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Helvellyn via Striding Edge Difficulty: Hard Glenridding is a small village that these days thrives on visitors who are wishing to trek to the mighty summit of Helvelyn and play on its magical ridges. Many years ago the Greenside Mines were a thriving place in the valley and the village of Glenridding was built to accommodate the growing number of workers at the time. The pay and display car park in Glenridding just off the main A592 road from Penrith is the starting point of the trek. Follow the road from here towards the valley, you will pass the Travellers Inn, which is great for refreshments after the trek. Passing the Travellers Inn you will after a few hundred yards come to a bend in the road, follow the road left off the bend heading towards the Gillside Farm camp site. Continue along the track past the camp site on the left and caravan site on the right, past the house and you'll find the path. Follow the path up through Mires Beck which should be right in front of you, making sure not to take either of the two paths to the left that take the Greenide Mines route via Red Tarn to the summit. The Mires Beck path turns into a great path well laid with big boulder steps, however this is quite a climb and you will gain a lot of height in this first part of the walk so get ready for a hard start. Once you have bagged the peak of Birkhouse Moor continue along the path towards Helvellyn, taking the path along side the wall and then as it approaches the obvious ridge of Striding Edge take the path along and up the ridge, ignoring that which leads down to Red Tarn. The path will now lead along the right hand side of the ridge, however this is for those who haven't come to achieve the satisfaction of walking Striding Edge the proper way. From here you basically can only go one way, which is forward. Which way you do it is up to you, but I myself love the challenge and sheer excitement of walking across the very most top parts of the ridge, only occasionally using the regular path. This ridge walk rates among some of the best in Britain and some say even the best. Looking to your left the view of St Sunday Crag is awe inspiring, the rick face looks almost perfect and looking right the views of Helvellyn, Red Tarn and Catstye Cam are also breathtaking. The peak of Catstye Cam is one of those that people describe as a proper mountain as its peak is high and pointed. The ridge last until the main bulk of Helvellyn and then a great scramble lays in front of you, there is not really much of a path here anymore as people go which ever way feels right. Once at the summit of Helvellyn you will understand how it is actually possible to land a plane on it as two pilots did in the year of 1926. The summit is a large flat plateau which is quite unusual for a mountain as high as Helvellyn. The first thing you will come across is the memorial of Charles Gough who in spring 1805 slipped from a rock and perished. The story of Goughs faithful dog who stayed with his body for 3 months until his body was discovered has inspired many poems including those of Fidelity by William Wordsworth and Helvellyn by Sir Walter Scott. You will then find the cross shaped shelter which is a great escape from the weather. Although in the summer you'll be lucky to find a free site on the wind sheltered sides of the shelter. The summit cairn is right in front of the shelter. Bagging this mighty summit of 950M is very satisfying after the difficult yet extremely exciting ascent. Follow the ridge to the other end and you'll pass the weather cairn which is visited daily by a Lake District National Park Weather assessor, now that's got to beat working behind a computer all day! There is a small cairn towards the end of the summit plateau which marks the way down to Swirral Edge. Swirral Edge is a great challenge, not quite as great in stature to Striding Edge but fun none the less. After descending Swirall Edge before choosing the path down to Red Tarn head upwards still towards the peak of Catstye Cam. This is an easy climb up a mountain which from some angles is so impressive it almost seems like your cheating. After bagging this great little peak, head down again and go left heading down into Red Tarn. Red Tarn is worth a look from the shores. The views up the 300M wall of Helvellyn's eastern side are great and the views to the left and right of the two ridges watching others tip toe across will make you feel very satisfied in what you have achieved. Follow the path down away from Red Tarn, it will lead through Red Tarn Beck down into Glenridding Beck. Cross the footbridge just before the Greenside Mine area and follow the road past the youth hostel and down into the village again, passing the Travellers Inn on the way and dropping in for some much deserved food and refreshments. |
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