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Walk and Travel in Cumbria and Beyond

Striding Edge, Eventually

Striding Edge, Eventually

 

I have lost count of the times I have been up Helvellyn.  My parents took myself and 4 other ‘kids’ up when I, the eldest, was only ten.

But we didn’t go over the Edge, nor did I any of the subsequent hikes, one being when took my own eleven year old up for the first time in 2001.  Still searching for photos of the earlier walks.

Helvellyn

back in 2001

 

As the most infamous ridge in the Lake District I am not sure there is a lot more that can be said about Striding Edge.  A quick internet search will reveal that it has even appeared in the Daily Mail!  Most of the search results focus on the tragic deaths of those that have fallen off.  It is narrow and it is steep, and may be that is why I have never been on the ridge until this weekend.

Or may be I was just waiting for perfect conditions.  Conditions where I would not be adding to the thousands of climbers crampon hieroglyphics.

hieroglyphics

crampon scratches

A soft summers day when a grey mist hung over the hills

mist

When the lightest breeze floated up the valley, shifting clouds to make way for the brightest blue

holeinWall

Hole in the Wall

With visibility so good the whole ridge route was spread out ahead

Route

Helvellyn and the edges

and looking back, the colour washed green into grey over lakes to the Irish sea.

lakes

Beck to Hole in The Wall

An early start where the morning quiet reflected still in Red Tarn and the bumpy spine defied its notoriety as a  highway,

tarn

Red Tarn

with each surrounding corrie and ridge clearly defined.

nethermost

Nethermost Pike

Lack of traffic gave time to enjoy panoramas

Emptyridge

Striding Edge to Helvellyn

and detail

macro

before the serious bit across the undulating spine

goingup

Heading over the ridge

and the satisfaction of looking back to where we had been.

edgegreen

Striding Edge from Helvellyn

What climbs up, must climb down, so after the inevitable summit pic

sumitpic

the Swirral scramble to Catstye Cam

swirral

Swirral to Catstye Cam

was completed before the vagaries of an English June dropped the cloud back on the tops just as we headed down the valley.

catstye

Helvellyn from Catstye Cam

But it hardly mattered,

catstyecam

Red Tarn and Catstye Cam

I had walked on the edges

alvina

On Swirral Edge

Our route

SedgeMap

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3 Comments

  1. This is a part of the UK I have never really explored, I must change that at some point

    Mollyxxx

  2. Wow! Just wow! This place is .. MAGNIFICENT! I wish I can visit this in the future. I need to be good in climbing tho. Looks really steep! #TheGallery

  3. Loved this post – took me back to our adventures on Helvellyn! Must do it again soon…

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  1. London Sights - […] week Striding Edge was a big picture mountain adventure.  This week, no vast vistas or rolling hills, just trains, […]

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