| Name of walk | Helvellyn on Friday 13th |
| Date of walk | 2012-01-13 |
| Distance walked (miles) | 7 |
| Duration of walk | 5 hours 30 minutes |
| Weather | Sunshine |
| Peaks on walk | Helvellyn |
| Walked with | Ged and Kas the blind dog |
| Parking | Lay-by down the road from Swirls. |
Yesterday was due to be another blue sky day, so Ged and I drove to the lay-by at Swirls to climb Helvellyn (3118ft) via Brown Cove Crags then down to Wythburn and back through the woods. A walk of about 7 miles. Unfortunately even the lay-by now has a pay and display machine! This was to be the first walk of the new year, the weather has just not been good enough at the start of January with gale after gale, and then I had to go to work on one or two possible walking days.
We set off about 9.30am. Brown Cove Crags ahead. The toilets on the right in the main carpark were closed for the winter......more cut-backs!!
Blind Kas knows the way!
Good reflections on Thirlmere and excellent views out to the Scottish hills.
Ged and Kas heading up to the crags.
View down to the islands
Mist still over Bassenthwaite Lake.
After the crags the summit is in sight.
Skiddaw and Blencathra.
Catstycam and Swirral Edge.
Looking down Swirral Edge.
Red Tarn.
We head for the trig point.
Ullswater behind me with a cloud inversion in the Eden Valley.
Andrew Leaney from "The Lakeland Fells" website: http://www.leaney.org/ took this photo for us!! The photos of his 50th ascent of Helvellyn are now up on his site. This is only my 8th Helvellyn ascent!
Looking along the rapidly melting cornice.
The shelter. It was a bit too cold to stop here for lunch, and as it wasn`t quite midday we decided to have lunch lower down in the valley, where it would be warmer. We headed to the left for the exit to Striding Edge.
View over Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike towards Coniston and the sea. We head in that direction for the path down to Wythburn.
Looking down the Striding Edge ridge. I take my photo from a safe distance! Ged wants to get that perfect shot!
Looking along Striding Edge.
Striding Edge from the side.
Looks like I`m practising levitating!
View back up.
We head down the Wythburn path.
We stop on these rocks for lunch with good views down Thirlmere towards Skiddaw. The temperature difference between here and the summit is considerable.
We take the path back to Swirls which should take about an hour.
Looking down on the start of the new path to Swirls, and to Thirlmere Straining Well.
The new path looks easy but dull and devoid of interest, we take the old path through the woods where we cross wooden bridges and climb over numerous fallen trees.....more interesting, but not easy!
Going through the woods. There are lots of climbs and descents along wet and muddy paths.
Crossing one of the bridges.
