HELVELLYN 6 September 2005
A hot September morning as we started our walk at the Swirls with a view up St Johns in the Vale to Blencathra.
We walked through the forest, where the woodmen had been at work sawing up some of the trees felled in the January storm.
Nearing Wythburn we had a view of Thirlmere through the trees.
Eventually we arrived at Dunmail Raise where we had this view back up the valley.
Our route was up Raise Beck. There was no breeze in the ravine, and it was very, very hot work climbing up beside the beck which is accompanied by a sketchy wall for some of the way.
Ascending steeply we soon began to get some splendid views - here across to Steel Fell and beyond to High Raise.
Although these trees only had a few berries, their scarlet colour stood out sharply amidst the greens and greys.
Our lunch stop at the top of the beck above Grisedale Tarn, here with St Sunday Crag to the left of the view.
Fairfield (just a pile of stones) and the tarn.
We decided to ascend directly up from the tarn to Dollywaggon Pike. This is b***** steep! A gasp for breath here with a view of Fairfield.
A helicopter was ferrying up large bags of rocks and stones from just above the tarn to high on the regular path, presumably for restoration work.
It's getting even steeper!
It's almost vertical now!
The helicopter came close - we hoped the pilot was going to offer us a ride to the top, but he was only dropping off one of the path restorers.
On the top of Dollywaggon Pike at 2810 feet, and the effort has been worth it. We have fantastic views over all the Lakeland fells and beyond. This a view of Grisedale, with Ullswater and Place Fell beyond, looked over by St Sunday Crag.
St Sunday Crag and Fairfield (just a pile of stones).
From the summit cairn a solitary climber stands along The Tongue which climbs steeply up from the valley.
Looking the other way the path leads away along the ridge towards Helvellyn.
The somewhat inadequate stone shelter amid the stones on the flat top of the incongruously named Nethermost Pike at 2920 feet.
Jonathan stands by the cairn on the rim of Nethermost Pike looking across to Striding Edge.
Striding Edge
The summit of Helvellyn at 3118 feet. It is incredibly warm up here - we don't need anything other than t-shirts and shorts and we're still sweating.
A view of the summit cairn looking northwards to White Side and Raise, and on the horizon Skiddaw and Blencathra.
The summit shelter - there were actually quite a few people up here, but for a few seconds they were all hidden from sight! The view is back along the ridge to Nethermost and Dollywaggon Pikes.
We set off for the 2600 feet descent back to the Swirls.
On the descent we will have more great views - here is Skiddaw.
We can look across White Side and Raise to the Dodds.
The path curves round to Helvellyn Lower Man. On the right of this view is Catstycam.
The cairn on Helvellyn Lower Man.
On the left is Bleaberry Fell, then Bassenthwaite Lake, and the Skiddaw massif.
Almost all the path down here has been pitched, and as good a job has been made of it as any that we have come across in the Lake District. Thirlmere has come into view now.
Nearly down now.
Back at the Swirls it's half past five and the thermometer on the car still says 26°! The view to Blencathra is still superb.