Brown How on Lingmoor Fell

Start point: Blea Tarn Car Park (NY 296 043)

Blea Tarn – Brown How on Lingmoor Fell – Lingmoor Tarn – Side Pike – Blea Tarn

Distance: 5.7 miles Total Ascent: 602 metres Time Taken: 5 hours

Weather: Very hot and still. 28oC.

It was even hotter today than yesterday, the heat was stifling with barely a hint of a breeze for a walk up to Lingmoor Fell – and of course it was very hazy. We were accompanied by Roger and Ann Hiley with their dogs Harry and Bethan today – the Loweswater team were on tour in the south Lakes!

Roger, Ann and the dogs head off down the road at Side Gates, the Tilberthwaite fells beyond.

Blake Rigg from Side Gates.

The Coniston fells and Little Langdale from the steep climb to Lingmoor Fell.

Little Langdale Tarn and Great Intake, Wetherlam behind.

A hazy view of Elter Water and Windermere.

Hot, hot, hot on Lingmoor Fell.

Come on in, the water's lovely!

The wall that crosses Lingmoor Fell and divides Little Langdale from Great Langdale.

Pike o' Blisco, Crinkle Crags, Bow Fell and the Langdale Pikes from the summit of Lingmoor Fell.

Heading down to Lingmoor Tarn.

Cooling off in Lingmoor Tarn with the Langdale Pikes as a nice backdrop.

Bow Fell across Lingmoor Tarn.

The wall continues to Side Pike.

A tight squeeze for Roger, but at least the hat makes it through the gap in the rock on the way to Side Pike.

All four still at once! Angus, Bethan, Harry and Casper have a rest on Side Pike.

Bow Fell and The Band with Mickleden to the right from Side Pike.

Great Langdale.

The Langdale Pikes.

...and closer up.

Pike o' Blisco - where we were yesterday.

Looking back to Side Pike on the way to Blea Tarn.

Cooling off in Blea Tarn.

Blea Tarn, the Langdale Pikes and Side Pike.

Start point: Blea Tarn Car Park (NY 296 043)

Blea Tarn – Brown How on Lingmoor Fell (138) – Side Pike (139) – Blea Tarn

Weather: Showers with sunny spells.

Today’s walk is a lovely circuit of Lingmoor Fell taking in Side Pike and Blea Tarn. There are magnificent views of the nearby Langdale Pikes from here; in fact it is arguably the best view you can get of them.

There is a car park conveniently situated for this walk on the Side Gates road adjacent to Blea Tarn. From the car park, I turned left and followed the tarmac until just above the lower cattle grid, a grassy track bears left over a low wooden barrier and follows the contour for some distance. The first obstacle was a beck; I crossed it and followed the path to the right, following the wall along the contour until the sharp ascent up to Lingmoor began.

Little Langdale Tarn and Wetherlam from the ascent of Lingmoor Fell. Once onto the ridge, the path passes some old mine workings; the stone wall leads all the way to the summit from here.

The summit ridge and the wall leading to Brown How, the summit of Lingmoor Fell. The Langdale Pikes are behind. There is a stile to cross on the summit fence and the large summit cairn lies beyond.

The Langdale Pikes from the summit of Brown How on Lingmoor Fell.

Lingmoor Tarn...

and Blea Tarn from Lingmoor Fell. The path carries on from the summit and descends quite sharply to a shoulder beneath the large, rocky knoll of Side Pike.

Pike O' Blisco emerges from the clouds from Lingmoor Fell.

Side Pike looms ahead along the wall. From the shoulder, the path bears left, behind a narrow rock flake (breathe in!) and then ascends to the summit of Side Pike. It feels as though you can touch the Langdale Pikes from here.

The Langdale Pikes from the summit of Side Pike.

Mickleden from Side Pike with The Band, left, Rossett Pike at the Head of the valley and the Langdale Pikes to the right. I descended to the main road, across by the cattle grid and then followed the path to the little wood behind Blea Tarn. Once through the wood, the path leads around Blea Tarn to the start point of the walk.

The Langdale Pikes and Side Pike across Blea Tarn.