The Bad Step, Sharp Edge, Blencathra

Favourite Lakeland Walks

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May 21st 2006

The ascent of Blencathra via the arete of Sharp Edge has to be one of my all time Top Ten walks. This is quite a serious outing and one that my wife, who doesn’t have much of a head for heights, has never manage to complete. The crossing of the edge from Scales Tarn to Foule Crag is exciting but can be dangerous in wet, slippery or icy conditions. There is one section in particular, often called the ‘bad step’ where you traverse a large flat rock that’s been polished by many bottoms belonging to previous walkers. A fall from here would be quite catastrophic! I crossed the edge many years ago in snow with a friend. We should have known better as our only footwear was our walking boots and we had no winter equipment at all. I often shudder when I think about how crazy we both must have been to have done such a foolish thing.

Technical details

Canon EOS 5D, canon L series 24 - 105 lens, 1/100 sec @ f/11, ISO 100, 0.3 ND Grad

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Favourite Lakeland Walks