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I will be joining Helmut on Blencathra (possibly with Jayne Hill) and it is possible that Helmut will descend via Sharp Edge if the conditions are dry. Polly has climbed Sharp Edge before but never descended it so, as conditions were superb today, I decided we would climb the mountain by Halls Fell ridge and descend by Sharp Edge to see if Polly was going to be fine. She was fine - of course - why do I worry? She always does scrambles better than me and it doesn't seem to matter whether it is up or down! Route descriptionThis is a really excellent walk taking in the two best ridges on Blencathra. Halls Fell is the longer and easier of the two ridges but is pretty straightforward (up or down) if you have a head for heights. It was a scorching hot day and Polly appreciated the fact that there is a tarn just a 100 yards or so from Blencathra summit. Lunch was taken perched over the top of Halls Fell ridge watching other walkers toil up in hot humid conditions. A short walk brought us to the top of Foule Crag. A rocky path starts the descent which is continued down a groove to reach Sharp Edge. A tricky manoeuvre is then needed to negotiate a sloping, very smooth, slab. The key is to stand not crawl and use the pinnacle above the slab as a hand rail. After that the difficulty is over and Polly headed down to Scales Tarn and more rehydration. Easy walking over Scales Fell soon brought us back to the road at the hamlet of Scales. 15 minutes and we were back at the car below our start at Gategill. Hopefully the pictures will give Helmut an idea of the relative merits of both ridges. A full album is available on Webshots http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/563346051txXdWr Polly's first venture over Sharp Edge was just over a year ago on 17th April 2007 - here's something from the archives:
Amazingly, the wind had dropped by the time we reached the start of the Edge. No sheep around so Polly was off the lead and she set a fast pace along the edge - in fact she ran along the crest for the first half! I was having palpitations (not of fear for myself but for her safety). I need not have worried - she was far more sure footed than me! She did, however, stop at the "bad step" and waited for me. She did seem quite impressed by the airy situation and followed me down the step keeping so close that she was trying to share my footholds whilst I was using them. Her technique on the steep smooth rocks of Foule Crag was not as good as on the edge. She was trying to use speed rather than technique - and after she missed her footing a couple of times I put her on the lead until the angle of the slabs eased. Polly's first venture over Sharp Edge can be seen at http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/558701384ZCDEQu |
