Walk Helvellyn via Striding Edge (High Spying How) from Patterdale
Lakeland's 3rd highest via the infamous Striding Edge
This 8 mile, Grade 6 (Moderate), easy-to-follow, hand-crafted walk, complete with GPS Waypoints, starts at Patterdale in the Lake District & will take you about 6 hrs to complete.
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Detailed walk route map PDF | |
Vital Statistics: | ||
| Walk No.: | c427 | |
| Length: | 8 miles (12.5km) | |
| Ascent: | 2990 ft (911m) | |
| Time: | 6 hours | |
| Grade: |  | |
| Walk Type: | High Mountains | |
| Gear Needed: | Full mountain gear including boots, warm layers, waterproofs, food & water, and good weather | |
Route outline for this walk:
Patterdale - Patterdale Church - Grisedale Bridge - Grisedale Beck - Brownend Plantation - Lanty's Tarn - Hole-in-the-Wall - Red Tarn (Helvellyn) - Bleaberry Crag - Low Spying How - High Spying How - Striding Edge (High Spying How) - Helvellyn - Swirral Edge (optional) - Hole-in-the-Wall - Grisedale Beck - Patterdale
Peaks, Summits and Tops reached on this walk:
 2 English Mountains |
 1 Wainwright |
 2 English Nuttalls |
 0 English Deweys |
 0 Wainwright Outlying Fells |
 1 Marilyn |
 0 Bridgets |
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 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).
Be Adventure Smart
If walking in the Lake District (and anywhere else) please be adventure smart.
Ask yourself 5 questions before you set off:
- Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?
- Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?
- Do I have the right GEAR for the day?
- Do I have enough FOOD & DRINK for the day?
- Do I have all the ESSENTIAL ITEMS for the day?
Note that there is no mobile phone or WiFi coverage in many parts of the Lake District
A dedicated GPS Device can be a good navigational aid, but only if you know how to use it properly. See The Myths and Truths about GPS for Walking and Hiking
You can find this walk and other nearby walks on these unique Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
(worth a look if you're new to go4awalk.com & have never seen one of these before.)
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (pink/magenta covers):
Some Photos and Pictures from Walk Helvellyn via Striding Edge (High Spying How) from Patterdale
In no particular order . . .
Myself, Emma Cooper & Rachel Hargreaves descending Helvellyn via Swirral Edge
Striding Edge (High Spying How) basking in glorious September Sun viewed from Helvellyn
Myself, Emma Cooper & Rachel Hargreaves on the summit of Helvellyn after tackling Striding Edge (High Spying How)
. . . load all 211 pictures & photos from this walk
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Send them in to us as email attachments (configured for any computer) along with your name/username and where the picture was taken to:
and we shall do our best to publish them.
(Guide Resolution = 300dpi. At least = 660 pixels (wide) x 440 pixels (high).)
You can also submit photos via our Facebook Page.
NB. Please indicate where each photo was taken so we can match it to a walk route.
