Why cease at one scramble when you possibly can have three? James Forrest heads to Blencathra to climb three knife-edge ridges in a single adrenaline-packed day trip with the Amazfit T-Rex 2.
Phrases | James Forrest
Photographs | Tom McNally
This can be a paid sponsorship in partnership with our associates at Amazfit.
That is life at its greatest. Adrenaline pulses by way of my veins but I by some means really feel calm – an odd dichotomy. Beneath my toes is a serrated, fin-like rocky backbone. To my left, scree slopes plunge a whole lot of metres right down to the deep blue waters of Scales Tarn; to my proper a precipitous gully is gashed into the mountainside, a chaotic jumble of crag and boulder; and inbetween I tiptoe alongside a craggy arête that rises and falls with majestic ruggedness. That is Sharp Edge, probably the most thrilling means up Blencathra, one of many UK’s best and best-loved peaks.
Forward of me is the Unhealthy Step, a slanting slab of rock angling in direction of a vertiginous drop. It takes a nerve-jangling shuffle, whereas hugging onto a blocky outcrop for security, to beat – however I get it completed. A light-weight breeze ruffles my hair and the night solar breaks by way of the cloud. Beneath me is the pastoral patchwork of the Lake District: a collage of village and farm, hill and lake, mountain and valley, the archetypal Romantic panorama – and I can’t assist however really feel my spirits buoyed by it. The speedy terrain may be extreme, however there at all times appears to be an idyllic undertone to mountain adventures on this nook of England.
Rewind a few hours and I park up simply off the A66 in a layby close to Scales. Sharp peaks, rugged rocks and adrenaline-pumping ascents… my day forward goes to be filled with thrilling moments. Clicking begin on my Amazfit T-Rex 2, I look down on the route I’ve imported onto the watch this morning, able to tackle this gripping journey by way of the rugged terrain up Blencathra.
My plan is easy – to cram in three spectacular ridges and have the last word day trip on Blencathra. It’s a 7.9km route with 893m of ascent, modest stats that bely the sheer quantity of mountain drama forward.
To make sure my security all through the climb, I’m carrying the military-graded Amazfit T-Rex 2 smartwatch designed to endure even probably the most excessive environments. I’m relying on the correct route-tracking system to information me alongside the ridges and its complete well being monitoring characteristic to detect any standing change in my physique earlier than sending alerts at any time when I have to take a breather on the tip of the rocky backbone.
And with that, my quest to beat the precipitous Blencathra begins.
Three for the worth of two
A standard scrambling itinerary on Blencathra begins at Scales and loops north-east to Mousthwaite Comb earlier than ascending Sharp Edge and descending Corridor’s Fell ridge, however this appears to overlook a trick. Why solely climb two epic ridges when you possibly can add in a 3rd? My self-chosen route veers west from Scales and provides within the Doddick Fell ridge to the combination, an ascent guidebook author Alfred Wainwright referred to as “a grand climb…with a hanging views” and a “splendid means” up Blencathra. I’ll climb Doddick Fell first, drop right down to Scales Tarn, scramble up Sharp Edge, high out on the summit of Saddleback (Blencathra’s different title), and at last descend again to Scales village through Corridor’s Fell. Three ridges for the worth of two, if you’ll.
A slim passageway by way of a sea of lush bracken marks the beginning of the Doddick Fell climb, and I enthusiastically energy uphill with a spring in my step. Heather is in full bloom and the ridge is awash with color, spiky blooms of pink, lavender, purple, amethyst, magenta and white flourishing atop their low mounds of good-looking greenery. I cease half means up and assess the ridge. To the left Doddick Gill tumbles in the midst of huge ravine, forward the towering bulk of Blencathra soars, and to the proper the smoother traces of Scales Fell circulate, whereas the ridge itself – though missing the definition and sharpness of Blencathra’s extra famed arêtes – sweeps upwards aesthetically, with a number of rocky turrets and craggy excrescences piercing out of the mountainside.
I look down at my Amazfit T-Rex 2 show, after topping out of Doddick ridge onto grassy slopes to the east of Saddleback’s summit. Solely 2.5 kilometres walked and 531m ascended, however it already appears like I’ve skilled my fair proportion of hillwalking exhilaration. It’s simple to get misplaced when climbing by way of a fancy terrain like this, even when you comply with the guidebook right down to a tee. Fortunately, the T-Rex 2 options high-precision dual-band positioning that helps 5 satellite tv for pc techniques for exact real-time navigation. I toggle by way of the watch’s options, checking my coronary heart charge, GPS location, compass, altimeter and barometer, after which evaluate the route display screen to the scene of Scales Tarn and Sharp Edge in entrance of me. Off we go.
Standing tall
After a pathless tramp right down to the japanese shores of Scales Tarn, the place a number of hardy folks are swimming, I decide up the well-trodden path up Sharp Edge. Earlier than lengthy I’m scrambling alongside the rocky backbone. Attain, grip, heave myself upward. Breathe. Left foot up, proper hand throughout, shuffle toe diagonally.
Every step is taken with warning and mindfulness. With blood pumping by way of my veins, I start checking my bodily standing frequently to make sure that my physique is adapting to the altitude change. At any time when the smartwatch detects any main altitude change, it prompts me to take a 15-second blood-oxygen saturation take a look at. The outcomes are seen on T-Rex 2’s always-on 1.39” HD AMOLED color display screen even once I’m below direct daylight. Breathe. Grasp, clasp, clutch. Breathe. Shimmy, edge, skirt. Breathe.
It’s an epic grade one scramble, with a number of awkward manoeuvres, however nothing too technical. There are little rocky steps and blocky obstacles, enclosed gullies and craggy faces, however principally I follow the ethereal apex of the ridge’s spine – making an attempt to keep away from the crest of the ridge by taking a ‘cheat’ path can really find yourself being extra harmful.
I do know there’s a lot nonetheless to relish on this stroll. Over the subsequent few hours I’ll stand atop Blencathra’s 868m summit, take a photograph of my toes subsequent to the long-lasting summit ring marker, descend the craggy labyrinth of Corridor’s Fell ridge with its pillars of rock and narrowing profile, and at last attain The White Horse Inn in Scales for some well-deserved post-hike sustenance. Later, I’ll return residence feeling exhausted but completed. Whereas my T-Rex 2 may have solely consumed 6% battery, it should monitor the standard sleep I look ahead to as a part of my restoration earlier than the subsequent journey.
However my mountain instincts inform me this second on Sharp Edge is one to savour, so I pause atop a rocky obelisk to drink all of it in. Standing tall and assured, preventing the ‘jelly legs’ sensation making an attempt to take maintain, I look out over Lakeland. Identical to the precipitous drops plunging away on either side, all the lingering on a regular basis stresses and anxieties in my system fall away too. There’s nowhere else I’d slightly be.
The Route: James’ three-ridge Blencathra hike
The Route
Distance
7.9km / 4.9 miles
Ascent
893m / 2,930ft
Time
4-5 hours
Technicality
Grade 1 scrambling
Begin / End
A66 layby at GR: NY339267, simply to south-west of Scales
Maps
OS Explorer OL5 (1:25k); OS Landranger 90 (1:50k)
Transport
Stagecoach’s X4 or X5 Penrith-Workington bus, alight at Threlkeld
Parking
A66 layby at GR: NY339267
Past Blencathra
TGO says: If you wish to tackle an journey like James’, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 can help a holistic strategy to the problem forward. Not solely will it monitor your very important well being knowledge whilst you’re within the hills, however it should additionally offer you insights into your restoration and additional coaching. A sure diploma of hill health is required to tackle mountain scrambles and you’ll prepare strategically with the assistance of this smartwatch. For instance, the T-Rex 2 permits you to enter particular health objectives into the system to coordinate exercises – together with biking, swimming, working and massive mountain days – as a part of a coaching schedule to organize your physique for prime altitudes and epic hikes. So, the subsequent time the mountains name, you’ll be prepared.
