Soapbox

paths that can be deserted even on a warm summer weekend

Unlikely now Dave's written three routes up Blencathra. The place'll be teaming with OMers, best avoided I reckon.

On a more serious note, it looks like another great walk Dave, keep them coming.

Thanks John, and apart from 30 people on Skiddaw we only saw 6 people all day. It's great to get feedback on the routes, as I try to pick something that will appeal to all but obviously it's based on my personal choice and experience.

But for goodness sake mind the heather bashing and the deep holes that swallowed Dave. Quite something to see a rucksack emerging from the heather followed by Dave???????????????????????

lmao, I altered the weekly route from Saturdays to miss the heather bashing and stick to the paths lol. Anyway I thought Oleg falling head first into the stream was better lol.

have you heard about the "old crown round", hesketh newmarket pub did a pint for completing carrock, great cockup, blencathra, and skiddaw, any start point

Try it in November and find the summit of Mungrisdale Common, much scarier than Sharp Edge in the mist

Andy, although I have admired Mungrisdale from afar many a time, I have never visited. Maybe you can settle a debate and tell me whether Mungrisdale Common actually HAS a summit? Or at least one that could possibly be identified?

I have a friend who has a strange, and frankly disturbing, obsession with it.

I'm gonna jump in and answer this question before Andy gets a chance - sorry Andy!!

If you look at the 1:25k map for the area you will see that there's a flattish area with a 630m contour line which forms a sort of spur. In the middle of this is a spot height, measuring 633m, which is the highest piece of ground, so in theory, it could be called the summit.

The only thing that indicates that you are on any kind of summit is a cairn. However, according to Andrew Leaney Mungrisdale Common there wasn't even a cairn there in 1998, only a rock with grid ref and the words "Mungrisdale Common summit" written on it.

Your turn Andy ;-)

Forgot to add - the car park for Blease will only be full of paragliders on days when the wind is blowing from the south and it's not raining.

I thought the funniest thing was Dave saying he could not be botherd to walk to the bridge and then falling in the stream crossing it 5 yards away from the bridge.

We did all fall in the holes in the heather at one time or another. I even managed to fall into the same hole I had just seen Dawn fall into

Summit of Mungrisdale Common

Sorry, been in Scotland all weekend just got back to OM.

The cairn on Mungrisdale Common is what I take to be the summit, I can't tell if it is really the highest point but there are paths radiating from it in several directions.

As you can see in mist & snow it could be difficult to find.

Did this route yesterday with 4 mates and a terrier! A Brilliant day, perfect visibility and sunshine with a cool wind to stop you overheating, bit of a slog up little calva thru. the heather after dropping off skiddaw but hardly saw a soul all day been wanting to combine these two hills for years. A few good rest stops at various points soaking up the sun with a Sharp edge ascent up Blencathra toward the end icing on the cake! 9 hour round a sort of more 'Scottish' day than a lakeland one! Keep those routes coming this was a classic.

Looks a cracker. Hope to give it a try next time I'm up there. Reckon it'd be at the limit of my capabilities (stamina wise*, not technicality)




* perhaps I'd enjoy it more if I were fitter ;-)

My eight year old did Blencathra - Mungrisdale Common - Bannerdale Crags - Bowscale Fell: 10.79 miles - 3,301 ft asc. last July and she was seriously NOT impressed AT ALL with Mungrisdale.. you do not want to know what she called poor old AW.. he he he.. only comment I can relay is, 'there's no hill'... the rest shall remain forgotten...

Now going to go have a look at this route.. brb. .forgot to do it before posting..sorry..

"Unlikely now Dave's written three routes up Blencathra."

Four actually
two scrambles and 2 walks I think.

Mungrisedale Common - the only hill without a top - is that right Chris? I did my best in the last really cold snap to make an Arctic-type trek over Mungrisedale Common, without climbing any other fells, just to climb it for its own sake. It was frozen solid and the Back o' Skidda' was transformed. It was so good that I quite forgave the hill for not having a top!

As for deserted fells - yesterday evening I climbed Clough Head, walked over the Dodds as the sun set and camped near Sticks Pass. This morning I crossed Helvellyn and had the whole range to myself. The first people I met were a Polish couple, camping at Grisedale Tarn, who were aiming to walk the whole of the Helvellyn range today, although as they set off uphill, droves of walkers were already heading for the heights.

Witchy,

I think you might be counting Dave running Sharp Edge twice 15/11/2005 and 18/04/2006 although the first time it's on a hill called Belncathra.

The good news in this is that the view has improved from a 2 to a 3 in the 5 months between the two.

As you whether Mungrisdale Common has a summit, does it really matter. The name Common really gives it away, if it was called Mungrisdale Pike then you'd expect a summit.