This was a traverse of the long ridge of the Helvellyn range, using public transport to get back to the car. I started from the top of Dunmail Raise pass on the A591, where there's a short section of dual carriageway. Parking on the verge at the side of the road, I crossed the road and went over a stile to join the path which runs up the side of Raise Beck towards Grisedale Tarn.
- Raise Beck
- Grisedale Tarn
A path around the side of the tarn leads on to the stone staircase which climbs up Dollywagon Pike.
- Dollywaggon Pike ascent
The main path heads straight to the top of Helvellyn. To visit the lesser summits you take a detour to the right.There are good views of the craggy side of the range.
- Dollywaggon Pike summit
- Nethermost Pike summit
- Helvellyn summit
- Red Tarn
- Lower Man
After Helvellyn summit and its slightly smaller neighbor Lower Man, the hills get rounder and grassier as you head along the ridge towards Clough Head.
- Raise summit
- Sticks Pass
- Stybarrow Dodd summit
- Watson's Dodd ascent
- Thirlmere from Watson's Dodd
- Great Dodd summit
- Calfhow Pike
- Clough Head summit
From the top of Clough Head, I followed the ridge down to the east.There's a narrow path leading down past White Pike and on to an old coach road.According to the OS map, there ought to be a path from the coach road down towards Threlkeld, but I didn't see any sign of it, so it was a pathless descent down the hillside This was dry and heathery at first, and got wetter lower down. I eventually got to the house at Newlands, from which a tarmac road leads into the village., where I got a bus into Keswick and then another bus back to the car.
- Descent to White Pike
- Back on dry land
- Waiting for the bus
