Sharp Edge on Blencathra makes a great outing for adventurous walkers who have a head for heights. Blencathra is most commonly seen on the way to Keswick from the motorway where it looms over the Keswick - Penrith road. From here the south slopes of the mountain are cut by a series of deep ravines. Because the mountain sits on its own it is not a popular place for hillwalkers. There are not enough other peaks nearby to make a good day's walking. In fact, most of the people who reach it's rounded but rocky summit will have come here via a narrow ridge - Sharp Edge is one of the classic mountain scrambles of the Lake District. it's a steep-sided rocky ridge which is a great place to get used to the exposure often felt on the more difficult scrambles. The route is logical in that it's a great way to a summit (Blencathra at 845m). The route is often underestimated early in the season. The condition of the ridge itself can't be seen from the road and it's common for the southerly slopes to be clear of snow but still to find a good covering on the ridge. It's worth noting that Sharp Edge actually appears as a winter climb in the Lake District winter climbing guidebook and in such conditions, an axe and crampons are essential. I remember wandering up one weekend at the end of March for an early-season leg stretch to find the whole ridge covered in verglas. We made good progress along until at the halfway point we found a bloke clinging to the rock with his mates coaxing him along as best they could. It turned out that he had come out walking with his father-in-law and friends who were much more experienced. Whilst they were wearing decent boots this bloke was wearing a pair of Nike trainers and finding that the bendy soles weren't much use on the verglassed rock. Were it not for the fact that it was really, really cold he'd have been better off taking his trainers off and just wearing socks. We were in no rush and tied the poor chap onto our rope and shuffled him along whilst his father-in-law headed off towards the summit. I couldn't help but wonder whether the father-in-law thought he was a suitable match for his daughter!

The ordinary route begins at the village of Scales on the main Keswick - Penrith road. A quarter of a mile on the Threlkeld side of Scales is access to the open fell. The path rises steeply at first before changing to horizontal above the Glendermackin Valley. Find the stream that issues from Scales Tarn and follow it to the Tarn itself. A rounded, grassy spur leads up from the tarn to the ridge itself on the northern side. The spur becomes rockier as height is gained and a walker's path slopes off on the northern side of the ridge. For maximum scrambling interest, stay on the crest of the ridge and balance your way over short rocky towers and slabs. The route weaves in and out of pinnacles and the best route stays right on the crest. Towards the end there's a gap and it's crossing this gap that presents the most difficult obstacle. The handholds are good enough but it's worth taking your time on this section. Accidents have happened here. After the tricky gap the ridge merges into the summit slopes of Blencathra itself. Ten metres to the right is a trench-like groove that provides the easiest way up this section. In poor conditions this can be something of an obstacle and you need to keep your wits about you. The way on becomes less steep until you reach the summit. The views to the North West - over the Solway Firth and Scotland are excellent. To the south the Lakeland Fells look fantastic.

The obvious route of descent is Hall's Fell Ridge which drops southwards off the summit. This is another classic ridge that deserves a certain amount of respect. The descent involves a fair bit of shuffling along in a crouching position and some of the rock is pretty loose so take care on this section. The ridge is marked on the OS 1:25,000 map. After completing the descent of the ridge follow footpaths to Doddick Farm and back to Scales.

For those who want to extend their summer hillwalking onto steeper ground, Sharp Edge is a great outing. As a next step after Striding Edge and Swirral Edge the route is great being more exposed and with very different situations. It's worth saving the route for fine weather when you can be sure that you will be able to get down via Hall's Fell Ridge. In poor conditions of wind, rain and snow, the ridge takes on a whole different character and is best avoided.

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