West's Guide to the Lakes, 1778/1821
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Page 104:-
and pastoral, on the side of Langdale entirely rocky. The Stake exhibits a miniature of very bad Alpine road, across a mountain, just not perpendicular, and about five miles over. The road makes many traverses so close, that at every flexture it seems almost to return into itself, and such as are advancing in different traverses, appear to go different ways. In descending the Stake, on the Langdale side, a cataract accompanies you on the left, with all the horrors of a precipice. Langdale-pike, called Pike-a-Stickle, and Steel-pike, is an accessible pyramidal rock, and commands the whole. Here nature seems to have discharged all her useless load of matter and rock, when form was first impressed on chaos. Pavey-ark is a hanging rock 600 feet in height, and under it is Stickle-tarn, a large bason of water, formed in the bosom of the rock, and which pours down in a cataract at Mill-beck. Below this, White-gill-crag opens to the centre, a dreadful yawning fissure. Beyond Langdale chapel the vale becomes more pleasing, and the road is good to Ambleside or Hawkshead, by Scalewith-bridge.
station, Crow Park
Mr. Gray was much pleased with an evening view under Crow-park. 'In the evening,' says he, 'I walked alone down to the lake, by the side of Crow-park, after sun-set, and saw the solemn colouring of the night draw
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gazetteer links
-- Langdale Pikes
-- Pavey Ark
-- "Stake of Borrowdale" -- Stake Pass
-- station, Crow Park
-- Stickle Tarn
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