The weather didn’t look promising. Wind. Dark cloud everywhere that could decide at any minute to make rain. So I thought just a modest walk today and why not Pike o’ Blisco since I’m based at the Old Dungeon Ghyll and can set off from the front door without needing my car. There are two ways up from here. One goes past Wall End Farm and then climbs up close to Redacre Gill to the east of Kettle Crag. The other goes through Stool End Farm then up Brown Howe to Red Tarn. I went up the former, down the latter and recommend both. The paths are excellent and well maintained. The start of the Redacre Gill path from the road over to Little Langdale is not signposted. It’s about five minutes walk after the point where the road starts to climb very steeply just before it turns left towards Side Pike. It’s pretty steep and hard work to about 500m. but the path is so well engineered it is like climbing a staircase. After 500m the angle eases and it doesn’t take long to the top from here. As you approach it there are three short scrambly bits up little gullies. Straightforward enough, they would have been still more so if they had been a little less wet. The last of them might feel slightly intimidating,especially in descent, to those of a nervous disposition who might prefer the Brown Howe path from that reason. The summit cairn is a splendid thing, large and unmistakable. Sadly I could see very little else in the grey soupy cloud that surrounded it. Tough guys get here and carry right on over Crinkle Crags to Bowfell but it was blowing a nasty wind up here and I wasn't feeling terribly tough today. The descent to Stool End is straightforward, again on an excellent path. A lovely wee hill. And it never did rain.
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