Northern Rambler

You may recall my intention to write a series of posts on the railway paths of my hometown. Alas, a hectic schedule back at university put the dampener on that. I returned to university late September. This term is busier than usual, being the final year of my PhD. And I also have several part time positions contributing to my workload. But I am lucky. Many have suffered severe financial hardship as a result of this pandemic. If anything, the frantic pace of my schedule has provided a welcome distraction from what would otherwise be a fairly solitary situation. And more importantly, none of my loved ones have been afflicted by the virus, and for this, I can only be thankful.  This no doubt paints too rosy-a-picture of my personal experience throughout the pandemic. I have unquestionably struggled psychologically with being stuck indoors so much. When the first lockdown began, a post was doing the rounds on Facebook, lambasting those who complained about the government mandate to ...

  In this post. I recount a walk I undertook at the end of August. The walk takes in three Wainwrights, Souther Fell, Bowscale Fell, and the main attraction, the mighty Blencathra. I won’t be providing a highly detailed description of the route; there are enough of these available online. Aside from taking in three Wainwrights, this route is also notable for its descent down Sharp Edge – the aptly named ridge which slopes down Blencathra. Be warned, this is not for the faint hearted. A good head for heights is a pre-requisite. And this route should not be attempted in poor visibility or in wet or icy conditions. As far as Lakeland goes, it is an accident hotspot. That said, if visibility and weather are good, and you are up to the job, sharp edge is an enthralling conquest, with splendid views of Scales Tarn below. Our walk begins just off the A66, in Mungrisdale; a quiet but charming village, surrounded by peaks. On weekends, parking can be difficult. I parked on the roadside ca...