Blencathra & Sharp Edge Public Hike

Service Description

Duration: 5-6 hours Grade: Hard (Exposed) Height: 868m / 2,848ft Distance: 11.2km / 7 miles Total Ascent/Descent: 900m / 2,952ft Wainwrights: Blencathra 868m Meeting Point: Layby opposite Scales Farm on the A66 Blencathra is a real classic. The ascent, up Sharp Edge, is an adventure you will never forget. The famous old mountain, known until recently as Saddleback, is one of the best known in the Lake District and is a true mountaineers’ mountain. Standing high over the road that links Penrith and Keswick, Blencathra is a mountain that compels attention from all. We begin the trail behind Scales Farm, working our way up Scales Fell until we reach Scales Tarn, one of the most characteristic mountain tarns in the Lake District. From here we carefully ascend the famous Sharp Edge to Atkinson Pike and across the Saddle to the summit. The views to the north and west are simply brilliant as we walk along the ridge and make our way down from Knowe Crag. “Blencathra is one of the grandest objects in Lakeland.” “Sharp Edge is a rising crest of naked rock of sensational and spectacular appearance, a breaking wave carved in stone. The sight of it at close quarters is sufficient to make a beholder about to tackle it forget all other worries, even a raging toothache.” – Alfred Wainwright