Helvellyn and Striding Edge

Friday 16th April 2004

After the terrible weather I endured on my previous day's walk I now felt as if I was being rewarded for my achievements as the weather on this walk was perfect and allowed me to complete a feat that I thought I would never be able to do. At the start of the walk I left Grasmere and headed off on the route of the Coast-to-Coast Walk that climbs beside Tongue Gill up to Grisedale Hause. After that gruelling climb I circumnavigated Grisedale Tarn and walked up the steep southern slopes of Dollywaggon Pike. Once I was at the top all my hard work for the day was effectively over and I was simply able to enjoy myself to such an extent that the rest of the day was a breeze; it was pure joy. The early morning low cloud had quickly cleared to reveal a magnificent panorama and tremendous weather for the rest of the day, and soon I was at the summit of Dollywaggon Pike, Nethermost Pike quickly followed and it wasn’t long before I finally reached Helvellyn.

This was only the second time I had been at the top of Helvellyn, and after the low cloud and strong winds of my first visit in 2002 it seemed to be a completely different place. The sun was out this time and there was hardly a breeze; the conditions were so good even the crowds failed to distract me. Carelessly I wandered over towards Striding Edge, but only to get a closer look at it. I have been afraid of Striding Edge ever since I first heard about it, so never thought I would ever dare to walk across it. I thought I was only going to look at it, from afar, but to my surprise, before I even knew what I was doing, I found myself climbing down to the start of Striding Edge. The weather conditions were so perfect I couldn’t stop myself walking across, and by the time I reached the end I was wondering what my problem had been. I guess when the conditions are this good then even Striding Edge is not too difficult.

As I think back now, more than ten years later, about my first trip across Striding Edge I have also been thinking about my subsequent visits and I have made an astonishing realisation. I have only ever been across Striding Edge three times and the last time was at Easter in 2006, which doesn’t feel right, but I can’t remember any other time I have been across that fearfully narrow ridge. Even more astonishing is the last time I was at the top of Helvellyn was second of January 2009, more than six years ago! I remember more recently planning on walking up Helvellyn, most recently in 2013, but I had to change my plans due to bad weather. Helvellyn is a great mountain that doesn’t deserve to be ignored like this, and Striding Edge is such an icon of the Lake District that it is shocking that it has been such a long time since I was on the edge. My plans for this Easter are going to have to be changed!

On my first trek across Striding Edge I had my lunch on the hillside just above the Hole-in-the-Wall and when I resumed walking I turned back towards Helvellyn passing Red Tarn before reaching Swirral Edge. At the start of the ridge I turned right in order to visit the top of Catstye Cam before returning along the ridge and up Swirral Edge back onto Helvellyn. I had heard that the best way to tackle Swirral Edge is to stay at the very top of the ridge and based on my experience on this occasion that seemed to be exactly right as I found it surprisingly easy. When I climbed Helvellyn for the first time two years before, via Swirral Edge, I had some difficulties due to high winds that encouraged me to veer away from the ridge in favour of climbing the perilously steep side of the fell. Conditions were completely different on this occasion and consequently I found the climb considerably easier.

From Helvellyn I walked over to Lower Man and turning north I headed down a short, narrow ridge that led me up to Whiteside and on the other side I began my descent into Glenridding. At Greenside Mine I crossed the river and continued around the side of the hill below Birkhouse Moor to Lanty’s Tarn and down into Grisedale. The youth hostel in Patterdale was reached by walking along the path below Glenamara Park. This was a sensational walk in gorgeous weather and over stunning mountains that deserve to have been climbed more times than I have. When the weather is this good the top of a mountain is a sensational place to be and makes even foot-wide ridges seem easy. Great mountain days only occur when the weather is good, and when those rare occasions happen I never want to leave.