Lake District

Location:

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Accommodation:

Threlkeld village hall (near Keswick)

Routes:

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Pubs:

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Sunday Activities:

From Mike: An old favourite route of mine... Blencathra by middle tongue. Its not to hard a walk, just right for a Sunday hangover. The total distance is about 10km, and the overall accent is about 1000m. A good time for this route is 3-4 hours. The map I used was Landranger sheet 90:

Starting at the village hall (319,252) head east along the road, straight over the crossroads down a back lane. There should be signs marking a public footpath. Follow this path through the fields, one of which is marked "beware of the bull", although every time I have been it is empty. Head to the farm buildings marked kennels (324,206) and follow the path along the right of the stream to the weir at (324,362) where you can cross the stream. Keep following the path upwards along Middle Tongue, the first 300m is a bit of a slog, but there is a very clear path, with some nice stones to sit on and a good view from (325,265). From there the path levels off and then will become increasingly more of a scramble. Don't worry, it's not too difficult, and most of the scrambles have a path as an alternative running next to them. Keep moving to the trig point at the top of Blencathra (323,277). From here you can choose to turn East towards Sharp Edge for more scrambling, or you can skip that part of the walk and turn West. Turning east to Sharp Edge make sure you head to Scale Tarn (330,281) along the grassy side of the horseshoe, as going up sharp edge is more fun than going down. There is a rough path heading down to the tarn that is steep but easy to follow. From the Tarn you get some shelter and a good view of sharp edge. Following the path up Sharp Edge the first section is a steep walk, leading to the edge its self. Sharp Edge is a rocky scramble, and has quite a lot of exposure, so it is best avoided in windy conditions or by those frightened of heights. The fist part is a narrow walk and then there is a steep scramble to Foule Crag (325,283). From there take a walk to the trig point (323,277) again, then keep heading west to Knowe Crags (311,271). This is almost a level walk but keep away from the cliffs on the left. From Knowe Crags follow the well worn path as it zigzags down the side of the hill. After about 250 meters of decent a less worn path will lead back east, connecting with another path around (312,261). This path will continue down the hill trending east until it gets to Belease Gill (315,260) and will turn south to some gates at (315,259). From here follow a path back into town, leading to a road which will take you back to the cross roads near the village hall. From here go to the pub for a pint, and food if they are serving!