Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale

This highly detailed, easy-to-follow, hand-crafted walk with GPS starts at Patterdale, is 11½ miles long and will take about 8¾hrs. It is graded 8 (Hard).


Route outline for walk c269:

Patterdale  -  Grisedale Bridge  -  Grisedale Beck  -  Brownends Plantation  -  Hole-in-the-Wall  -  Birkhouse Moor  -  Hole-in-the-Wall  -  Red Tarn (Helvellyn)  -  Bleaberry Crag  -  Low Spying How  -  High Spying How  -  Striding Edge (High Spying How)  -  Helvellyn  -  Nethermost Pike  -  High Crag (Helvellyn)  -  Dollywaggon Pike  -  Grisedale Tarn  -  Deepdale Hause  -  St Sunday Crag  -  Birks  -  Patterdale




Peak Bagging Statistics for this walk:

The highest point of this walk is Helvellyn at 950m (3118ft). Helvellyn is classified as an English Mountain (Hewitt) (3rd highest in England, 12th highest in England & Wales) and a Wainwright (No. 3).

Helvellyn is also known as an English Nuttall (4th highest in England, 14th highest in England & Wales) and an English Marilyn (2nd highest in England, 165th highest in the UK).

The summit of Helvellyn is marked by an Ordnance Survey Trig Point.

Completing this walk will also take you to the top of Nethermost Pike at 891m (2924ft). Nethermost Pike is classified as an Wainwright (No. 9).

Nethermost Pike is also known as an English Nuttall (14th highest in England, 34th highest in England & Wales).

You will also reach the summit of Striding Edge (High Spying How) at 863m (2831ft). Striding Edge (High Spying How) is classified as an English Mountain (Hewitt) (19th highest in England, 42nd highest in England & Wales)

Striding Edge (High Spying How) is also known as an English Nuttall (23rd highest in England, 49th highest in England & Wales).

Along the way you will also bag:

  • Birks at 624m (2047ft). Birks is classified as a Wainwright (No. 125) and an English Nuttall (222nd highest in England, 387th highest in England & Wales)

You can find this walk and other nearby walks on these unique free-to-access Interactive Walk Planning Maps:


1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):

OS Explorer OL5 The English Lakes - North Eastern area


1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (pink/magenta covers):

OS Landranger 90 Penrith & Keswick, Ambleside


Some Photos and Pictures from Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale

In no particular order . . .

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - On Striding Edge (High Spying How)

On Striding Edge (High Spying How)

Photo: Chris Oakley (1)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - High Crag (Helvellyn) summit cairn

High Crag (Helvellyn) summit cairn

Photo: Alan Wainwright (43)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Striding Edge (High Spying How) (Helvellyn)

Striding Edge (High Spying How) (Helvellyn)

Photo: Richard Nicholls (35)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - *Striding Edge (High Spying How) (left), Helvellyn, Swirral Edge and Catstye Cam (far right) from near Hole-in-the-wall

*Striding Edge (High Spying How) (left), Helvellyn, Swirral Edge and Catstye Cam (far right) from near Hole-in-the-wall

Photo: Richard Heeley (4)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - On Striding Edge (High Spying How) (Helvellyn)

On Striding Edge (High Spying How) (Helvellyn)

Photo: Iain Macdonald (1)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Place Fell from Patterdale

Place Fell from Patterdale

Photo: Alan Wainwright (3)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - The summit cairn on Dollywaggon Pike

The summit cairn on Dollywaggon Pike

Photo: Christine Shepherd (520)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Family group having completed Striding Edge (High Spying How) before the last pull up to Helvellyn.

Family group having completed Striding Edge (High Spying How) before the last pull up to Helvellyn.

Photo: John Turner (16)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Clouds rolling in over Fairfield (left), Dollywaggon Pike and Nethermost Pike from Helvellyn

Clouds rolling in over Fairfield (left), Dollywaggon Pike and Nethermost Pike from Helvellyn

Photo: Craig Carter (11)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Swirral Edge, Catstye Cam and Red Tarn from Helvellyn

Swirral Edge, Catstye Cam and Red Tarn from Helvellyn

Photo: Alan Wainwright (35)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Helvellyn from the 'Bad Step' at the western end of Striding Edge (High Spying How)

Helvellyn from the 'Bad Step' at the western end of Striding Edge (High Spying How)

Photo: Alan Wainwright (30)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Helvellyn Summit Shelter

Helvellyn Summit Shelter

Photo: David Wright (268)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Snow on St Sunday Crag from Hole-in-the-Wall

Snow on St Sunday Crag from Hole-in-the-Wall

Photo: Mick Fox (16)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Me and my father John at the summit of Helvellyn at the beginning of Feb 2012

Me and my father John at the summit of Helvellyn at the beginning of Feb 2012

Photo: Helen Robinson (1)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Grisedale Beck with Helvellyn in the distance

Grisedale Beck with Helvellyn in the distance

Photo: Alan Wainwright (6)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Anthea and Graham on Helvellyn summit with Ullswater in the distance

Anthea and Graham on Helvellyn summit with Ullswater in the distance

Photo: Graham Stainsby (1)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - On the summit of Helvellyn

On the summit of Helvellyn

Photo: Dean Richardson (6)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Striding Edge (High Spying How) (left), Helvellyn and Catstye Cam from the Birkhouse Moor

Striding Edge (High Spying How) (left), Helvellyn and Catstye Cam from the Birkhouse Moor

Photo: Katherine Horrex (4)

Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale - Arnison Crag from Birks

Arnison Crag from Birks

Photo: David Hayter (398)


. . . load all 256 walk photos from Walk c269 The Grisedale Horseshoe from Patterdale


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