Monday saw us out on Blencathra, and what an enjoyable day! We had a booking from five visitors from New York for a day out in the Lakes, and we decided upon Blencathra (aka Saddleback). Being one of the most northern mountains in the Lake District not only did it give us a chance to drive all the way through the National Park, seeing a good portion of the scenery on offer, but we also got a fantastic view of Scotland once we'd reached the summit.


Both Imogen and I decided to lead, giving us the flexibility to split the group if necessary and take advantage of the many various options to lengthen or shorten the walk, depending on how people were feeling. Everyone came well prepared and our walk took us from Scales, up to (the ever-changing-in-colour) Scales Tarn, in time for lunch. We had great weather and enjoyed watching the silhouettes of scramblers on the infamous Sharp Edge looming behind us. From there we walked up the north face of the corrie onto Scales fell, and then walked westwards up to the summit. Visibility was excellent so we got great views of Helvellyn, Thirlmere and Derwent Water, as well as all the hills over to Scafell Pike. We spent a good while trying to spot the historic stone circle at Castlerigg which is very near by, and we eventually found it, but it's always tricky! To finish we descended Scales Fell and back to the cars. It was lovely meeting everyone and we all had a really good day out; thanks to everyone!