raised between the middle of the 19th century and the final closure in 1920. Summit The highest point is directly above the Hallsfell spur, marked by a trig point, in the form of a concrete ring. A good path connects the five summits on the main ridge, giving excellent views down the south-east face. Northward on the fine turf of the 'saddle' is a large cross laid out in white stones. Its origin is uncertain, but extension to its current size (in excess of ) is attributed to a Harold Robinson of nearby Threlkeld, a frequent visitor in the years after the Second World War. The view is very extensive, enhanced in every direction by the sharp fall of the slopes from the summit. To the west is the bulk of Skiddaw, and from west round to north-east the Back o’Skiddaw fells make up the foreground, backed by the mountains of Galloway, the Southern Uplands, the Border hills and the Cheviots. The Pennines form the horizon from north-east to south-east, with Cross Fell, Mickle Fell, Wild Boar Fell and Great Whernside visible. To the south-east are the Far Eastern Fells and to the south the Helvellyn range is seen end-on, with vistas of the Forest of Bowland and North Wales to its left and right respectively. The skyline from south to WSW is the best feature: a serrated skyline of all the major Lakeland peaks, these being, clockwise, Coniston Old Man, Crinkle Crags, Bowfell, Esk Pike, Scafell Pike, Great Gable, Kirk Fell, Pillar, High Stile, Grasmoor and Grisedale Pike. To the right of this, the Isle of Man and the Mourne Mountains are visible on clear days. Derwent Water and Thirlmere are the major lakes visible; the most distant mountain visible is Slieve Meelmore in the Mourne Mountains in County Down, 123 miles (198 kilometres) away. Ascents Blencathra is a popular mountain, and there are many different routes to the summit. One of the most famous is via Sharp Edge, a knife-edged arête on the eastern side of the mountain. Sharp Edge provides some good scrambling for those with a head for heights. Hall’s Fell ridge, on Blencathra’s southern flank, also provides an opportunity for some scrambling, though of a less serious nature. Alfred Wainwright described the ascent from Threlkeld via Hall's Fell ridge as ‘positively the finest way to any mountain-top in the district’. Wainwright recorded more routes of