The Leaney and The Lamb - Photo Gallery

There are some things that prey on a boy's mind, things left unfinished, things that have to be done. One of those things is to climb to the summit of Helm Crag, many people claim to have completed all of the Wainwrights but how many of them have really got to this little summit. Wainwright himself never got to the summit of Helm Crag so I suppose it could be argued that there is no need to get there. In that case you would have to get to all of the places and walk all of the routes that he did, not many people do that either.

I am meeting Andrew Leaney (www.leaney.org), Ann and Lorraine in a determined effort to correct the omission of Helm Crag. Andrew is a self confessed peak bagger who only has to climb to Helm Crag to complete his round of the Wainwright tops, I may or may not have climbed all the others. The weather is dry at Grasmere, the forecast for the afternoon isn't good but by then it won't matter, Andrew and I are optimistically wearing shorts.

Walk up the Easedale Road, starting opposite Sam Read's book shop, the tarmac goes across fields and ends abruptly at a gate. Straight ahead is the path to Easedale but we turned right up a an old quarry track constructed from slate where the “Unfit for cars” warning is stating the very obvious. We passed through a metal gate not turning left for Far Easedale, but right on a path that almost immediately turns back on itself as you start to climb through an old quarry.

Then there is a climb up a steep constructed slate stairway, quite strenuous if you are expecting an easy walk up to a small summit, these small hills don't give it away. Above the stairway the gradient eases and there is a newly constructed footpath, one of the better ones with large stones and good footholds that would not be too badly affected by wet or icy conditions. When you reach the ridge there are good views of Grasmere, the lake and the village, and you can see the full length of both Near Easedale and Far Easedale.

There are two significant rock outcrops on Helm Crag, the first one the so called Lion, with the Lamb close by, the Lion is fairly easy scrambling for Andrew and myself to reach the top. A little bit further along the interesting little ridge is the outcrop that I know as the Howitzer, the true summit of the fell that we have never managed to reach.

There are two awkward sloping slabs with a nine inch vertical gap between them, half way up is the foothold I need but there are no handholds that I really feel confident. I could see the way up and I'm sure I could get onto the awkward slab and to the top but would I be able to get down safely? Now is not the time to hesitate so I moved onto the bottom part of the left hand slab and found enough hand holds to haul myself up far enough to get to the required foothold.

From the foothold it is straightforward up a narrow rock gully to the summit. Yes, I'm up but where is Andrew? He is taking a photograph of me and is obviously not going to join me here. Now is the time to worry about how I'm going to get down, the gully is easy enough but the awkward step up is an impossible step down. I tried forwards and backwards but I couldn't a safe way down, even my long legs couldn't stretch that far.

There is only one thing to do, lower myself into the gap between the slabs, even if I don't have hand or foot holds I can jam my body in between the slabs. The elegant climb upwards is followed by an embarrassing struggle downwards but there are bloodied and bruised arms and legs to show for an heroic struggle. It's just a pity that the photos show only one of us at the summit.

After that the ridge is easy, feeling full of energy and enthusiasm for some reason I try and keep to the ridge. The path takes an easy route between summits and denies one half of the view, would you want to miss seeing Helvellyn and Fairfield? The hills are very green, it is bracken season, that plant seems to have very few predators and even fewer useful attributes. Following the ridge you will get to the the summit of Gibson Knott and then to a cairn on an unnamed intermediate summit but we seem to have lost Andrew.

Carry on along the ridge and we see Andrew ahead, he has obviously taken the easier path and got to the summit of Calf Crag first. By the time the rest of us got to the summit of Calf Crag Andrew was sitting like a pixie sheltering from the cool breeze in the lee of a rock outcrop. The weather is bright enough but the breeze is quite cool and in the distance there is much evidence of bad weather.

The visibility is good and the route to Steel Fell is obvious and not quite as wet as I have known it before, quite easy walking to the summit. Ann and Lorraine leave us now to descend to Grasmere, they don't want to descend from here and start climbing again but who would? The descent from Steel Fell is steep and green, the only consolation is the view of Thirlmere and the fact that it has stopped raining over Blencathra and Skiddaw.

After a hard, steep green descent there and an exciting dash across the road at Dunmail Raise there is now an interesting ascent up Raise Beck. Two streams come down, one to the left and one to the right, there is a stone wall between them. When Thirlmere to the north became a reservoir the stream to the south was deprived of water and its bouldery stream bed won't be getting wet for the foreseeable future. The view of Helm Crag summit makes it seem like a long time ago.

Raise Beck is an interesting and varied mountain stream, rugged with a couple of major waterfalls but all I can think of is how much my calf muscles are complaining. After the gradient eases there is an easier walk to Grisedale Tarn but we don't want to do that, why not make a punishing ascent over rough grass to the summit of Seat Sandal?

Walking up a grassy slope seems to be so much harder than any other sort walking, it isn't that steep really but after what we have already done the legs are feeling the strain. It is a relief to reach the summit of Seat Sandal and for a while there is enough sun to make it feel like a nice place to sit for a while. The views are good of St Sunday Crag, Dollywagon Pike and the climb to Fairfield that looks big and steep.

The descent from Seat Sandal is eroded, steep and awkward, these small fells just don't give it away. Fairfield is ahead, steeply upwards and it sure isn't giving anything away, it is a hard slog up steep, loose and eroded slopes. Within the space of six minutes the summit is clear, then covered by mist and then clear again.

Almost at the summit of Fairfield and I looked backwards just as the mist came racing in, it is no surprise that you can't see from one cairn to the next at the summit. Never mind map and compasses, we both know how to get off the summit, setting off without a word we found the wide obvious path soon enough. Once you get to the path there is no problem finding your way to Great Rigg, it just so happens that the wind got stronger as it started to rain and I couldn't ignore it any longer.

By the time I tried to put my gloves on at the summit of Great Rigg my hands were too cold to perform this simple task in the middle of July. The path to Stone Arthur is quite easy, deciding when you are at its summit is not so easy, there are a couple of rocky peaks on the way down. It is actually the lowest of the outcrops after a shallow col that is the “summit” of Stone Arthur.

There is an obvious path downwards that becomes steep and eroded in between the six foot high bracken before you reach the road and thoughts of beer begin to fill your thoughts as you pass the Swan Hotel.

Andrew says it was thirteen miles with five thousand feet of ascent, a good seven hours and a half worth.

Andy Wallace 24th July 2004