Blea Rigg

Blea Rigg is a fell in the English Lake District, lying between the valleys of Easedale and Great Langdale. It belongs to the Central Fells and forms part of a long ridge that runs eastward from High Raise. The fell is a broad plateau about a mile wide and two miles long, rising gently from west to east. Stickle Tarn and Codale Tarn lie on its flanks, the deeper of the two being Stickle Tarn at fifteen metres. White Gill’s ravine offers one of several ascent routes up the southern side. Crags overlook Easedale Tarn and Blindtarn Moss to the north. The fell’s summit is marked by a small cairn on a rocky outcrop above a stone shelter. From here the view takes in the eastern and southern fells and the Langdale Pikes nearby. The ridge has many rocky tops and tarns, which can confuse walkers on the network of paths. A climb from Grasmere over Silver How is a popular route to the top. From the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in Great Langdale, walkers can choose between the Stickle Tarn path or the White Gill ravine. Before the Second World War a stone refreshment hut stood just above Easedale Tarn on the lower slopes. Paths lead across the broad plateau and along the ridge to named tops such as Great Castle How and Little Castle How. Swinescar Pike and Lang How mark the eastern end of the ridge before it continues toward Silver How. Drainage from the southern side feeds into Stickle Gill and Great Langdale Beck, while northern streams reach Grasmere via Easedale Beck. The fell’s pebbly sandstone summit belongs to the Borrowdale Volcanic series and shows no signs of mining history.