Sergeant Man is a
fell
A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...
in the
English Lake District
The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...
. It is properly a secondary summit of
High Raise, but is given a separate chapter by
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright Order of the British Empire, MBE (17 January 1907 – 20 January 1991), who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalking, fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume ''Pictorial ...
in his third
Pictorial Guide nonetheless, as it "is so prominent an object and offers so compelling a challenge". Its rocky cone is indeed in great contrast to the grassy dome of High Raise.
Topography
Sergeant Man lies a third of a mile to the south east of the parent fell and is the pivotal point for a complex system of ridges radiating eastward from High Raise. Sergeant Man is not actually visible from the peak of High Raise and Sergeant Man only comes into view as you gently descend from High Raise. South east, passing between Codale and Stickle Tarns is the broad spur leading to
Blea Rigg,
Silver How and
Loughrigg. Sitting above Codale Tarn is the rocky subsidiary top of
Codale Head — a grandchild of High Raise. From here further ridges run east to
Tarn Crag and north east to
Calf Crag and the circuit of Greenburn.
Steep ground falls away to the south of Sergeant Man, down to the valley of Bright Beck, this being the main feeder of Stickle Tarn. All water from this flank flows to
Great Langdale
Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park in North West England, the epithet "Great" distinguishing it from the neighbouring valley of Little Langdale. Langdale is also the name of a valley in the Howgill Fells, elsewhere ...
. East of the summit between the Tarn Crag and Blea Rigg ridges, lie Codale Tarn and the headwaters of Easedale, streams bound for
Grasmere. To the north of Sergeant Man are the upper gathering grounds of Wythburndale, which flow via
Thirlmere
Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district in Cumbria and the English Lake District National Park, Lake District. The Helvellyn ridge lies to the east of Thirlmere. To the west of Thirlmere are a numbe ...
to the sea at
Workington
Workington is a coastal town and civil parish in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. The town is at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast, south-west of Carlisle and north-east of Whitehaven. At the 2021 census the ...
.
Ascents
The popular ways up Sergeant Man are either from Great Langdale via Stickle Tarn, or by a variety of routes from
Grasmere village. These can take in the Blea Rigg, Tarn Crag or Calf Crag ridges, or ascend via Far Easedale or Easedale Tarn. The latter route takes the walker past Belles Knott, a striking feature near Codale Tarn. From below it appears as a sharp peak, etched against the skyline, but from above an easy grassy promenade is revealed behind.
[Mark Richards: ''The Central Fells'': Collins (2003): ]
Summit
The area between Sergeant Man and Codale Head has a rash of small tarns, but the summit area is otherwise reasonably dry. The final cone is most easily climbed via a ridge on the northern side, and has good all round views except where obscured by High Raise.
References
{{Central Fells
Fells of the Lake District