 back to Doddick and the car.

GPX track of the route walked: -

Sharp Edge comes into sight. - Taken from the path contouring Scales Fell towards Mungrisdale Common: -

A close-up shot of Sharp Edge, taken from the same viewpoint: -

Looking up Scales Beck, with Blencathra peeping out beyond. (At this point, Scales Tarn is still out of sight behind the "vee" at the top of the beck): -

The view across Scales Tarn to Tarn Crags: -

Looking across Scales Tarn to Sharp Edge: -

A close-up of part of Sharp Edge, from the same viewpoint: -

Looking back down, from the first part of Sharp Edge: -

Looking back across Sharp Edge, from slightly further along: -

Scales Tarn, with Scales Fell beyond, from about half way across Sharp Edge: -

Another shot across Sharp Edge, with (the south-western, and not very craggy! side of) Bannerdale Crags beyond: -

Another shot across the Edge, from still further along its length: -

Yours truly on Sharp Edge: -

Looking back across Sharp Edge, from just beyond the "bad step": -

Scales Tarn and Sharp Edge, with Bannerdale Crags in the distance. (Taken from Blencathra's Saddleback ridgeline): -

A close-up look back at Sharp Edge from the same viewpoint: -

A last look back to Sharp Edge, from further along the Saddle ridge: -

The White Cross Memorial on Blencathra's "Saddleback" plateau, with Skiddaw in the background: -

Looking towards Derwentwater and the fells beyond, from Blencathra summit: -

The newly installed "replacement" for the OS Trigonometrical Station Ring. (The original ring, of which there are photos in this walk report: - viewtopic.php?f=2&t=505 was stolen from this spot in 2018): -

Looking down Hall's Fell ridge, from Blencathra summit: -

The view across the ridgeline leading to Doddick Fell. - Taken from near the top of Hall's Fell ridge: -

Looking towards Derwentwater, across Gategill Fell. - From Hall's Fell ridge: -

A much zoomed-in shot showing what's left of the winter snow on Helvellyn, from Hall's Fell ridge: -

Looking down Hall's Fell ridge: -

Looking down Hall's Fell ridge: -

Looking back up Hall's Fell ridge towards Blencathra summit: -

Almost back down to valley level, and the final shot of the day. - Looking up to Hall's Fell ridge and Blencathra's summit, from the old and long abandoned lead mine area at Gategill: -

All in all, another great walk in the Lake District!

Regards, Mike.

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By TallPaul on 02/05/19 at 8:02am (last edited 02/05/19 at 8:02am)

Excellent report. I hope you don't mind by I stole your report and photos of the new Trigonometrical Station Ring and turned them into a blog post.

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By Lancashire Lad on 02/05/19 at 12:34pm

Hi Paul,

No problem! - I had seen your blog and had noticed that my "trig-ring" photos had been used, but that's fine with me.

Best regards, Mike.

TallPaul likes this post

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By ldwill on 13/02/23 at 8:10pm

Hi Lancaster Lad

I liked your photos of the replacement concrete ring marking the trig point on the top of Blencathra. I am trying to encourage people to arrange for something similar on the top of Latrigg, where there is a similar "buried block" trig point, unmarked and generally unknown. From the National Archives I have obtained the report of the OS surveyors who put it there in 1966, but it will need a metal detector to find its exact position. Can I have your permission, please, to use your pictures of the Blencathra marker to support my argument, for example to accompany a letter to our local paper, the "Keswick Reminder"?

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By Lancashire Lad on 21/03/23 at 2:13pm (last edited 21/03/23 at 2:36pm)

Hi,

Apologies for my tardy reply - but I have only just (today) seen your post.
I would have no problem with your use of my photos of the replacement triangulation station ring for the specific intent you mention.

Very coincidentally, in the Fell Top Assessors report for yesterday, (20th March 2023), the assessor posted a photo of Blencathra summit in very misty conditions - which included a good closeup view of the replacement ring.

Unfortunately, it can be seen in that photo that almost a quarter of the ring has been completely broken off.
The broken part is still sitting there, but it is clearly broken off from the rest of the ring.
I would hazard a guess that it will now be only a matter of time before that broken part disappears, and for the rest of the ring to be similarly destroyed.

For anyone who wants to see the photo, (obviously a copyright image), It should remain available via the "Tweets from @LakesWeather" column at right hand side of the https://www.lakedistrictweatherline.co.uk/home webpage.

The replacement ring was put there at considerable cost (several thousand pounds), only four years ago, after the original one had been stolen (or more likely rolled off the fell top).
It saddens me immensely, that there are utterly stupid people who put the effort into climbing the high fells, only to commit such senseless vandalism when they get up there.

Regards
Mike.

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By Lancashire Lad on 21/03/23 at 4:23pm (last edited 21/03/23 at 4:25pm)

As an aside, and as to the probable reason that the original concrete ring went missing after so many years being undisturbed, I would point readers to the Blencathra page of the TrigpointingUK website:- https://trigpointing.uk/trig/7306

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(On the actual webpage, the four photos denoted by the green camera icons can be viewed).
From what can be seen in those photos, (Logged visit of 11th July 2018), it is fairly obvious that the ring would have been quite easy to remove once the centre had been dug out like that.

Trigpoint "bagging" is all well and good, but people really should consider carefully what their actions might subsequently lead to !!!

Regards,
Mike.

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