Helvellyn - Striding Edge, Swirral Edge.

[A Drunken Taffer]

Helvellyn - With Striding Edge, Swirral Edge and Catstyecam

It's a Wednesday, the sun is shining and I have my opportunity to tackle Helvellyn on a clear day. I grab my bag (and apply a lashing of sun cream) and jump in the car heading for Glenridding.

Parking on the road leading up to the Travellers Rest (It's free, the joy ) I don my rucksack and head up the road toward the pub. I get no further than 100m before having to stop to take off my fleece as it really is that warm!

Layers succesfully removed I head along the steep path that runs alongside Miresbeck, turning around every so often to enjoy the views of Ullswater opening up as I gain height.



After following the path for a good while I reached the top of Birkhouse Moor, and Helvellyn with its two glorious ridges came into view.



I had decided to take Striding Edge on the ascent, and descend the other side using Swirral Edge. Making my way up toward Striding Edge I came across two gents, stopping to have a chat one of them told me that he got to the start of the ridge and vertigo took over, so had sensibly turned back. We chatted for a while about different routes up the mountain without the ridge walks before I bid them good luck and carried on.

Striding Edge in clear weather, is not for those with vertigo but fortunately I have never suffered from it! Choosing the actual ridge walk as opposed to the path slightly further down I wandered along the Edge thoroughly enjoying myself, stopping every so often to take photographs.



After the final scramble up to the summit plateau of Helvellyn I turned to view Striding Edge in all its glory.



I then strolled along to the summit point of Helvellyn. I wandered around the summit for a while, enjoying the phenomenal views in all directions of the Lake district. before making my way to the cairn at the top of Swirral Edge where I stopped for a spot of lunch.




I then descended along Swirral Edge, and carried on along the path to the summit of Catstyecam, before descending back to Red Tarn. I then followed the path winding its way down the Grisedsale Valley. A slight uphill segment at the bottom of the valley led up to Lantys Tarn.



From Lantys Tarn it was a simple downhill through a field of bluebells back to Glenridding and the car.



A superb day out, would definitely recommend to any who have not yet walked Helvellyn.

[houdi]

Makes all the difference when you get a nice sunny day. First time I went up Helvellyn the cloud line was right up to the summit edge. I was standing at the Swirral Edge marker cairn staring down, hoping it would clear long enough for me to see the way down, when a bloke stepped up out of the mist from Swirral Edge. I nearly sh*t myself!

[colgregg]

Ever the Lakeland classic. Glorious weather too, nice one.

[AJNicholls]

Good stuff and nice pics too. Did Striding Edge last Saturday and Swirral Edge last Sunday. Helvellyn is certainly an interesting mountain.