March 2020 saw no hill walk due to the coronavirus, so here
is a little walk from the archive.
This was my first proper hill walk and my first Wainwright
in June 1993. It was Andy, Steve and me and you can see by the photos we were
much slimmer and had much more hair! This little amble was suggested to me by
Steve, who had been on several walks and asked if I fancied a wander. I don’t
know if he was trying to frighten me off hillwalking or not as this is quite a
strenuous walk with an exposed scramble over Striding Edge…
We began our walk in Glenridding and followed the path to
the ‘hole in the wall’ landmark, before making our way to Striding Edge, with
Red Tarn to the right as well as Catstye Cam, a lovely peak shaped hill. The
ridge looked ever more formidable the nearer we got. Soon we were on the ridge,
with thousand-foot drops on either side of us, scrambling across, sometimes I
was on my arse and my legs were like jelly. We descended via the ‘bad step’ and
it was a tough scramble up the side of the mountain and then onto the summit.
It was a lovely clear and warm day with views all over and
quite busy if I remember. Views of other hills such as Great Gable, of
Thirlmere and the Solway Firth. We took in the hills Whiteside and Raise, and
descended via the mines and back into the Glenridding.
The amount of times I have done this hill since is in double
figures: I have done in with a rambling club, as part of a challenge walk,
twice and with lots of good friends and family. I am sure I will do it again,
but it has been a few years since I did.
Helevellyn is a classic walk, especially via Striding Edge,
and is special – it is one hill you should do if you are a walker and are able.
Guess what? Here's a link to Steve's video of it - Helvellyn 1993
Guess what? Here's a link to Steve's video of it - Helvellyn 1993
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