Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Get the App

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Scales Tarn – Blencathra Summit loop from Mungrisdale

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Scales Tarn – Blencathra Summit loop from Mungrisdale

Hard

5.0

(4)

hikers

Scales Tarn – Blencathra Summit loop from Mungrisdale

05:15

15.4km

610m

Hiking

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: April 16, 2026

Tips

Includes a segment that may be dangerous

A part of this route comprises technical, difficult, or hazardous terrain. Specialist equipment and prior experience may be required.

After 6.69 km for 371 m

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

270 m

Mungrisdale Pinfold

Highlight • Historical Site

A beautiful little garden created by the community. It's free to enter but please treat this lovely spot with respect and take all your rubbish home with you.

Tip by

1.01 km

Mungrisdale Common

Highlight • Natural

boggy underfoot but a brilliant common at the start of many walks!

Tip by

6.12 km

Scales Beck Waterfall and Stone Steps

Highlight (Segment) • Natural Monument

A great place to stop off on the way up Blencathra

Tip by

6.45 km

Scales Tarn is at the base of Sharp Edge and is a great place to stop and make the desicion of whether to go the scramble route or the steep climb to the left. You often see many people sat having lunch here.

Tip by

6.88 km

Bad Step on Sharp Edge

Highlight • Viewpoint

This is the most wonderful grade 1 scramble on a gorgeous sunny day but in wet weather, high winds or in snow it needs to be treated with respect. With the latter the appropriate equipment and skill set is a must. Otherwise it is simply one of the Lake District classics.

Tip by

6.98 km

Sharp Edge (Blencathra)

Highlight • Summit

Sharp Edge is one of the Lake District's classic ridge scrambles. It's arguably the most exciting way to the top of Blencathra, though Alfred Wainwright was convinced Halls Fell Ridge was the finer approach to the summit.

The arête itself is not overly technical, coming in at a grade one scramble, the same grade as the famous Striding Edge on Helvellyn. Difficulty wise, Sharp Edge is a small step up from Striding Edge and feels slightly more airy. It is not as difficult or exposed as Snowdonia's classic Crib Goch ridge, another notorious grade one scramble.

However, in windy or wet conditions, Sharp Edge can be very dangerous. Due to its popularity, the rock in some places has become smoothed by the passage of many boots. Such polished rock is particularly slippery in the wet. One section is known as the Bad Step due to the hazards it poses in challenging conditions and the gully below is known to Mountain Rescue as 'the Usual Gully'. With this in mind, Sharp Edge is best saved for days when the conditions are on your side.

Tip by

7.71 km

Blencathra Summit

Highlight • Summit

A bona fide scrambler’s paradise, Blencathra serves up two glorious ridges in a truly memorable horseshoe. The grade one scramble up Sharp Edge, a razor-like spine featuring the notorious Bad Step, gets the juices flowing, before an equally thrilling descent of the craggy towers and rocky arête of Hall’s Fell ridge.

Tip by

8.59 km

View of Sharp Edge

Highlight • Summit

Stunning views across to Sharp Edge. On a good day like I had today it was stunning!

Tip by

15.4 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

7.60 km

4.79 km

1.97 km

613 m

382 m

Surfaces

10.9 km

2.35 km

634 m

498 m

494 m

425 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Wednesday 8 July

26°C

11°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 10.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

Want to know more?

Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Edit route

Download GPX

Move start point

Embed on a website

Report an Issue

Report restricted access

Nearby routes

Moderate

4.8

4,935

Buttermere loop

02:03h

7.81km

60m

Hard

4.8

3,732

Striding Edge, Helvellyn & Swirral Edge loop from Glenridding — Lake District National Park

05:10h

13.1km

810m

Hard

4.8

3,874

Fairfield Horseshoe from Ambleside — Lake District National Park

06:01h

17.7km

890m

Moderate

4.7

3,848

Derwent Water loop from Keswick — Lake District National Park

04:45h

17.3km

260m

Moderate

4.9

1,849

Cat Bells & Derwent Water loop — Lake District National Park

02:27h

7.09km

360m

Moderate

4.9

2,814

Aira Force and Gowbarrow Park Trail

02:16h

6.96km

300m

Hard

4.6

1,087

Scafell Pike loop from Wasdale — Lake District National Park

05:09h

9.14km

940m

Moderate

4.8

1,138

Derwent Water & Walla Crag loop from Keswick — Lake District National Park

02:38h

8.42km

290m

Moderate

4.8

1,120

Scales Tarn & Blencathra loop

03:11h

7.31km

580m

Hard

4.7

1,025

Kentmere Horseshoe

06:22h

18.8km

930m

Moderate

4.8

1,119

Derwent Water Ferry & Catbells loop from Keswick

04:20h

14.3km

410m

Hard

4.7

795

The Langdale Pikes - Pavey Ark, Thunacar Knott and Pike of Stickle

04:23h

11.7km

730m

Scales Tarn – Blencathra Summit loop from Mungrisdale

Mungrisdale Pinfold

Mungrisdale Common

Scales Beck Waterfall and Stone Steps

Scales Tarn

Bad Step on Sharp Edge

Sharp Edge (Blencathra)

Blencathra Summit

View of Sharp Edge

Nearby routes

Sign up or log in to keep exploring this route

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️