Lingmoor Fell and Pike of Blisco

Tuesday 25th May 2021

The prospect for this walk was not good following a night of rain, but I set off from Baysbrown Farm Campsite through the wood and onto the quarry road that climbs to the Lingmoor Fell ridge. Although it had stopped raining, many showers would come and go throughout the day, but they failed to spoil my fun as I made my way along the fabulous, undulating ridge as it meanders across the heather covered fell past old quarry workings until I reached the summit of Lingmoor Fell at Brown How. Across the valley, the Langdale Pikes attracted my eye, while ahead of me was my next target, Pike of Blisco, with the Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell lurking behind, touching the clouds. I had last come this way in 2012, when the weather was sunnier but colder, though on that occasion I had turned off the ridge at Brown How to walk down to Lingmoor Tarn, so as I descended the steep, craggy ridge towards Side Pike, I couldn’t remember when I had last come down this way. It is only after looking through my records that I discovered I had climbed this way in 2005 on my first ever visit to Lingmoor Fell, which made this the first time I had ever descended this ridge and might explain why I was surprised by how much steep rock there was to negotiate and requires some proper scrambling.

This made for a fun descent while ahead of me was the rocky top of Side Pike and a sheer cliff face that prevents further progress along the ridge. In 2005 I went around it, but more recent maps indicate a route that circumvents the barrier and was the route that I took in 2012, up to the impenetrable crags and left through a narrow squeeze between two rocks that forced me to take my rucksack off my back. If my rucksack had contained all my camping gear I may have struggled to get it through even when not wearing it, but fortunately this was not the case and I was able to continue along the narrow path that provides access to the easier western slopes of Side Pike and thence to the top. After looking at the views I turned around and descended those western slopes until I somehow lost the path in boggy ground and it wasn’t until I was gingerly making my way steeply down that I saw the path some distance away below me, so carefully I headed across the hillside to continue the descent on the path down to the cattle grid on the road. Just as in 2012, I crossed the road and climbed the grassy slopes opposite towards Pike of Blisco where a path created by fellrunners heads towards the summit, however, unlike in 2012, I didn’t follow it and instead kept to the ridge climbing steadily towards Blake Fell.

I have never visited this top before and, as I sat having my lunch beside the good cairn, the weather improved dramatically providing me with stunning views of the surrounding fells, but most spectacular of all was the view over Little Langdale towards Windermere. Pike of Blisco was also looking sensational in the sunshine, but it soon clouded over again as I set off along the craggy ridge towards the summit stopping off at any notable rise along the way including Bleaberry Knott and Long Crag. When I was more than halfway across it started raining again, heavily, though this was short-lived so by the time I reached the summit of Pike of Blisco the sun was out again. This is a great fell whose lack of height is a great tragedy that was offset by a particularly fine cairn at the summit, but that cairn is now a mere shadow of its former self having been demolished many times and rebuilt by less skilled hands. A steep, rocky path brought me down to Red Tarn where I had to consider my options. In 2012 I had continued along the ridge towards Crinkle Crags, but I have been up there twice since 2012 and I really didn’t want to go up there again. So eventually I decided I would head down into Langdale even if that would mean finishing the walk early.

Turning right at Red Tarn I descended the path that is initially beside Browney Gill down into Oxendale that I had taken only once before, in 2006, in a hurry, so now I was able to take my time and enjoy this fabulous, heavily manufactured path. At one noteworthy point, while rain was falling, I crossed a subsidiary of Browney Gill high above the gorge in stunning surroundings with steep rock all around and sheer slopes below me. At the bottom of the valley I proceeded along Oxendale to Stool End, which is one of those legendary Lakeland farms that is a gateway to the fells, and from there I walked along Langdale past beautiful bluebells in gorgeous sunny weather all the way back to the campsite where I was staying. I had mixed weather on this walk with lovely sunshine on occasions, but also many rain showers. Although I had been afraid the walk would end rather early I took so long walking along Langdale it was about five o’clock when I finally reached the campsite. This was a very relaxing and enjoyable walk on fabulous fells that are exactly why I had come to the Lake District, and why I keep coming back.