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.