Blea Rigg and Easedale Tarn
1 NY327047 Cross the bridge below Elterwater village and turn right on a tarmac track. After 400m a path bears down right alongside the river. After 500m, cross a footbridge, to the edge of Chapel Stile. Turn left past Wainwrights’ Inn and left in a walled path. it runs around the back of Chapel Stile, then down left to cross the river. Follow it upstream, then turn right over a bridge. Before reaching B5343, turn left on a walled path, then right to the road. 2 NY311062 Turn left for 500m to signposted gate on the right. Head up the left edge of a field, then up to left of a stream to a ladder stile onto open fell. A clear path slants up to the right, then heads up to the wide ridgeline above, where it meets a crossing path. This heads north, then northwest, onto a higher level of the ridgeline. 3 NY310075 The wide Blea Ridge has various paths. The main one passes to right of Little Castle How, then bends west to pass left of Great Castle How. Then it ascends to the knoll marked as Blea Rigg on Explorer map, Point 541m on Landranger and Point 556 on Harvey Superwalker. Continue along the wide, level ridge. After 1.2km the ridgeline ahead steepens. The path dips to a small saddle, and a cairn marks the top of a path down to the right. 4 NY291084 The path heads down east, then slants down above a beck. Cross the beck and pass through the low saddle to Codale Tarn. Pass along its east side, then along the main inlet stream, north-east for 400m, to a ruined sheepfold. Bear right here, slanting up northeast onto a plateau of knolls and tiny tarns. Head east, to the plateau corner, where the most conspicuous rocky knoll is the ‘summit’ of Tarn Crag. 5 NY303093 Immediately south of the summit, go east down an open grassy gully to a ridgeline below. This descends gently for 200m, then more steeply to a little col. A path drops off to the right, then slanting left across the steep slope above Easedale Tarn. As the slope eases off, leave the path to pass between knolls to the tarn’s foot. 6 NY310087 Cross the outflow and contour south-east, losing a little height to stay below steeper ground, to discover the moorland hollow that once held Blind Tarn. Skirt around to right of it along the foot of steeper ground, to slant south-east up the grassy slope beyond – a sort of open grove of juniper unique in Lakeland. Below steeper ground of Lang How pass through a small col and bend south, up onto the knolly plateau ridgeline. A path runs south-east to the small rise Silver How. 7 NY324066 A path slants south down a steep slope above
Grasmere lake, to a large cairn. The path below is eroded to bare rock for a slightly scrambly moment. Continue along the wide grass ridge over Spedding Crag, and two lower humps with cairns. A clear path descends on the right (Langdale) flank to a levelling. 8 NY331056 Elterwater village is seen down to the right. But the apparent path down there ends up In steep bracken and rocks of Huntingstile Crag. Instead, continue ahead (south of east) along the wide grass ridge, for a steep descent into a wide saddle. Turn down right on a path to the Red Bank road. Various paths run down the open common, to reach B5343. Cross into the lane leading into Elterwater village.