free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Last day of summer in the Lakes was a bit hazy. Thought we'd have a crack at Helvellyn. Fiona doesn't normally like scrambling and rocky stuff but the conditions - warm, sunny and not much wind, were too good to miss.
Problem number one was finding a parking space in Glenridding. We went on a fruitless tour of full car parks before noticing that the parking restrictions on the road outside finished on 30th September.
After a riverside walk through woods and a campsite to Kettlebeck Bridge, we headed up a very good stepped stone path alongside Mire Beck which made for easy progress up to the ridge and a hazy view back to Ullswater.
![P1010159.JPG]()
- Ullswater from the top of Little Cove
The path carried on up the wall, making for easy height gain and swinging out on a wide zig-zag to reduce the gradient and take in the top of Birkhouse Moor. We now had a choice
Either down to Red Tarn and up Swirral edge on the right or bear left along the dragon's back of Striding Edge. We sat under an impressive drystone wall while we made our choice
The approach to the edge is straight forward. At the top of the first tower the task is revealed.
At first you go a short distance along a flat section of the crest. Then you can either carry on along the crest (an easy but exposed scramble) or, as we did, take a path along the north side which avoids most of the difficulties. There is a bad step at the far end of the edge and the avoiding route switches to the south side and drops down a bit to avoid it. There is then a steep, slithery climb up Helvellyn's east face to reach the summit.
Helvellyn summit is strangely suburban. After climbing up through a world of crags, rocks, scree, steep drops and rocky tarns, you emerge onto a lush grassy summit plateau that wouldn't be out of place in the South Downs. You almost expect there to be an ice cream van. It does however have excellent views back down over Red Tarn.
Hazy light in the fading sunny weather also gave some 'screen print' views out west towards the Conistons.
We slithered down Swirral Edge and had a long stride back down to Glenridding Lead Mine and an excellent pint of Hesket Newmarket beer at the Travellers Rest. An excellent end to the Summer.
