Tarn Crag and Sergeant Man

Wednesday 26th May 2021

Rain as I had my breakfast at the start of the day didn’t bode well for this walk, but I was hopeful for better weather as I put on my waterproofs and left the Baysbrown Farm Campsite in Langdale to take a footpath out of the valley that I have taken many times in the past since my earliest days in the Lake District. It initially climbs very steeply until on gentler terrain rises above the dramatic ravine of Megs Gill eventually crossing the stream in a tremendous location high above precipitous slopes to reach the top of the ridge between Langdale and Grasmere below the crags of Silver How. With the weather now reduced to just the occasional drizzle, I followed the path over the pass and down into Grasmere where I bought some food before setting off up the Easedale Road past the Youth Hostel and over Easedale Beck. This path took me up the hill beside the waterfalls in Sourmilk Gill to reach Easedale Tarn while the weather gradually improved so it wasn’t long before my waterproofs had all been removed as sunshine and blue skies appeared overhead. In 2012 I had similarly been climbing Tarn Crag, but my way then was blocked my raging torrents in the stream following heavy rain that forced me to approach the ridge via Stythwaite Steps in Far Easedale. 

This was not necessary now, despite the recent rainfall, with Sourmilk Gill easily crossed at the mouth of Easedale Tarn. I remember coming down from Tarn Crag to Easedale Tarn in 2007, but I have no idea of the route and struggled now to find a path. After climbing steep, pathless slopes through young bracken, I eventually came across a clear path that I should have easily been able to find from the beginning and took me onto the ridge that I now followed to the foot of the final rise where I stopped to have my lunch before making the ascent up to the summit of Tarn Crag. The sunshine that I had enjoyed near Easedale Tarn proved to be short-lived and by the time I had finished my lunch the skies were overcast remaining that way for several hours. The ridge behind Tarn Crag broadens before rising again into the complex, craggy landscape east of High Raise, which as I left the top of Tarn Crag was covered in cloud, though this didn’t concern me and as I climbed the cloud gradually lifted. In 2012 I had descended towards Codale Tarn at this point because of snow on the higher fells, but I had no such problem now as I made my own way up the pathless terrain simply heading uphill to anywhere that took my fancy. It was great to have the freedom and time to wonder around exploring the terrain with no restrictions on where I was going, not even from a path.

Eventually I reached the distinctive peak of Codale Head and across a depression looking very appealing was the striking peak of Sergeant Man, while to my right, grassy slopes rose gently to the top of High Raise with no outcrops or anything else to appeal. Quite rightly I turned my back on High Raise and crossed the depression towards Sergeant Man minimising the descent as much as possible before tackling the final steep climb up to the small, craggy top. Despite dark, overcast skies I had awesome views from the top of Sergeant Man especially towards the crags of Pavey Ark and the Langdale Pikes with the Coniston Fells lurking gloomily in the distance. I was so awestruck at my surroundings dominated by dark mountains under grey skies that I laughed with joy, overcome by emotion. Eventually I tore myself away and slowly made my way back down the mountain on the wide south-east ridge that I had previously climbed in 2013, but had not left much of an impression on me.

I was bizarre to feel like I had never been on this path before considering I have been walking in the Lake District for almost twenty years, but this added to my enjoyment as I descended the craggy ridge while enjoying the extensive views. Somehow I completely missed the top of the path coming up from Easedale as I continued to slowly descend the seemingly never-ending ridge until eventually I climbed up to the top of Blea Rigg and was finally in familiar territory again. It had been fun walking in unfamiliar surroundings, but now ahead of me was the fabulous, undulating ridge that extends from Blea Rigg all the way past Silver How to the foot of Loughrigg Fell. I have descended this ridge several times before including on my earliest visits to the Lake District when I grew to love it, but most recently in 2012 after climbing Tarn Crag and passing Codale Tarn. As the skies cleared again to reveal lovely sunshine I joyously sailed along the ridge picking whatever route I felt like at that point, sometimes sticking to the path and other times diverting up a small hill. I didn’t always go the best way and consequently at one point I got my feet wet, but that was just part of the joy.

After passing Swinescar Hause I decided to keep to the Langdale side of the ridge and was rewarded with stunning views up Langdale towards the Crinkle Crags that I didn’t remember ever seeing before and was a great angle that made the valley the look particularly attractive. Exploring the fabulous terrain as I went I eventually reached the path that I had taken at the start of the day around Megs Gill, but branching off from my ascent route I took an alternative path that descends into the disused Thrang Quarry above Chapel Stile and was a joy to once again find a path that I had never taken before. This was a fabulous walk where the poor weather at the start of the day soon cleared leaving me to revel in the pure joy that is walking in Lake District.

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.