Height: 925 metres / 3033 feet Grid reference: NY 33744 15545
White Side, Raise and the Dodd’s from Helvellyn Lower Man
Approaching Helvellyn Lower Man
Helvellyn Lower Man
Helvellyn
Start point: Lay by opposite Swirls Car Park (NY 315 170)
Swirls – Browncove Crags – Helvellyn – Helvellyn Lower Man – White Side – Raise – Swirls
Distance: 6.3 miles Total Ascent: 920 metres Time Taken: 4 hours
Weather: Cold and clear with temperature inversion. 5°C
It ended up being a day of two halves with the weather, but I really couldn’t have expected anything better than the cold and clear weather complete with a temperature inversion that covered the whole of the south Lakes that I managed to see from the summit of Helvellyn. Later the inversion lifted and completely enveloped me making it a completely different walk during the latter stages.
Helvellyn route map.
Sunlight on Blencathra along St John's in the Vale.
As soon as the snowline was reached it was time for the crampons as everything was iced over making the going slippery. This is the view from where I put them on and all is clear to the north over Skiddaw and Blencathra.
Looking across Thirlmere to the western fells.
White Side from the climb to Browncove Crags.
Ice axe definitely required for this steep section to Browncove Crags.
Finally up into the sunshine and the first view of a big inversion to the south.
Great Gable is clear towards the left but there is cloud forming now on some of the other fells around it.
Climbing higher - can't wait to get to the top.
Stybarrow Dodd, Raise and White Side. Blencathra in the left distance has a covering of cloud now.
The mist clearing from Helvellyn.
The view to the south west...
...and the contrasting view to the north west.
All clear now on Helvellyn.
It was a fantastic day to be on the fells today.
Casper living on the edge.
Swirral Edge, Catstycam with Ullswater beyond.
The Edges and Red Tarn from the summit of Helvellyn.
Swirral Edge.
The icy trig. column on Helvellyn.
The southern half of the Lake District is completely covered in cloud today.
Not many people around today.
In fact I am on my own now, here looking at the snow corniced edge of Helvellyn.
Looking to Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike.
Swirral Edge and Catstycam with Raise distant left - that's the way I am going today.
Frozen boulders and the cross shelter with Fairfield beyond.
The Master of the Universe.
Not much chance of getting a seat in the cross shelter today, it is 'full'.
The mighty Striding Edge.
The half buried Gough Memorial.
Beautiful sunshine, beautiful inversion, beautiful snow.
Casper in the winter wonderland.
Helvellyn.
A final view to the south as I head across the summit to Helvellyn Lower Man.
A 360 degree panorama from Helvellyn.
White Side and Raise from Helvellyn Lower Man.
The mist was starting to form in the Thirlmere Valley below, in fact it felt as though the inversion was moving towards me from the north and west.
The cloud starts to pour over Browncove Crags.
Still clear over Brown Cove to Sheffield Pike and Ullswater, Catstycam to the right.
White Side and Raise from the descent of Lower Man.
Swirral Edge.
It's all catching me up now.
The cloud is now pouring across Helvellyn and engulfing Swirral Edge.
I've a feeling it is going to get me pretty soon.
It certainly did! A glimmer of winter sun on White Side.
A skier on Raise.
Raise summit.
Descending from Raise the weather had completely changed and it was now a rather dull day.
A brief glimmer of blue sky once ,more on the final descent.
Helvellyn
Start point: Lay-by on the A591 (NY 316 173)
Thirlspot – Swirls – Browncove Crags – Helvellyn – Helvellyn Lower Man – White Side – Brown Crag (540) – Thirlspot
Distance: 5.6 miles Total Ascent: 860 metres Time Taken: 3 hours
Weather: Overcast but clear. 15ºC.
It has been fantastic over the last few weeks to receive so much support from everyone about our new venture in Bowness, both by e-mail and in person at the shop – really lovely to meet everyone who has visited. We all know that fell walking people are warm hearted! Special mention must be made of the Gunter family from Florida in the USA who have followed the site almost since the beginning – I would love to say they flew in specially to see me, but that’s not quite true although the whole family did make a special journey during their holidays to visit the shop – thanks for coming and I’m sorry I missed you that day.
Today’s walk was to Helvellyn for the second time during June; the reason for that was to climb my penultimate Birkett peak, Brown Crag. The clarity today was quite striking even though it was overcast with long clear views for mile after mile.
Browncove Crags on the north-western slopes of Helvellyn from the A591.
Helvellyn Gill.
Early morning sunshine on Skiddaw.
Skiddaw and Blencathra from higher up. That was the last of the sunshine this morning.
I don't know what was going on here but there were thousands of gulls below Browncove Crags - perhaps they were after the caterpillars that are emerging at the moment.
Looking back down the steep climb. It was really clear today, look how far you can see at the top left.
That is Criffel across the Solway Firth, easily discernible today.
The north-western fells across Thirlmere, Bassenthwaite Lake to the right.
Catstycam and Swirral Edge across Brown Cove from the Helvellyn ridge.
Looking down Swirral Edge to Catstycam and Ullswater.
Red Tarn.
Helvellyn is all ours this morning Casper lad, there's not a soul around.
Looking south from the summit cairn across the cross shelter.
Looks like a big party coming across Striding Edge.
The view from Helvellyn.
Looking to Morecambe Bay across Nethermost Pike with Windermere, Esthwaite Water and Coniston Water in view.
He's spotted something down below.
The view from Helvellyn Lower Man to White Side, Raise and the Dodds.
The Scottish hills across the Solway Firth and Bassenthwaite Lake.
Ullswater.
Someone has been busy building this handsome cairn on White Side, here looking back to Helvellyn.
The view from Brown Crag.
The wooded Great How at the head of Thirlmere, one of the quartet I did last week.
High Rigg.
The steep descent to Thirlspot.
Thirlmere aqueduct.
Helvellyn
Start point: Wythburn (NY 324 136)
Wythburn – High Crag – Nethermost Pike – Helvellyn – Helvellyn Lower Man – Swirls – Wythburn
Distance: 8.2 miles Total Ascent: 1233 metres Time Taken: 3 hours 20 minutes
Weather: Misty and murky, valley level. Clear above 700m. 3°C.
The conditions looked right for a temperature inversion today, so I was determined to get high enough to get above the cloud. Thankfully I did and was rewarded with splendid views across the low lying clouds.
The path through the forest from Wythburn.
Icy and misty on the way up - a bit grim.
Suddenly out of the mist into sunshine and blue sky.
Looking south from the path to High Crag.
Bow Fell and the Scafells.
Looking south into the sun from High Crag to Dollywagon Pike with Fairfield behind. Beyond is a sea of cloud.
The Coniston fells and Harrison Stickle with the Crinkle Crags behind.
The view from High Crag.
Nethermost Pike and Helvellyn.
Saint Sunday Crag across Grisedale, Hard Tarn below.
On the path to Helvellyn.
Striding Edge.
Catstycam.
The cirque of Helvellyn summit with Skiddaw beyond.
A panoramic view from Helvellyn - select on the image for a larger version.
Select on the image above to see a larger, annotated version.
Swiiral Edge, Catstycam, a frozen Red Tarn and Striding Edge.
Bow Fell.
Great Gable.
Not bothered about the view?
Approaching Helvellyn Lower Man.
White Side, Raise and the Dodd's.
Skiddaw.
Great Gable and Pillar.
Bow Fell, Esk Pike and the Scafells.
Descending from Helvellyn Lower Man.
Angus.
A fleeting Brocken Spectre in the centre distance (couldn't get a decent shot of it!).
Helvellyn Gill.
The cloud clears in the forest above Thirlmere.
Wythburn Church.
Raise
Start point: Glenridding car park (NY 385 169)
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
Weather: Cloudy.
Today’s walk takes in a circuit of the Eastern Fells with a high point of Helvellyn. The weather wasn’t the best but a temperature inversion was always threatened but didn’t quite materialise, although there were some interesting views from Helvellyn.
Looking along Glenridding Screes to Raise from the steep climb up to Glenridding Dodd.
Ullswater and Gowbarrow Park from the summit of Glenridding Dodd.
View from the climb to Heron Pike; Ullswater and Glenridding Dodd with Place Fell behind on the right.
The iron marker post that marks the summit of Heron Pike. The 'M' marks the boundary of the Marshall estate of Patterdale, the reverse is marked 'H 1912' and marks the boundary of the Howard estate of Greystoke.
Waterfall on Sticks Gill.
Catstycam through the mist from White Side.
Looking along Glenridding Common to Ullswater from Whiteside Bank.
The Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell from Helvellyn.
The westerly view from Helvellyn.
The fearsome fangs of Swirral Edge.
Catstycam - no view!
Old mine workings at Swart Beck.
