Mickledore
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Mickledore_ridge.JPG
Mickledore is a high, narrow ridge connecting the mountains of Sca Fell and Scafell Pike in the English Lake District. It is also a high pass between the valleys of Wasdale and Eskdale.
While the ridge appears precarious, it is easily reached and traversed from Scafell Pike. However, access to the summit of Sca Fell is barred by the notorious rockface of Broad Stand, which looks much easier to climb than it is. In descent, the cliff is even more dangerous. A notable victim was the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who wrote of his miraculous survival of a fall here.
The walker seeking a safe route between England's highest mountains has no choice but to go via Foxes Tarn, which involves a descent far below the height of the ridge. The more challenging routes of Lord's Rake, and the West Wall Traverse, offer alternative ways to reach Scafell Pike.