Helvellyn walk via Striding Edge & Swirral Edge, the best route and a Lake District classic

Striding Edge, Helvellyn, walk, hike, route, Patterdale, Glenridding, Ullswater, Lake District

Helvellyn is one of the Lakes most popular walks and I've done it plenty of times. Striding Edge is the must-do route, and here we can see Striding Edge with Red Tarn to the left and Ullswater Lake just visible in the distance.

Helvellyn walk via Striding Edge & Swirral Edge. One of the best walks in the Lake District and this is the must-do route

Helvellyn is the most popular walk in the Lake District in terms of number of people who walk it every year and whilst it's not higher than Scafell Pike, I think it's a much better and more exhilarating walk. This is due to the ridge route of Striding Edge, which may look imposing but it's a great challenge (and perfectly safe in good weather conditions if you take care). I also like to descend via Swirral Edge, another ridge that may require you to use your hand sin parts. This Helvellyn walk makes for a great day out and a good walking accomplishment that any serious hiker needs to tick off the list. Below are some answers to the popular questions on planning a Helvellyn walk, followed by some photos of this particular Helvellyn route to give you a flavour of what to expect!

How high is Helvellyn?

Helvellyn is 950m in height and is the 3rd highest mountain in England after Scafell Pike (978m) and Sca Fell (964m).

How long does it take to walk Helvellyn?

The full walk takes around 4-5 hours depending on the route and the recommended route is via Striding Edge as shown on this blog post. There are different ways back down and Swirral Edge is a great way to descend.

How many miles is Helvellyn walk?

Again it depends on the route but the most popular Helvellyn walks are around 7 miles in length, whether form Glenridding or Patterdale.

Is Helvellyn Ok for beginners?

While Striding Edge can look imposing - in good, dry weather conditions the walk is ok for beginners if you have a reasonable level of fitness and don't mind using your hands on occasions to scramble the summit. Beware though it can be dangerous on Striding Edge in wet or winter conditions.

Helvellyn walk best route Striding Edge Swirral Edge Lake District

Read on to discover the best Helvellyn walking route via Striding Edge in my humble opinion.

Helvellyn Striding Edge & Swirral Edge walk overview: 

Helvellyn striding edge walk Distance: 6.9 miles

Helvellyn striding edge walk time: 4 hours 45 mins

Walk Difficulty: Hard

There's some scrambling involved with hands. Different routes can be taken along Striding Edge depending on the challenge wanted (ie. you can walk to the side of the ridge line for less exposure). The route is fine in good weather conditions for reasonably fit walkers (inc. older children). But beware of doing the Helvellyn route in rain and especially icy/snow conditions - when it becomes very difficult requiring crampons/ice-axe.

Helvellyn walk route map:

Map walking route Striding Edge, Helvellyn, walk, hike, route, Patterdale, Glenridding, Ullswater, Lake District

This Helvellyn walking route is one of the most exhilarating and shortest ways to tackle Helvellyn. It starts from the road at Patterdale Hall - heads up Grisedale Brow to the 'Hole-in-the-Wall' which is your starting point for tackling Striding Edge. After Striding Edge it's a bit of a scramble up to Helvellyn to admire the views and then you'll loop around Red Tarn and descend via Swirral Edge and return the same way. It took us around 5 hours with plenty of stops. You can view the full interactive OS map route via the button below (subscription required for all features) I've walked up to Helvellyn maybe 6 times - and it's only been clear visibility on the summit of Helvellyn twice - so I really do recommend having a Phone Map App (and paper map) to keep you on track in poor visibility.

If you don't have a Phone Map App - I really recommend the one by Ordnance Survey. You can download route maps to your phone such as this one and the app will show you exactly where you are on the route even when you have no signal - so no more taking a wrong turn :-)

Photos of what to expect on this Helvellyn walk route:

Most people when tackling Helvellyn park up at Glenridding - where the most pay and display parking is, but it can get rather busy and costly - so I find the best place to head for is Patterdale where if your lucky you can park up for free on the grass verge just near Patterdale Hall.

Striding Edge, Helvellyn, walk, hike, route, Patterdale, Glenriddig, Ullswater, Lake District

From the main road we follow the lane towards Grsidedale and The Kennels.

Looking up towards Patterdale Common and the Grisedale Valley with Nethermost Pike in the far distance.

We now begin the long hike up towards the 'Hole in the Wall'

Glorious sunshine and views today up the Grisedale Valley

It's going to take us about an hour to walk up Patterdale Common towards the 'Hole in the Wall'

Nethermost Pike and Dollywagon Pike in the distance.

There are many routes up to Helvellyn - and previously I have walked right up through the centre of Grisedale Valley to the dip in the distance (centre left) - and then up to Dollywagon Pike, the Nethermost Pike and then Helvellyn - it's a long walk though!

En route to Hole-in-the-Wall and Striding Edge and its all uphill in this section of the Helvellyn walk

Looking up Grisedale Valley

The 'Hole in the Wall' isn't far off now and we've said we will rest, drink & eat when we get there :-)

It is a bit of a slog up this section of the walk - but for me once this section is done and you get to the 'Hole in the Wall' - the worst of it is over and it's a lot more enjoyable.

Looking back down to where we have come form

The 'Hole in the wall' - it's not a cash machine :-) Quite a few people where taking a rest around here - it's the perfect place to stop - fuel up and get ready for Striding Edge.

The first glimpse of Helvellyn - and the beginning of Striding Edge to the left. We will descend Helvellyn via Swirral Edge to the right of Helvellyn in this pic and return to this point via the path to the right.

Now we can see Red Tarn - and a few people are swimming in there already on this glorious day.

It's quite a busy day today with the weather and being a weekend - so you can see people getting ready to tackle Striding Edge to the left - and more of Striding Edge itself in the centre of this picture. You can also see the final scramble that is required after Striding Edge up to the summit of Helvellyn.

Striding Edge in all it's glory. For those who have never walked Striding Edge - there are quite a few routes along - which you can choose from at any point along the way depending on how challenging you want it to be. You can go right over the ridge on the top - or there are easier routes along the side. There are plenty of kids who do it with families - so I'm sure anyone with a little walking experience and a reasonable level of fitness/head for heights can do it - just make sure the weather is good. I've not yet tried Striding Edge in the ice or snow - it would be a different proposition entirely then (and a lot more dangerous)

Us lot making our way across the top of the Striding Edge ridge line with Helvellyn in the distance

Looking back along Striding Edge - you can see the easier and quicker path to the left of the ridge line clearly in this pic.

I guess the last bit of Striding Edge is the most challenging and you have to use your hands here to climb down - but it's pretty straightforward as long as you take your time. There is always a bit of a queue to get down this bit on a busy weekend as it is quite slow. There is though an easier path to the right which is more gradual.

Other walkers on Striding Edge

We are nearly at the end of the scramble up to Helvellyn here and I love this classic view of Striding Edge. You can also see the path to the right of the last bit of Striding Edge in case you don't want to climb down the last steep bit.

Red Tarn next to Striding Edge

Pose Scott :)

As you get closer to the summit of Helvellyn the rocky scree turns to grass and it's much easier going

We've done the hard part now and it's pretty level up here! This is looking south along the Helvellyn range to Nethermost Pike.

The view from the Helvellyn summit Cairn and highest point. Ullswater Lake is in full view now and the Pennines are in the far distance - which is where we drove over via the A66 and is actually covered in mist today - but that doesn't matter to us up here :-)

Looking back to the many visitors up here today. Usually it's quite windy up here - so the walls where some walkers are sat today offers much needed shelter - but today it doesn't matter.

We begin the descent down Swirral Edge. We actually passed a few people coming up Swirral Edge - and some I'm presuming would descend via Striding Edge - but for me - you have got to do Striding Edge first and come down Swirral Edge.

Swirral Edge is much easier going that Striding Edge and shorter and it's soon out the way

Looking back at the route we have just taken via Swirral Edge, and then it's back to the Hole in the Wall

We are back on familiar territory as we walked up this route earlier - and it's much easier and quicker to get back down :-)

And there we have it - the walk approaches it's end. We get down into Grisedale Valley near the Kennels - and head back along the lane to Patterdale Hall and a much needed drink :-)

I hope you have enjoyed that little write up - and that it inspires you to want to give this Helvellyn walk via Striding Edge and Swirral Edge a go your self! Be warned it's not always sunny like this though :-) This was maybe my 6th visit to Helvellyn and I've never had clear weather like it - luck of the draw I guess. If you have any questions about this route - just post a comment and I'll try and answer.

Before I go you should not underestimate this walk and changing weather conditions and multiple wrong turns you can take. If you don't have a Phone Map App - I really recommend the one by Ordnance Survey. You can download route maps to your phone such as this one and the app will show you exactly where you are on the route even when you have no signal - so no more taking a wrong turn :-)

Happy Hiking!

Post by Stuart Hodgson
'The Hiking Photographer'

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