Start Point: Patterdale (NY 394 160) Patterdale – Hole-in-the Wall – Striding Edge – Helvellyn – Swirral Edge – Catstycam – Birkhouse Moor – Patterdale Distance: 14.2 km Total Ascent: 898 metres Time Taken: 5 hours 10 minutes Start Time: 06:40 Weather: Some cloud, clearing. 4°C After seemingly endless days of gloom and overcast skies over the last week or two, […]
Well, here we are again! It took some time from the previous post to get a follow up but at last I have managed it.
The forecast was making it look to good to miss today and fortunately they got it right. Striding Edge was looking good today, very good in fact with views for miles.
It has been sweltering over the weekend so I fancied getting out early today to ‘beat the heat’. I certainly managed that as it was pretty cold crossing Striding Edge this morning when the clouds swirled in. By the time I reached the summit of Helvellyn, the clouds had disappeared and the summer weather returned once more. On the way down to Patterdale I bumped into a gang of Striding Edge fans from Hull – nice to meet you all Martin and friends!
I couldn’t resist a walk over Striding Edge today in winter conditions and at the start of the walk, it looked very promising indeed. I was glad later that I had set off relatively early for this walk as a sheet of cloud caught us and covered the fells whilst I was on the summit of Helvellyn. I cannot complain though as it was a superb walk in brilliant conditions. On the way back down to Grisedale it was nice to bump into a couple of Striding Edge followers and have a chat.
What a glorious morning it was, it made it well worth the effort of getting up early and being out on the fells at the crack of dawn. Perhaps this is the start of summer now but hopefully not the end just yet. A sustained spell until September would do nicely please!
It seems like an age since I have been out but regular viewers will know why; it has been a lot of hard work for us with setting up the shop and the business. It will all be worth it though hopefully, but it was great to get out in the fresh air again this morning even if the weather was not the best after a week of lovely sunshine and where better to go than Striding Edge?
Things didn’t look good first thing this morning, the rain was belting down throughout The Lakes and the wind was rattling the windows at home. Normally this would not be a problem, but today was the day of the inaugural StridingEdge.net walk. Would it be ruined? Should we do a low level walk? No! was the answer from the troops meeting at Patterdale. So, onward and upward…
Wow, what a day today – bright blue skies and crisp white snow made for perfect walking conditions to Helvellyn via Striding Edge and Swirral Edge. Today I was joined by regular contributor to this site, Andy Lang; on the walk we bumped into Graham Thompson and the Trail magazine team doing a feature on Striding Edge and then Andrew Leaney on the summit of Helvellyn. Up on Catstycam we were alone and it didn’t look as though many had trod there today – only a couple of sets of footprints!
There was further excellent weather again today – cold, but with superb visibility. I couldn’t resist another visit to Striding Edge, absolutely the finest ridge in the Lake District. This is one I have been saving for just such a day and have dreamed about through all the bad weather.
Glenridding – Glenridding Dodd (199) – Heron Pike (Glenridding) (200) – Sheffield Pike (201) – Sticks Pass – Raise (202) – White Side (203) – Helvellyn Lower Man (204) – Helvellyn – Swirral Edge – Catstycam – Glenridding
Back up to higher ground today with a walk to Helvellyn from Glenridding, ascending via Birkhouse Moor and Striding Edge and descending via Swirral Edge to Catstycam.
