Blea Rigg | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 541 m (1,775 ft) |
Prominence | c. 20 m (65 ft) |
Parent peak | Harrison Stickle |
Isolation | 0.36 km (0.22 mi) |
Listing | Wainwright |
Coordinates | 54°27′39″N3°04′42″W / 54.46076°N 3.07827°W |
Geography | |
Location | Cumbria, England |
Parent range | Lake District, Central Fells |
OS grid | NY302078 |
Topo map | OS Explorer OL7 |
Blea Rigg is a fell in the English Lake District, lying between the valleys of Easedale and Great Langdale. One of the Central Fells, it is a broad plateau with a succession of rocky tops. Many routes of ascent are possible, beginning either from Grasmere or Great Langdale, though the paths are often poorly marked and hard to follow.
The main spine of the Central Fells runs north to south from the Vale of Keswick to its greatest elevation at High Raise. A long ridge runs out eastward from here, so that the range as a whole resembles the letter 'L'. This eastward ridge begins as Blea Rigg and then continues over Silver How and Loughrigg Fell, before petering out near the head of Windermere.
Blea Rigg is a broad plateau, around a mile wide and two miles long, climbing roughly east to west. It connects via a narrower section between Stickle and Codale Tarns to Sergeant Man and ultimately High Raise in the west. Stickle Tarn is the larger of the two waterbodies, a 50 ft (15 m) deep corrie tarn with the level increased by a stone faced dam. It is used to supply water to the residents of Great Langdale. Codale Tarn is a shallow pool set amid rough ground, a little to the north east. [1]
Blea Rigg has a number of named tops in addition to the summit. Travelling west to east these are Great Castle How, 1,640 ft (500 m), Little Castle How 1,581 ft (482 m), Swinescar Pike 1,348 ft (411 m) and Lang How 1,358 ft (414 m) [2] Silver How could also be considered part of Blea Rigg, were it not for Wainwright's decision to accord it a separate chapter in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells . [3]
Drainage from the southern side of the fell is via a number of feeders to Stickle Gill and Great Langdale Beck. Among the tributaries is White Gill, its ravine being an interesting route of ascent. Water from the northern flanks reaches Grasmere via Easedale Beck and its feeders. Crags look down over Easedale Tarn and Blindtarn Moss to the north, while further rough ground looms over the Great Langdale road.
The summit of the fell is formed of the Pavey Ark Member, pebbly sandstone and breccia from the Borrowdale Volcanic series. [4] There is no history of mining within the area of the fell.
The fell has many rocky tops and a number of sizeable tarns. Added to the network of paths this can make the ridge a confusing place for walkers. It is not always immediately obvious which outcrop forms the actual summit, but a small cairn sits on rock above a stone shelter. The view takes in the eastern and southern fells, plus the nearby Langdale Pikes. [3] [5]
Many routes of ascent are possible from either side of the ridge, with a climb from Grasmere over Silver How also popular. From the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in Great Langdale the walker can climb either via Stickle Tarn or up the ravine of White Gill. From Grasmere, Easedale Tarn is the preliminary objective. From here Blea Crag can be outflanked on either side to arrive on the summit ridge to the east or west of the summit. [3] [5] Before World War II a stone refreshment hut stood on the slopes of Blea Rigg, just above Easedale Tarn. It is hard to imagine the scene today, with food and drink for sale halfway up a fell. [3]
Bowfell is a pyramid-shaped mountain lying at the heart of the English Lake District, in the Southern Fells area. It is the sixth-highest mountain in the Lake District and one of the most popular of the Lake District fells for walkers. It is listed in Alfred Wainwright's 'best half dozen' Lake District fells.
Fairfield is a fell in the English Lake District. It is the highest of a group of hills in the Eastern Fells, standing to the south of the Helvellyn range.
Great End is the most northerly mountain in the Scafell chain, in the English Lake District. From the south it is simply a lump continuing this chain. From the north, however, it appears as an immense mountain, with an imposing north face rising above Sprinkling Tarn (lake). This is a popular location for wild camping, and the north face attracts many climbers.
Pavey Ark is a fell in the English county of Cumbria. It is one of the Langdale Pikes, lying to the north of Great Langdale, in the heart of the Lake District, immediately to the north-east of Harrison Stickle.
High Raise is a fell in the Central Fells of the English Lake District, not to be confused with another High Raise situated in the Far Eastern Fells. High Raise is one of the most spectacular mountains in the district; with a height of 762 metres (2,500 ft) it is the highest point in the central fells of Lakeland.
Esk Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, one of the cirque of hills forming the head of Eskdale.
Pike of Stickle, also known as Pike o’ Stickle, is a fell in the English Lake District. It reaches a height of 709 metres (2,326 ft) and is situated in the central part of the national park in the valley of Great Langdale. The fell is one of three fells which make up the picturesque Langdale Pikes, one of the best-known areas in Lakeland. A "stickle" is a hill with a steep prominent rocky top, while a "pike" is a hill with a peaked summit, the name being therefore partly tautological.
Pike of Blisco, or Pike o' Blisco, is a mountain in the Lake District in Cumbria, England. Located between the valleys of Great Langdale and Little Langdale, its relative isolation from neighbouring fells together with slopes falling away immediately from the summit in all directions mean it has excellent views: the view of the Langdale Pikes across Great Langdale is particularly arresting.
Harrison Stickle is a fell in the central part of the English Lake District, situated above Great Langdale. The fell is one of the three fells which make up the picturesque Langdale Pikes, the others being Pike of Stickle and Loft Crag. Together they make up one of the most picturesque, and probably the best-known, mountain groups in the District. A "stickle" is a hill with a prominent rocky top.
Thunacar Knott is a fell in the central part of the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria.
Sergeant Man is a fell in the English Lake District. It is properly a secondary summit of High Raise, but is given a separate chapter by Alfred Wainwright in his third Pictorial Guide nonetheless, as it "is so prominent an object and offers so compelling a challenge". Its rocky cone is indeed in great contrast to the grassy dome of High Raise.
Ullscarf is a fell in the English Lake District close to the geographical centre of the Cumbrian hills. It forms part of the watershed between the Derwentwater and Thirlmere catchments, a ridge running broadly north-south.
Tarn Crag is a fell in the Central Fells of the English Lake District. Strictly the name refers only to the rock face looking down upon Easedale Tarn, but Alfred Wainwright applied it to the entire ridge lying between the Easedale and Far Easedale valleys in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
Heron Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, two kilometres east of Grasmere. It is part of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells. It should not be confused with the Heron Pike that forms part of Sheffield Pike, although it appears that, by coincidence, both Heron Pikes are exactly the same height.
Silver How is a fell in the English Lake District, standing over the village of Grasmere. How, derived from the Old Norse word haugr, is a common local term for a hill or mound.
Wetherlam is a mountain in the English Lake District. It is the most northerly of the Coniston Fells, the range of fells to the north-west of Coniston village; its north-east slopes descend to Little Langdale.
Stone Arthur is a fell in the English Lake District, an outlier of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells. It stands above Grasmere village.
Rossett Pike is a fell in the English Lake District. It is located at the head of Mickleden, one of two tributary valleys of Great Langdale.
The Central Fells are a part of the Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District of England. Reaching their highest point at High Raise, they occupy a broad area to the east of Borrowdale. The Central Fells are generally lower than the surrounding hills, the Lake District's dome-like structure having a slight dip in the middle. The range extends from the boggy ridge between Derwentwater and Thirlmere in the north, to the rock peaks of the Langdale Pikes in the south.
Easedale Tarn is a tarn in the centre of the English Lake District, about two miles west of the village of Grasmere. It lies in a hollow between Tarn Crag to the north and Blea Rigg to the south, about 910 feet or 280 metres above sea level. The hollow was formed by a small corrie glacier, and is believed to have filled with water around 11,000 years ago when the ice finished melting.