In June 1999, we had a weekend trip to the Lake District to climb another four peaks. The plan was......
But it didn't work out that way.....
Saturday June 19th, 1999. We set off from Blease Farm at about 09:30 for Patterdale. The weather did not look promising, windy, overcast, and with the highest hills shrouded in cloud cover. Undaunted, we started climbing up from Patterdale at about 10:00. Heading for the 'Hole in the Wall', we started up a moderately steep path above the Grisedale Beck. By the time we got to the Hole in the Wall, the weather had closed in more, and we were beginning to think that maybe we should not go higher. However, after a short debate we decided that we would proceed. So we set off into the mist along the top of Bleaberry Crag towards Striding Edge. As we approached the start of Striding Edge, visibility was poor - about 50 yards or less, and the wind was whistling up from below. We had decided, before setting off, to video as much as possible of this part of the climb. But to do this it was necessary for one of us to hold the video camera whilst climbing. Not recommended - but the result is well worth it!
We picked our way along the Edge as near the top as we could. We could see absolutely nothing either side. Each buttress loomed out of the cloud as we worked our way along. We were not alone, as a few other climbers caught us up, and some passed us going back the other way. Those coming down told us of high winds at the top of Helvellyn. We carried on - we'd come this far…..
After about half an hour or so, we approached the final steep climb up from Striding Edge up to the summit of Helvellyn. As we hoved over the top, the wind and rain hit us quite hard. It was cold and pretty inhospitable. We headed for the limited protection of the shelter, which we could barely see. About half a dozen other climbers were already there, huddling along the leeward side of the wall. We ate a soggy lunch.
Because the weather was so bad, we all began asking each other "which way are you going down?" - "Swirral Edge" they all replied - which is where we had planned to descend. So after a few more minutes of rest, we assembled together, and with a 'safety in numbers' feeling, followed a woman kitted out with map and compass. She led the way from the summit toward Swirral Edge. The weather was appalling. The very strong wind drove the rain right into our faces. We began to drop down, and eventually got below cloud level. A lake became visible - Ullswater we assumed. When we finally got to the bottom it became apparent that the lake was in fact Thirlmere. We had come down the North-Eastern side of Helvellyn, nowhere near Swirral Edge at all.
So we had a problem. Our car was in Patterdale, we were by Thirlmere, it was still raining hard, and we were cold and wet. Two other climbers who had got down just before us, and who had made the same mistake, had spoken to a driver in the car park where we stopped. He had, by way of a complete fluke, an empty minibus. Swift negotiation enabled us to be taken by the driver for the 40 minute drive back to Patterdale to pick up our cars. Our thanks go to this unknown hero.
In total we had been on Helvellyn about 5 hours.
| Height climbed | Distance walked | Time to ascend | Time on peak | Time to descend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 949m (3118 ft) | About 6 miles | 3 Hrs 30 Mins | < 15 Mins | 1 Hr 15 Mins |
Check out the Saturday Climb photo gallery HERE
Sunday June 20th, 1999. Checking the morning weather at Blease Farm, it looked much better than Saturday. The highest hills were clear of cloud, and there was a hint of sun about. Daniel suggested that since our route had gone wrong on Saturday, and we hadn't even seen Catstycam, we should re-visit Helvellyn via our planned route again. For a bit of variety, we would take the route the opposite way round, starting at Catstycam before climbing Helvellyn.
We set off from Blease Farm again at about 09:30, heading for Glenridding. We started at about 10:00 alongside Glenridding Beck as we walked toward the higher ground of Glenridding Common. The weather was much more promising, but still windy. The path follows the Beck for about a mile and then turns south, and gets a bit steeper. At this point we could get a good view of the top of Catstycam. Carrying on up the path,after about another half-hour, we could clearly see Helvellyn, straight ahead. The ridges of Striding Edge and Swirral Edge were clearly visible, and quite busy with walkers.
Red Tarn came into view, as did the remainder of the path up to Swirral Edge. At the lower end of Swirral Edge, the path up Catstycam could be seen. When we got to this point, we headed up Catstycam. This was a steep but easy climb to the top. At the small summit we could take in superb views of distant lakes, Skiddaw, the Solway Firth and Morecambe Bay. It was still windy though. Back down Catstycam, we started picking our way along Swirral Edge. Once again, we decided to video this part of the climb. Easy at first, it got steeper and steeper as we approached Helvellyn. It was quite a scramble to the top. At this point we could see the rather sorry looking cairn which marks this descent point - the one we had missed on Saturday.
On the top of Helvellyn, we again headed for the shelter to have a bite to eat. We could sample the superb views - in complete contrast to our visit Saturday.
We next headed for the top of Striding Edge, and made our way down to the start of the ridge. With video camera on the go, we climbed along the ridge for a bit and up the first main buttress. The ridge was so busy that at times it was necessary to wait for a while as scores of others made their way up or down some of the trickier climbs along the Edge.
Lower down we got rained on quite a bit. A heavy shower, with hail, caught us up as we were walking down towards Glenridding. The reward for this was a superb view of a rainbow over Glenridding as we descended further. We had more or less dried out by the time we got to the bottom, and we headed straight for a tea shop for a warming pot of strong tea and a cake each.
In total we had been on Helvellyn about 7 hours.
| Height climbed | Distance walked | Time to ascend | Time on peak | Time to descend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helvellyn 949m (3118 ft) Catstycam 890m (2970 ft) |
About 8 miles | 3 Hrs 30 Mins | 30 Mins | 2 Hrs 50 Mins |
Check out the Sunday Climb photo gallery HERE
Blease Farm:
Check out photos of our accommodation HERE