Helvellyn by the Ridges

This is one of my favourite Lakeland walks and the 2-3 mile trek from Glenridding, up Greenside Lane to the disused mine workings, warms me up and gets me into the right mindset for scaling one of England’s four monroes. At the mine the tourist track cuts left across the valley towards Red Tarn but I keep to the starboard side and continue another mile to the broken dam that bridges the valley at Keppel Cove.

My choice here is either to cross the dry watercourse or step over the flimsy wooden barrier and chance the narrow, crumbling concrete walkway, sans safety rail, across the top of the dam. Think, the Bridge at Khazad-dum. Now I really, really do not enjoy heights. I remember crossing this once in February in ice and snow, on my hands and knees and whimpering, but it’s summer now, right, how hard can it be?

I then climb the steep slope of Catstye Cam, which brings me directly onto the summit and to one of the most magnificent views in the Lakes; a panorama sweeping across Glenridding to Ullswater, across Red Tarn to Striding Edge, over the summit of Helvellyn and down the tumbled rockscape of Swirral Edge. But not today. Today I have climbed up into thick, dark, low cloud with visibility down to about 4 metres. Oh, globbetts! I stamp my feet and set off towards Swirral Edge. This steeply rising ridge is not one for the faint hearted and I shove my Leki stick into my belt and start grabbing lumps of rock. It is an entertaining scramble, especially in the half light, but eventually I pull onto the summit and head over to Helvellyn’s shelter cairn for a cuppa and a Mars bar.

Midway through the Mars, the clouds begin to clear and I drop towards Striding Edge in glorious sunlight. The track here is pretty steep and crumbly, followed by a sharp scramble up to the proper start of the ridge. I now stay on the top so that I get views all round and can look down on the infirm and disabled who stick to the tourist path about 5 metres below. The ridge varies from 10 centimetres to two metres wide and provides an exhilarating, high level route. The usual path down is now a tedious, descending walk into Grizedale, but I cut down the side of the valley instead and pick up the path at Red Tarn, returning to Glenridding via a disused wagon track.

If you are a believer in the old maxim that every day you should do two things that frighten you, this route can get you a little ahead of the game, while (weather permitting) providing some of the best views this country has to offer.

 

 

Text and Photos by Dennis Hardingham.