View from the top
Day two of our Ullswater adventure and after yesterday's warm up, walking the Ullswater Way, today we drove to Glenridding to ascend Helvellyn via Striding Edge and Swirral Edge.
I was really excited about this walk for many reasons: firstly, it is the only one of the Lake District Munro's that I have not attempted despite climbing Scafell, Scafell Pike and Skiddaw many years ago. Secondly, I have heard so much about the spectacular views that I can't wait to see them for myself. And finally, at 950m (the third highest mountain in the Lake District), I never thought that I would be able to do this after having a knee replacement operation in 2019 - I feared that I had missed the opportunity.
The Helvellyn walk via Striding Edge and Swirral Edge takes around 6-7 hours, requires a good level of fitness and involves careful scrambling and climbing when traversing the Edges. The views are spectactular but you do need a head for heights as the paths are steep and exposed on both the ascent and descent and can make you feel quite uncomfortable. It should not be attempted in bad weather as too many climbers have learned the hard way.
We set out from the carpark at Glenridding on a sunny April morning, following a sign and leaving Greenside Lane on a track uphill. The wide gravel path climbed steadily from the start, ascending the valley and providing increasingly lovely panoramas back towards Glenridding and Ulswater and the fells beyond. The path continued, passing over a bridge and then following a rocky track alongside a stonewall. When we came to a fork, a signpost directed us to Helvellyn via Miresbeck and a long uphill walk followed, about 5km; most of this was beside the Mires Beck, a stream bubbling cheerfully down the valley, with plenty of places to stop and rest whilst taking in the views.
We continued up steep stone steps, enjoying the glorious fell views beneath the clear blue sky, passing a ruined agricultural building and crossing tributaries as the trail left the beck and eventually led us up to Red Tarn. This part of the walk took 3 hours and was lung and leg busting, and we were relieved to see Helvellyn come into sight, towering above the tarn and flanked on either side by the daunting presence of Striding Edge and Swirrel Edge.
After a short rest to catch our breath, we began the steep ascent to Helvellyn via Swirrel Edge, pausing regularly to take in the increasingly impressive views. Quickly, the ground became more uneven and rocky, the path disappearing leaving us to pick our way over rocks and between boulders before climbing steeply. The final ascent was quite unnerving, with sheer drops to our right and a rockface to our left; sometimes there was only just enough space to squeeze between the rocks, and the climbing certainly demanded a whole body workout. Elated, we reached the top, completing the short walk to the peak and the trig point
The top of Helvellyn is not what you expect from a mountain, being broad and quite flat, and depending where you stand, there are spectacular views towards Windermere and Bassenthwaite as well as back over Ullswater. We were lucky that it was a beautiful day with clear panoramic views, and at times it was completely silent with not a breath of wind - unusual for April.
We enjoyed a picnic in the sunshine before facing our next challenge, Striding Edge.
If Swirrel Edge was a tough climb, then Striding Edge was an even tougher scramble, with lots of loose scree making a secure foothold elusive. We tentatively made our way down and across the edge, often sliding down on our bottoms and steadying ourselves with our arms taking the weight. Again the drops were terrifying. At one point, a large boulder gave way, tumbling down the side of the mountain before hitting a rock and smashing into a million pieces: I was beginning to understand why my dad refused to take me on this hike when he had taken me on so many others, I wouldn't want to be responsible for anyone else either.
At last, we reached the bottom and returned to the path. From there, the descent down to Patterdale Hall was relatively easy, although the hundreds of stone steps were tough on already tired knees and feet. We were distracted from our fatigue by the lovely valley views and the lambs gamboling in the fields and after an hour and a half reached the road back into Glenridding.
We returned to our campsite to enjoy pizza and wine in the lovely old barn in front of a roaring fire, very satisfied to have conquered that last Munro.
A quick note on the campsite we stayed at, The Quiet Site, www.thequietsite.co.uk .
The site is beautiful, has stunning views and has all the accommodation options and facilities you could ever need, but is also striving to have zero carbon footprint. This has no impact at all on your stay and the staff were lovely, even giving us a free upgrade on our accommodation (we weren't brave enough to take the tent in April). It is well worth a look and I would highly recommend it.
Comments