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[encir]cled by mountains, of which, Bow Fell is the
principal; and Langdale Pikes, though not the highest,
composed of the best arranged lines; descend to Well End,
the highest house on that side of the valley, and from
thence to Mill Beck.
Should the traveller wish to ascend to the top of that Pike
of Langdale which is called Stickle Pike, or to Stickle
Tarn, he must commence his labours at Mill Beck. The
Ambleside guide, or a person from Mill Beck, will, perhaps,
take him by Dungeon Gill, and from the top of the Dungeon,
to the top of the Pike or to the Tarn; but some parts of the
road are so steep as to be painfully unpleasant to such as
have not been much accustomed to scrambling. The Tarn is a
pretty circular piece of water, having soft turf on three
fourths of its margin; from the other fourth rises Pavey
Ark, which is, perhaps, the grandest range of
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rocks in Westmorland, and a good point to view them from, is
the outlet of the lake; which, beautifully clear, will serve
to dilute the traveller's Cogniac brandy, or old Jamaica
rum, a most grateful potation after his laborious ascent,
or to wash down the hard eggs and hung mutton presented by
his hostess. Leaving the foot of the Tarn on the edge of the
hill, a peat or turf road soon appears, on which descend to
Mill Beck; the eye of the spectator, whether directed up or
down the valley, is cheared all the way with views of
fields, richly bedecked with wood, and encircled by high
mountains. Dungeon Gill passes through a deep cleft of the
mountains, the tops of which cleft so overhang its basis, as
nearly to meet; there is, indeed, a large stone stretching
from side to side, over which, some have had the temerity to
cross this hideous gulph.
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