Blencathra has a split personality. On the one hand it boasts an angry tumult of gouged rock and sharp ridgelines that rake the sky, while at lower levels its rolling fells wander serenely above patchwork fields and picturesque drystone walls. While the vicious lines of Doddick Fell and Hall's Fell Ridge take the eye from miles around, it is Sharp Edge that draws the connoisseur of classic mountain routes. However, its maniacal, jutting presence is hidden at first inspection, lurking behind the sheep-shorn slopes of Scales Fell. It takes some effort to slog through the initial leg-sapping bulges but once past this tame start, Sharp Edge rears monstrously. In fact, from the shoreline of Scales Tarn, halfway up the mountain, the ridgeline appears fierce enough to clutch at your stomach in ways normally only achieved by a dodgy curry. But fortitude pays off. In good conditions, Sharp Edge is airy and magnificent. Getting past the Bad Step makes the often cloud-broken views from the summit ridge seem grander than should be possible from below 3,000ft. When wet, unsavoury slippery rocks mean it is best avoided. Leaving the summit via Hall's Fell Ridge affords panoramic vistas of most of the valleys, lakes and fells of the northern half of the Lake District. Not that you'll be doing much staring at views along the first section, unless that is to steady the pulse, as the rubble-strewn arête plunges towards the valley floor. White knuckle walking complete, Blencathra then abruptly changes persona, offering serene pathways across Sunday afternoon strollable hills. Only brief glances between the folds of these benign fells reminds you of the razor-lined rocky paths leading to the summit.
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