The best walks on and around Helvellyn – by Tina Codling

Helvellyn is one of the most well-known fells in the Lake District National Park. At 950m it is the third highest mountain in England, after Scafell Pike and Scafell, and is climbed by an estimated 250,000-300,000 people every year. Formed by volcanic activity and glaciation, Helvellyn features the magnificent, spiky ridges of Striding Edge and Swirral Edge, reaching down towards Glenridding like long, bony arms and cradling Red Tarn, which is one of the highest tarns in the Lake District. In contrast, the summit is broad and flat. In 1926, in the early years of aviation, an aeroplane successfully landed there, a feat which is celebrated on a small plaque. In 2024, walkers strolling across the broad summit may have encountered a charity cricket match in progress, with one of the teams named the ‘Helvellyn Eleven’.

Walks on and around Helvellyn offer something for everyone, from the thrill of an exposed ridge walk, a popular trig point, memorials to people who have lost their lives on this iconic mountain, a ‘Brothers Parting Stone’, mine remains in Glenridding and tales of a crown in Grisedale Tarn. Walking here means you are following in the footsteps of artists and poets, some of the earliest visitors to the Lake District, the first tourists even, who helped popularise walking in the mountains.

You will also find geological features (glaciation), wildflowers and lichens, montane woodland, juniper forests, birds, mammals (deer, squirrels, Herdwick sheep) and rare fish. There are tarns, becks and waterfalls and two big lakes: Ullswater (a ribbon lake) and Thirlmere (a man-made reservoir).

Helvellyn via ‘The Edges’ offers a high-level scrambling route that inspires excitement and anticipation for some but fear or trepidation in others. Fortunately, the fell has two personalities. Anyone intimidated by the glacial coves and ridges to the east can approach from the west. The shortest walk to the summit starts on this side, from near Thirlmere Reservoir.

From the summit of Helvellyn you can see the tops of more than 100 mountains. Most of the nearest ones feature in my book, Mountain Walks Helvellyn, including Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike to the south along the ridge, White Side and Raise to the north and St Sunday Pike on the other side of Grisedale, or the ‘valley of the pigs or wild boar’ in Old Norse. There are also a selection of lower level walks, including along the edge of nearby Ullswater, which appears in views from Helvellyn and many of the other walks in the book.

Ullswater in summer.

Best lakeside walk – Ullswater Way to Aira Force 

The Ullswater Way is a 20 mile/32km waymarked trail around the second largest body of water in the Lake District. This walk takes in a 4km section between Glenridding and Aira Force and is a great low-level introductory route, passing two of the 12 art installations on the Ullswater Way Heritage Trail (tree: fold north and the Dorothy Gate) as well as Wordsworth Point, where the poet was inspired to write his famous poem about daffodils, ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’.

The path rises and falls by the side of the lake, with views across to Place Fell, back to Glenridding and along to the north. The terrain is rocky in places and this serves as a gentle introduction to the type of walking surfaces that will be encountered on higher fells in this area. There is a virtual gallery of some of the works of art inspired by the views on this walk on the Friends of the Ullswater Way website, including one by JMW Turner and another by Alfred Heaton Cooper, the famous local landscape artist.

The walk ends at the Aira Force car park, from where you can visit the tea room before walking down to the nearby jetty to take an Ullswater Steamer cruise back to Glenridding.

If you want to make this a bigger day out you can explore the Aira Force waterfalls before returning to Glenridding. These cascade through a landscaped Victorian pleasure garden and arboretum created by the Howards of Greystoke. The main waterfall tumbles 65 feet from underneath a stone footbridge, with the water then making its way into Ullswater. Those looking for more of a challenge can climb out of the woodland onto Gowbarrow Fell.

Cairn on Round How, Place Fell summit in background.

Best views – Place Fell 

The summit of Place Fell is roughly 7km away from Helvellyn but has been included here because it has great views across to the Helvellyn range, giving a good perspective on the area. The return route between the base of the fell and the shore of Ullswater is a fabulous, undulating, lakeside walk endorsed by Alfred Wainwright, the well-known guidebook author, who called it ‘the most beautiful and rewarding walk in Lakeland’.

Starting in Patterdale, the route ascends on a good path to Boredale Hause then turns north, passing the ‘Chapel in the Hause’ on the way to Round How. From there you can see the trig point marking the top of Place Fell, sitting on a rocky platform at 657m. As well as Helvellyn, the 360 degree views include Skiddaw and Blencathra and the High Street range.

Descending to the Ullswater Way near Scalehow Wood there is a well-preserved sheepfold at Low Moss, quarry remains and a soundtrack of water flowing down Scalehow Force. Recently, I was delighted to spot some Grass of Parnassus in flower in the slightly boggy ground towards the bottom of this path. It was my first sighting of the Cumbria county flower since I moved to the Lake District five years earlier.

If you need to cut the walk short, take the steeper path from the summit leading towards ‘The Knight’, which joins the Ullswater Way at the ‘Artists Seat’, one of 12 heritage-themed installations around the 20-mile circuit of the lake.

Heron Pike and Sheffield Pike from Glenridding Dodd.

Best for historical points of interest – Sheffield Pike

Sheffield Pike sits to the north-east of Helvellyn, and north-west of Glenridding. This popular village grew as a result of the mining operations at Greenside Mine, which started in the 1800s. The population of this settlement in the ‘valley overgrown with bracken’, which is also known as Glenridding, was further augmented by tourism. This walk crosses the summit of Sheffield Pike before descending through the remains of some of the mining activities on the descent.

The Greenside Lead Mine closed in the early 1960s but was briefly the site of experiments to establish whether large underground explosions could be detected, following a Soviet Union proposal for a ban on nuclear tests. There were concerns that surreptitious testing might be possible.

The path up to the summit of Sheffield Pike starts near a cattle grid on the Greenside Road and ascends through a series of heathery, rocky steps. When the ground starts to flatten, turn right to look at the views over Ullswater from Heron Pike. You should also see an old metal post with an M on one side and H on the other here. This marks the boundary between the Marshall and Howard estates, and you may spot another of these posts on the descent. The summit of Sheffield Pike (at 675m) lies to the north-west of this viewpoint. Be warned, this section of the walk can be quite boggy. On a clear day you should be able to pick out Striding Edge and the summit of Helvellyn when you pause at the summit cairn.

As you descend west towards Nick Head, you will start to see remains of the mining activity, including spoil heaps. Lower down you will cross leats, which channelled water to where it was needed for mining and processing the lead ore. You will also pass former mine buildings, which are now used as bunkhouses and a youth hostel.

As an alternative to crossing Sheffield Pike, you could walk up through the mine area and return to Glenridding via Nick Head to Glencoyne and the houses built for mineworkers and their families, called ‘Seldom Seen’ on the OS map, returning to the village on the path beside Ullswater.

Commemorative plaque on Thirlmere Dam.

Easiest route to the summit – From Swirls car park above Thirlmere Reservoir

Everyone who loves getting out on fells of the Lake District wants to climb Helvellyn but not everyone wants to do it the ‘hard’ way. The best introductory walk to the summit starts at Swirls car park, which can be found on the A591 between Grasmere and Keswick. While there is still a lot of ascent and descent involved it’s a fair bit shorter than any of the routes from Glenridding and there is no scrambling involved. The path is signposted initially and, as long as you pick a good, clear day, the rest of it is relatively easy to follow. As you rise, pause to look at the unfolding views along Thirlmere, a reservoir built in the late 1800s to supply water to Manchester, for both industry and the city’s growing population.

The path is rocky and sometimes steep, but steps have been created for some sections to make the going a bit easier. When you reach the top the ground starts to flatten out and you have a choice of two paths to the summit. Looking straight ahead, the path on the left passes the start of Swirral Edge and stays close to the precipitous drop down to Red Tarn, so take the one on the right if you are unsure about the exposure. Both lead to the trig point, which is a focal point for photos with grand views in all directions on a clear day. The cairn a little further on marks the highest point of 950m. Both the trig point and the cairn are close to the edge of the summit plateau so do take care. There is a shelter a few steps down from the rocky platform on which the cairn sits. This is a handy spot to eat lunch. There is a small memorial stone marking the 1926 aircraft landing a little way south of the shelter.

To return to the car park simply reverse the route. If you prefer a circular – but longer – walk, head south towards Nethermost Pike, taking the rightmost fork at an obvious three-way junction and follow this bridleway downhill, turning right when you reach the track through the woodland to walk the 3.5km back to the car park.

View over Patterdale on the ascent to Boredale Hause. 

Most challenging walk – ‘The Edges’

This not the longest walk in the book, but it is challenging because of the exposure on the narrow ridges of Striding Edge and Swirral Edge. Not everyone has a head for heights and you may not know until you try how you are going to react. But I recommend getting some experience in the mountains before attempting this walk. You will then get a feel for what the word ‘exposure’ means. It is also useful to have some ‘mountain fitness’, as it is quite a long uphill trek to the start of Striding Edge.

Do check the forecast before attempting the edges.  This is definitely not a route to do in windy weather and is best left alone if the cloud is down, as it won’t be much fun with no views and potentially slippy sections on wet rock or vegetation. If there is snow on the ridge, by all means go ahead if you have an ice axe and crampons and know how to use them but do not attempt a crossing of Striding Edge if you have no experience of winter walking. The Felltop Assessors employed by the Lake District National Park to walk up Helvellyn every day over the winter season to report on conditions for the Weatherline service offer Winter Skills training. Go and have a day with them instead. Its strenuous but fun and reinforces why we should treat the mountains with respect in winter.

The walk can start from either Patterdale or Glenridding. The two paths meet at a point known as ‘The Hole in the Wall’. Striding Edge itself is a little further on but as you climb, following a series of cairns, you will notice the ground starting to fall away, initially on your right, above Red Tarn, and then on your left, dropping into Nethermost Cove.
The ridge starts to narrow after the dome called High Spying How on the map. Some people will stay upright and stroll over the series of well-worn little pinnacles without batting an eyelid. Most will want to use their hands at some point. There is a less challenging path on the right of the ridge but it is best to stay on the crest if you can, to help prevent erosion. Less challenging does not mean easy though – there is still a steep drop down to Red Tarn to be aware of. The ridge ends with a short down climb, best done facing in to the rock, but there is still a bit more uphill clambering to do before you reach the summit.

Hopefully, you will feel a real sense of achievement as you reach the broad summit plateau and turn to look down the ridge, although you may be one of those who just feels relieved and blurts out ‘never again’. But it is not over yet. After time at the shelter to eat lunch or a snack and photos at the summit cairn or trig point, walk north along the plateau to a large cairn indicating the start of Swirral Edge. While you have become accustomed to exposure on the ascent, it feels a bit different going down. The first few steep steps onto Swirral Edge can feel a bit disconcerting but you will soon find yourself enjoying the route finding and all too soon you will be standing on flatter ground where the path starts to climb onto Catstye Cam, probably wanting to do it all again. To descend to Glenridding, take the path following the course of Red Tarn Beck. For Patterdale, walk down to Red Tarn then follow the path up to The Hole in the Wall and descend to the village from there.

The main thing to remember when doing a round of ‘The Edges’ is to assess the mood of yourself and your companions and the conditions before going beyond High Spying How. If you or one of your party is struggling, or the weather up there is worse than expected, do not hesitate to turn around. It will be harder to retreat once you are on the narrower sections and the mountain will wait. While on the ridges, stay on dry, well-worn rock, avoiding loose stuff as much as possible. Remember to use ‘three points of contact’ when scrambling and test anything you are putting your hands and feet on before committing your full bodyweight. Stay focused – and enjoy!

If you are not sure how you will cope with using your hands for balance and seeing big drops to the left and right, test your mettle by ascending Swirral Edge and descending via White Side and save Striding Edge for another day.

All photos © Tina Codling.