UK Mountains Expedition Report

Peaks climbed : Nethermost Pike (891m), Dollywagon Pike (858m)

Total Distance : 16km, Total Ascent : 810m

I had decided to climb Helvellyn from Glenridding via Striding Edge so drove into Glenridding and looked for somewhere to park. Problem number one - apart from the official car park it is double yellow lines everywhere. On principle I objected to the outrageous £8 to park so drove out of the village a short way and parked at the end of the yellow zone - about 5 minutes walk away.

The route up goes past the shops - coincidence? At the split I turned right to follow the stream for about 20 minutes until the path split again, this time it was left and upwards. Another 15 minutes or so and a sharp left up a non existent line bought me breathless to the ridge. It was so steep on places that I could touch the ground without leaning forwards but the ever expanding view was worth it. Sadly on the ridge it became very windy, misty and cold so even though I was panting from the exertion I added my wind-proof layer. More uphill but not as steep bought me to the "hole in the wall". To ascend via Striding Edge, keep the wall on your left and ascend the Rocky section. The path to the right goes up but via Red Tarn. Still cold I added my Rab wind-proof plus beanie hat and gloves.

Soon enough I was scrambling on the ridge proper which was exciting, especially arriving at the plaque that describes the death of a farmer from a fall, although the plaque is so worn it can't be read - but I first saw it many many years ago when it was quite readable so knew the story.

More scrambling up and, at times, down eventually I arrived on the summit ridge. The actual summit cairn is still some distance away past the shelter. I decided to visit the summit first then return for a break. Mist prevented any views sadly but the mountain was conquered.

Returning to the shelter I joined several others taking their well earned breaks.

After a quick drink of hot blackcurrant I set off for Nethermost Pike and Dollywagon Pike, both new peaks for me. Again the mist prevented a view and both were unexciting being marked by nothing more than a pile of rocks. If anything it was now even colder so out came the waterproof - four layers! I still had my Down jacket in my sac but hoped I wouldn't need it. It just proved how very different it could be on the top of a mountain compared to the Valley and why it is sensible to be prepared. I'd recently purchased a new pair of Stellar Equipment trousers and couldn't help thinking that my legs were plenty warm enough. A review of them is on the Equipment Review page.

Navigation here is mostly straightforward - just keep the steep drop on your left! At Dollywagon there is a right turn - care is needed here as it is very easy to go out on a ridge which drops steeply down on both sides. The true path is a more gentle incline with a very easy slope to the right.

Dropping down, eventually Grisedale tarn came into view which, for me, meant lunch. I found a sheltered spot with a fantastic view down the valley and settled down to eat.

I got cold quite quickly so soon left and headed down. Out of the wind it warmed rapidly and I soon stripped off my layers down to just my thermal top (and trousers obviously!)

The walk back to Glenridding was very pleasant on an easy path, culminating in Lantys Tarn which is just beautiful. A short climb brings another spectacular view over Glenridding and Ullswater lake to the right and back up to Helvellyn on the left.

Twenty minutes later I was at the car, tired but happy with the day.

Peaks climbed : Birks(622m), St Sundays Crag (841m), Fairfield (873m), Hart Crag (822m)

Total Distance : 20km, Total Ascent : 1,079m

The weekend was about discovering some new routes, new peaks and enjoying the Lake District which I don't visit anywhere near often enough. This walk started in Glenridding, although I parked a little way out of the village, declining to pay the eight pound parking fee. Actually, I discovered that it is possible to park near to the Pay and Display car park for free between the beginning of October and Good Friday - a useful piece of information and one I took full advantage of tomorrow! Glenridding is a favourite starting point for me, having many excellent routes available. I headed up to the beautiful Landy's Tarn which is not only a nice destination in its own right, but commands excellent views over to St Sundays Crag and back towards Ullswater. Looking back over Ullswater is possible one of the nicest views. There is a descent to the base of St Sundays Crag followed by a steep climb via Birks(622m). The path heads off left towards Patterdale but I chose a direct route upwards, rather than contouring round to the path - as is my usual way. The day was clear and bright so navigation was easy - just look upwards and right to see the summit. It is a very nice ascent, steep in places, easy underfoot and always yielding ever improving views. On the tops it was very cold, especially when the sun disappeared behind clouds.

From the summit of St Sundays, I headed onwards to Fairfield which required a descent to Hause then a steep climb directly up rocks which was easier than it looked initially. From there, a slight downhill again before the main pull onto the summit. Fairfield is a little higher than St Sundays Crag but not much so a reasonably easy second bag. There are lots of routes from the summit and I needed to check my map a couple of times to ensure I was leaving in the right direction for Hart Crag not too far distant. I was pretty sure I could see it, but as it was another new 'bag' I wanted to be certain. Hart is soon reached with no difficulties, but from there, it is a tough initial descent over rocks which eases lower down the ridge. Finally after what seemed like forever, I arrived at the main road. Turning left, then crossing the road, there is a bridleway that heads away from the road then runs parallel to it, rejoining at Patterdale. It is a much nicer way than following the road back. Unfortunately, from Patterdale to Glenridding is all road, but only a mile so soon completed.

Peaks climbed : Catstycam (890m), Helvellyn (950m), Lower Man (925m), Whiteside (863m), Raise (883m), Stybarrow Dodd (843m), Watson's Dodd (789m), Great Dodd (857m)

Total Distance : 22km, Total Ascent : 1,161m

Today I was back at Glenridding for another big day out, this time parking in the village at the free parking. By 7am I was away upwards towards Helvellyn Youth Hostel and beyond to my first peak of the day; Catstycam (890m). Amazingly I've never climbed it, although given its proximity to Striding Edge and Helvellyn it is understandable, but today would be the day!

I'd read Wainwrights' description of it (Book One; Eastern Fells) and concluded that the North West Ridge would be the best ascent (the right hand ridge as viewed on the approach). I have to confess to some trepidation as I neared the old Dam, searching for a route up amongst the crags of the mountain. Nothing seemed possible, routes looked okay but would end at steep rocky ground. I continued, recalling the words from the book about taking the ridge line route. From the Dam I gained some height on easy ground, then began to work my way up. There were some rocky sections involving a little climbing and some grassy sections intermingled. On the whole it is straightforward, very steep and a real fun climb. Helvellyn to my right made an imposing backdrop and looking down, the Dam looked very small. The summit is visible on the skyline and, without spoiling anything, is the actual summit - no false summit here. A final rocky section and I pulled onto the top to be met by a howling gale. Pausing long enough to take a few photos, I decided to head down towards Swirral Edge to find shelter before stopping. This proved more difficult than expected as the wind was whipping up from the Tarn below but eventually I found some rocks on the Lee side of the ridge.

Looking up, Swirral Edge reaches the summit of Helvellyn but I'd noticed some snow near the top which was slightly worrying but there was a gap which could be used to avoid it. I decided to continue - the alternative would be to abandon and go around to Striding Edge which might be the same. Swirral is similar to Striding Edge, providing an interesting ascent with only a small level of objective danger. Anyone with a head for heights would have no problems. As it turned out, the snow was a short-lived affair, being around 10 feet in length, well trodden down and at a shallow enough angle not to worry. As I reached the ridge line, I was disappointed that the ascent was over, I'd enjoyed it so much I wanted to do it again, and I'm sure I will. I think it might be my new favourite mountain route.

Although I'd not planned to summit Helvellyn today, the summit cairn just a few metres away proved irresitable so I walked over to it. I have no idea how many times I have summited this mountain, but it always fills me with a sense of achievement and pleasure. Like yesterday though, the wind was blowing hard dropping the temperature many degrees. I added my Down jacket to my layering system which comprised a T-shirt base layer, Stellar mid-layer and Rab Kinetic Jacket. I also donned my Fjallraven hat as the Rab Beanie was beginning to struggle. The Rab Powerstretch gloves were holding up, but only just!

From here it is a straightforward walk, taking in Lower Man, Whiteside, Raise, Stybarrow Dodd, then a slight detour to pick off Watson's Dodd before the final outbound Peak of Great Dodd. It was incredibly windy walking across, at times, almost knocking me off my feet and far too cold to stop. A convenient shelter at Great Dodd allowed me to pause for a well earned lunch, although I didn't stop long before retracing my steps more or less, back to Stybarrow Dodd - Watson's Dodd can be avoided. On the far side of Stybarrow, there is a left turn onto Sticks Pass which makes its way back down on an initially steep, but yielding path down to Helvellyn Youth Hostel where I decided to stop for coffee and cake which proved to be an inspired decision - it was excellent! The final mile or so was down an easy track and into Glenridding again to finish.

Lake to Lake: Ullswater to Thirlmere via Catstycam, Helvellyn and the Dodds

Peaks climbed : Greenside (795m), Hart Side (756m)

Total Distance : 22km, Total Ascent : 1,220m

Having the benefit of a willing driver, I planned a route from Ullswater to Thirlmere which would take in some fantastic mountains and provide a great days walking

I've climbed Helvellyn (950m) many times, mostly via Striding Edge which is a great outing. On a previous visit I decided to try the ascent via Catstycam and Swirral Edge, and enjoyed it so much, that is my new preferred route for many reasons; it is much quieter than Striding Edge, it is more of an adventure as there is no path to the summit from this side until very near the top and it has a great view of Striding Edge and Helvellyn from the summit of Catstycam.

Getting there is straightforward, out of Glenridding towards the Youth Hostel and keep going up through the old mine workings, ignoring the sign for Helvellyn, but taking the upper path and continuing along, ignoring the next sign to Sticks Path (which leads to the Dodds and makes a fine descent). Along a gently inclining path, eventually the old dam is reached. Sensible signs warn against using it to cross the stream - it has been there and looking like it will collapse for some years, sooner or later it will! Shortly past there I descended to the stream and soon found an easy crossing point.

Ascending Catstycam is best done to the right, avoiding the worst of the rocks and goes up steeply but always on solid grassy ground with the odd outcrop of boulders to either climb over or around. The summit is always there, but seems to never arrive. For the last hundred metres or so I moved onto the path and was soon standing, breathless on the summit. There are great views all around but especially to Swirral Edge, Helvellyn itself and straight ahead past Red Tarn is Striding Edge with its throngs of people negotiating its sharpest edge.

After a quick rest, I moved on, there was a fierce wind blowing and I didn't want to cool off. Approaching the Edge, I noticed a brightly coloured top of someone on the route. Scrambling proper doesn't start immediately so there is a nice walk in to mentally prepare for the climb to come. As I moved up, I noticed that the person on the route had not moved at all - must be taking a rest to admire the views. Scrambling is easy and there is no real sense of exposure, although there are steep drops both sides.

Arriving at the resting climber, I was asked whether I had done this route before. Replying in the affirmative, was then asked whether I could assist as she had not done this route before and was concerned about getting into trouble. Of course I was happy to help, but did wonder whether it was sensible to be at this point alone and without any experience of this type of ascent. We made our way to the top without incident and soon reached the trig point.

She thanked me for my help and I enquired as to her intended descent route. Striding Edge I was told! I mentioned that it was a harder proposition than Swirral, especially the first part of the descent, but she didn't seem deterred.

Saying our farewells, I headed off in the opposite direction towards Lower Man (925m) and Raise (863m), both of which were dispatched with ease as there are no great height changes between them. The wind was making its presence known and I added my windproof top, gloves and beanie. After Raise, I followed a much thinner track to the right, leading to a new peak for me; Greenside (795m) and was about to turn back when I spotted Hart Side (756m). Unable to recall whether I had climbed it or not (I hadn't), and being quite close, I set off for it. It is not much of a peak, more a broad summit with almost no shelter from the wind. By now it was about lunchtime, so I looked around and spotted a small wall of stones which would give me sufficient shelter to stop for lunch.

One of the classic schoolboy errors is to stop and get cold, which affects the body, especially the muscles and brings on fatigue much more quickly. Obviously extreme cooling leads to hypothermia and beyond, so it is important to shelter from a chill wind and if necessary, don extra clothes whilst stationary. The shelter was sufficient but even so, twenty minutes later I was ready to leave, so packed away and set off back up the very impressive Dodd range of Stybarrow, Watsons and finally Great Dodd, the latter of which was a good pull up onto the summit where the wind was quite ferocious. There is a shelter, but on arrival was full of people, none of whom looked like they had any intentions of making space for a lone walker so I continued on and down via Little Dodd to Calfhow Pike, at which point, the wind had dropped quite significantly.

According to View Ranger, there is a path leading directly down from the Pike, but I could not spot it, so headed down slightly South of a big ravine, expecting to come onto the path which indeed I did. At this point it gets quite steep and I found myself easing my way down, knees complaining at the steepness which was made considerably worse by loose stones and rocks on the path and I was very grateful to get to the bottom of it. The descent was not over though and the path drops down through a farm, finally flattening on the track out to the road. My knees were in proper rag order.

My pick up point was about a mile down the road so set off and looking back I realised just how steep the descent was. An ascent of Great Dodd from this side would be a real challenge. Soon enough I got to the meeting point and finished the day.

Helvellyn South Area: Rydal to Kirkstone

Peaks climbed : Heron Pike (612m), Erne Crag (621m), Great Rigg (766m), Seat Sandal(736m), Fairfield(873m), Hart Crag(822m), Dove Crag(792m), Little Hart Crag(637m), Red Screes(776m)

Total Distance : 18km, Total Ascent : 1,587m

A really neat way of picking off the Southern end of the Helvellyn area is to walk from Ambleside to the Kirkstone Pass. Of course this requires some assistance with transport and I was lucky enough to have a willing volunteer who was overjoyed to be rid of both me and the dog for the day and could merrily lunch and shop in nearby Ambleside whilst I did all the hard work. Leaving the car at Rydal Hall, my parting words were advice about not driving up 'The Struggle' to the top of the pass as it would not be enjoyable.

Setting off up the obvious path I was soon on the long ridge climb which led eventually to Fairfield, a peak I had done before but had to do again as it was on the route to Seat Sandal and also around the horseshoe that either returned to Ambleside or, in my case led out to Red Screes and the Kirkstone. The rain was pretty heavy right from the start and didn't ease up until the afternoon, with poor visibility, the miles seemed to go on forever but of course, once on the ridge, Heron Pike(612m) and Erne Crag(621m) were dispatched with relative ease, which then left Great Rigg(766m) which had some serious ascent and finally the log slog up to Fairfield, which at 873m would be the high point of the day, well, actually twice the high point as I needed to go via the summit to walk out to Seat Sandal(736m), then retrace my steps back to Fairfield again. I did look for a short cut, but there is nothing sensible, in fact Fairfield is pretty steep on that side and with poor visibily was not an option. My arrival at Seat Sandal signalled a short lived break in the clouds and I was able to see much of the way back and also down to Grisedale Tarn which had so far remained out of sight in the mist. The climb onto Fairfield for the second time seemed doubly hard and I was grateful to reach the top and head down the Eastern side to Hart Crag(822m), another previous conquest. The trouble with this area is that there are so many peaks that it is almost impossible to devise a route to take them all in so some repetition is inevitable.

Dove Crag(792m) followed quickly and around this time, the clouds cleared and the views opened out. It was mid-afternoon which made the sun quite low in the sky, forming impressive shadows on the hillside. From Dove Crag, both Little Hart Crag(637m) and Red Screes(776m) were visible ahead. Little Hart is dispatched quickly which then left the mighty Red Screes. There is no really obvious path, despite what is shown on the map, or maybe I just lost it as the daylight was beginning to fade. I realised that I would not finish before dark but wanted to get to the summit so that I could get safely onto the descent path as there is only really one sensible path down and I didn't want to miss it. Unfortunately, my legs had other ideas and due to being cold and wet for most of the day, my legs were suffering. Finally I got to the summit and reached for my headtorch. Luckily there was another walker on the top who knew the area well and was able to point me in the right direction for the path.

Heading down I took it steady as it was dark and much of the path had become a waterfall and very wet. I could see the lights of the Kirkstone Inn, which I later discovered is closed, but it helped me to get a sense of height as I made my way down. It is a very steep descent and I was pleased to finally reach level ground and the short distance to the car park and my ride out.

Peaks climbed : Clough Head (726m)

Total Distance : 8.5km, Total Ascent : 566m

Clough Head is an isolated peak not far from Keswick. At 726m it is no slouch and towers above the A66.

Parking in a small Hamlet just South of Threlkeld I set off through the Business Park, which was actually a mistake. Just by the houses, there is a track leading down to what looks like a disused railway line. This is followed to a bridge, then over that and upwards, picking up the Old Coach Road which can be followed until an obvious path off to the right which gains altitude quickly. As I ascended, the weather got steadily worse changing from rain to driving rain and strong wind. I decided the best course of action would be to contour around to the left and out of the wind, then continue upwards. This proved successful for a while but eventually the wind caught me and it was tough going.

Eventually I crested onto White Pike, which at 627m is a good mountain in its own right, but doesn't count so onwards for the prize. By now, the world was lost in the mist so all I could do was to continue walking up until I eventually came to the Trig Point and claimed the summit. The return was a reverse more or less but I lost height quicker than I gained it so had a little bit of a walk along the fence before I could get back onto the Coach Road and retrace my route back to the car.

Peaks climbed : Birkhouse Moor(718m), Sheffield Pike(675m)

Total Distance : 15.5km, Total Ascent : 1,149m

Parking in Glenridding is expensive for a days walking, but there are a few handy small car parks on the Penrith Road. My route for the day suited one such car park and luckily I managed to get one of the last spaces. I was in no hurry to leave as the rain was heavy, so heavy in fact that I could barely see the other side of Ullswater.

Finally of course I had to leave, suitably attired in full waterproofs I headed towards Glenridding, quickly leaving the road and onto a nice track that runs parallel. Where this rejoins the road there is another path on the opposite side of the road which cuts across the top of Glenridding and meets up with the Mires Beck ascent of Helvellyn which was perfect for me as I would follow that pretty much to the summit of Birkhouse Moor.

It is a good climb and gains height quickly, therefore, as any Cub Scout will tell you, means it is steep! In fact, it is relentlessly steep and I soon reached the slight detour track which took me to the Birkhouse Moor summit. It's not much of a summit but it commands excellent views, certainly better than Helvellyn today as that peak was completely lost in cloud.

The weather was not kind, it was raining hard, so after a couple of photos, I headed off, this time in the direction of Red Tarn. Whilst planning this route, it had occurred to me that I had never actually been to the Tarn so that was an extra bonus, and well worth it, the view around the amphitheatre was amazing, with Striding Edge on the left, Helvellyn straight ahead, Swirral Edge to the right and further right, Catstycam. I paused a while to take it in before heading off on the downward path that eventually led back to Glenridding, but for me I would cross the bridge and head back up to claim Sheffield Pike.

The weather was now playing games, one minute heavy rain, the next bright sunshine, the sunshine lasting longer each time, tempting me to remove my waterproofs. At the bridge, I stopped for a drink and decided I would remove the waterproofs. Within a couple of minutes, it rained again, so on they went, but no sooner had I put them on than it stopped! As I was now on the final big climb I elected to leave them off until that is, I got onto the final slopes of Sheffield Pike when a glance at the sky confirmed to me that I was in for another serious soaking. Quickly pulling on full covering, I just about pulled the final zip when the heavens opened and combined with strong winds, felt like I was being pebble dashed. The last few metres of the climb was hard, being blown around and the rock becoming increasingly slippery. I touched the summit stones, then turned and headed down, hoping to gain some shelter on the leeward side of the mountain.

Unfortunately, the rain had other ideas and was now coming down vertically so I had no choice but to continue in the rain, thankful to be heading off. My route descended quite quickly and the rain did ease off, enough for me to find a wall to shelter behind for lunch, but it was a very quick lunch as the rain picked up again. The path leads through a forest which itself provided some shelter and it was not long before I came to a tarmac drive which I followed almost to the bottom. The path to the car park went right and added a final sting in the tail with a short sharp ascent over a rise before dropping down to the main road less than 50 metres from the car park. The day was done, the mountains bagged and the whole of the Helvellyn area completed.