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Striding Edge & Helvellyn

Striding Edge & Helvellyn


Postby Phooooey » Sun Jul 21, 2013 3:07 pm

Wainwrights included on this walk: Birkhouse Moor, Helvellyn, Raise, White Side

Hewitts included on this walk: Helvellyn, Raise, White Side

Date walked: 21/07/2013

Time taken: 4.7

Distance: 14 km

Ascent: 1061m

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Glenridding - Birkhouse Moor - Striding Edge - Helvellyn - Helvellyn Lower Man - White Side - Raise - Gleridding

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With a plan to complete my Wainwrights set for next weekend (I hope this glorious weather holds out 8) ) I was loathed to let the lack of a summit bag stop me getting out in the good weather so we planned Helvellyn (mainly to stop John pestering me as he has done now for well over 12 months).
In the last 3 years of walking with Damson we still hadn't done Striding Edge either despite having done it many times as a kid in all weathers.
However when Saturday morning came I awoke to an voice text message that John had been at the re-opening of his local public house and was feeling a little worse for wear. Admittedly, he didn't use flowery words and as it was in an automated female voice, it sounded a little like a cross between Stephen Hawkings & Jo Brand.

Anyhoo, it was back down to just Damson & I so we set off early and arrived and got booted near The Travellers Rest Pub at about 9:15. There were plenty of others following my route up past the campsite and onto the flanks of Birkhouse Moor.

The sun was very warm already and plenty of stops and water breaks were required as we trudged up the clear path following Mires Beck. The views back to Ullswater were slightly hazy in the sunshine but no less beautiful.

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View back to Ullswater and Glenridding from side of Mire Beck
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Glenridding under Place Fell
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Sheffield Pike & Glenridding Fell from Mires Beck path
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View over Glenridding Fell to Ullswater

We reached the top of Birkhouse Moor in little over an hour after taking our time on the hot ascent and were both grateful of a light breeze and a halt to the gradient for a while as we followed the wall over towards Red Tarn and the start of Striding Edge.

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Summit of Birkhouse Moor looking to Helvellyn
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Damson feeling the heat on Birkhouse Moor
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Catstycam, White Side & Raise (showing decent down zig zag on right)
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Zoom on our descent path
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View to Ullswater from Birkhouse Moor summit

We joined a steady stream of people on the climb up to Striding Edge and decided to do the edge in sections, knowing that if we joined the queues for the entire length we could have been there for some time.

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Approach to Striding Edge
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Looking down on Red Tarn

We decided to queue jump the actual start of the Edge at Low Spying How by taking the lower path around its right hand side and then climbing back up to get in front of the line we had followed up towards the top. We then covered the middle section following the edge itself up to High Spying How and the drop down into what I believe is called the chimney

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Striding Edge to Helvellyn
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Behind Low Spying How
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Striding Edge, Helvellyn, Red Tarn and Swirral Edge from Striding Edge
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Catstycam across Red Tarn from Striding Edge
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The climb down from High Spying How

Then comes the scramble up the final slope onto Helvellyn itself, tackled by staying on the clear path rather than over more of the rock face like some of the others around me and finally onto the summit itself visiting all its landmark plaques, cairns & trig point along the way.

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Final stretch from Striding Edge onto Helvellyn
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We stuck to the path on left rather than over rock face as others shown here
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Damson looking back over Striding Edge
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Striding Edge from below Helvellyn summit
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Looking back to Birkhouse Moor from Helvellyn flank
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St Sundays Crag from Helvellyn
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View to White Side & Raise from Helvellyn summit cairn
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Swirral Edge & Catstycam from Helvellyn summit cairn
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Red Tarn from Helvellyn summit cairn
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View over Swirral Edge to descent path down flanks of Raise
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Flat summit of Helvellyn from summit cairn
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My posing pooch on Helvellyn Trig Point
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And another as she was such a good girl !! 8)
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Looking down on Swirral Edge

The original plan was to descend via Swirral Edge but I noticed a few geocache points along the ridge out to Raise and decided to grab them whilst there. This took us over Helvellyn Lower Man & White Side before the climb up to Raise.

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Path out to White Side & Raise from Helvellyn Lower Man
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View over Brown Cove Crags from Helvellyn Lower Man
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Skiddaw Range from Helvellyn Lower Man
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View over Thirlmere from White Side

The wind started to pick up as we made our way along the ridge making things slightly easier as the temperature cooled down a little. We pushed on up to Raise grabbing 4 caches along the way before Damson got back into posing mode (without me even asking this time :lol: :lol: ).

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Damson on Raise summit

We descended down towards the zig zag path over the grassy flanks instead of following the true path back the way we had come and soon picked it up for the long descent back down to Glenridding.
A few photos were taken about half way down the zig zag path back towards Helvellyn and Catstycam.

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Catstycam, Swirral Edge, Helvellyn & Helvellyn Little Man from path from Raise
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Catstycam & Swirral Edge
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Catstycam & Keppel Cove Dam

The descent followed Glenridding Beck to just above the Youth Hostel at Bell Cottages where we crossed the stream using the footbridge and round the southern side of the Gillside Plantation to head back to Glenridding campsite and our starting position.

A great day out in the sun and yet another day where Helvellyn has been kind to me regarding the weather.
Pity John wasn't with me as he would have enjoyed this !! :roll:
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Phooooey
 
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Re: Striding Edge & Helvellyn

Postby colgregg » Sun Jul 21, 2013 7:43 pm

Its a fine walk in such good weather. Glad you had a good day.
colgregg
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Location: Richmond North Yorkshire

Re: Striding Edge & Helvellyn

Postby Sarah86 » Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:35 pm

A cracking set of photos, I especially like the shots of the tarn. Your dog is adorable :)
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Sarah86
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Re: Striding Edge & Helvellyn

Postby ChrisW » Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:04 am

Lovely stuff Phooooey, great to see Damson back in 'full pose mode', those shots on Helvellyn trig are cracking. Good to see the weather holding out and spectacular shots of the lakes....long may it continue :clap:
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ChrisW
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