Helvellyn & Striding Edge……..

There are some routes in the mountains whose reputation lend them an almost mythical quality, they are the rockstars of hillwalking and they have the ability to attract and repel walkers in almost equal measure.

The legend grows as their names are casually dropped into conversation with other walkers you meet who are more than happy to share their tales of how they witnessed someone (but never themselves) stuck “Crag Fast” halfway down the route, unable to continue and unable to retreat.

In your own mind you like to visualise your own attempt like a movie, complete with perfect weather and glorious views,  almost skipping  along, picking out the tiniest of footholds with confidence and ease.

  

The view from Catstye Cam:  Red Tarn with Striding Edge behind, Helvellyn rising up into the cloud on the left.

 OK, so that may all sound like a load of grandiose twaddle but for me Helvellyn and StridingEdge was something more than a “normal” day out. 

Starting with a long steady climb across  Patterdale Common until you reach Grisedale Brow.  By this point most of the days climbing is behind you but there is still a sense of nervous anticipation as you follow the drystone wall waiting for your first glimpse of Striding Edge.

The view from Patterdale Common.

You take a few minutes upon arrival, watching those beginning their attempts, tentatively picking out their route across the very highest points of the ridge.  Others make a tactical withdrawal, the wind and the fog making the option to follow the track 20 yards beneath their colleagues too hard to resist.

The conditions demand respect as you take your time, choosing each step with care, often pausing to allow the gusting wind to drop before making your next. 

Every now and again the “low” path crosses your route and you grab a minutes respite before scrambling back up to the ridge.  Then just as you where starting to enjoy yourself you find yourself at the end, faced with the final steep climb to the summit.  

There will be no views from the top today but that doesn’t matter you can wander about with a smile on your face, relieving the experience and happy in the knowledge that there is a well earned beer waiting for you when you get down.