Helvellyn Edges and Other Ridges - Photo Gallery

I parked in Gledridding on a sunny morning, and started walking towards the Mires Beck tourist route; after going through the gate in the intake wall, I didn't take the tourist path. A half-hearted barrier shows the way to a better ascent; pathless, steep and demanding at times, you have to make you own way up the east ridge of Birkhouse Moor. As I gained height, the views of Place Fell and Ullswater were better than I have ever seen before; the gradient eases to a steady climb up to the summit, and the view is lost.

As one view is lost, another is gained, as you approach the summit of Birkhouse Moor, the elegant peak of Catstycam comes into view before the rest of Helvellyn's bulk becomes obvious. There is an easy walk to join the tourist path, and the tourists, on the way to Striding Edge; not quite joining the tourists, I kept off the path, on the crest of the ridge, to enjoy the view while I had a chance.

The start of Striding Edge is obvious and exhilarating, clambering up rocks and onto a rugged ridge of flat-topped boulders. All too soon you have to get down off the rock, its easy to miss the Gough memorial if you are too absorbed in your surroundings. You have to choose your route soon, the path or the ridge, it's easy to choose the ridge when you don't know just how narrow it becomes; it was windy enough for me to choose the path. There were still plenty of people on the ridge so it can't have been that windy, I'll be back again in better conditions so there is no need to take any risks.

As the ridge becomes a bit wider, the path rejoins where it dips, just in time to scramble back up again; it's a comfortable walk along the crest until you reach a sudden drop. The “bad step” is a bit of a shock the first time you see it, but there are plenty of holds for hands and feet; I find it most comfortable to face the rock and climb downwards. It might be the end of Striding Edge but it's the start another rocky scramble, half-way up is a good place to stop and admire the view of Striding Edge and the constant stream of people easing themselves down the bad step.

After the initial good rocky scramble, the final climb is just as steep, but the path has become eroded to small stones that can be awkwardly slippery. Eventually, the gradient eases, and you walk onto the broad summit plateau; the busy shelter is straight ahead and the summit of Helvellyn itself is a short way beyond it. After all of that excitement, the rest of the day could have been an anti-climax but I had something interesting in mind. I walked southwards, along the broad ridge path, and took the not-very-obvious obvious left up to the summit of Nethermost Pike; it is another big flat summit.

I walked eastwards from the summit, over pathless grass; I was confident that I couldn't go wrong because the ground either side was too steep to descend, and I arrived at the top of the east ridge. The narrow, jagged ridge falling away steeply could be mistaken for being the wrong way, but after carefully negotiating the arete an obvious path will be found. It is steep, and very eroded in places, but the surroundings are exhilarating and you feel like you are very small in a very big place; I don't often meet anybody on that ridge.

After an interesting descent, there is a final slip-slide down the most eroded part of the path before you reach less-steep ground. The clever bit is to work out how to get to Hard Tarn from there, there is nothing like a path and you have to work your way around and across a boulder slope; and of course keep going in the right direction. Hard Tarn is a brilliant place, you can't see it until you are almost on top of it, it sits it front of a small cliff face, in the midst of a spectacular corrie.

As I got to the tarn, there was somebody else there, we were both surprised not to be alone. From Hard Tarn it's not obvious where you go next, more boulders to negotiate with the sound of flowing water somewhere below your feet. I usually walk down beside a stream until below a big crag on the right, and then traverse around the head of Ruthwaite Cove. Once I got on the other side of the Cove my thoughts were turning to the task ahead, the corrie walls are steep! I was looking for clues, any sign of a path, but couldn't find any, so I started to walk up diagonally across the slippery scree on the steep slope.

It was the most difficult part of the day, the steep slope was covered in greasy rocks, and the surface was very soft, I had to tread lightly. Eventually I reached a small grassy shoulder but it was only a brief respite, another awkward steep climb was required to get me to a faint ridge path. The Tongue is an enjoyably airy ridge, with its own little scramble, before you reach the cairn at the top of the ridge; a short walk takes you to the summit of Dollywaggon Pike.

I walked northwards along the big path, but made the under-used diversion across the top of High Crag, you can see what a fine hill Nethermost Pike is from there. I walked across the broad shoulder of Nethermost Pike and on to the summit of Helvellyn again; I carried on past the triangulation column, and on to the next cairn. The cairn marks the exit to Swirral Edge, another one of the delights of the Helvellyn group; I carried on past the col and made the steady climb to the summit of Catstycam.

I walked down the grassy east ridge to join the Red Tarn path and made the long walk back to Glenridding.

© Andy Wallace 4th Sep 2010