Helvellyn
Distance: 9 miles
Time: 5 hours
Difficulty: Hard
Sheep Watch: Very few encountered but this may have been time of year
Parking: Paid parking at Glenridding car park CA11 0PA
Refreshments: Plenty of dog friendly options in Glenridding.
As experienced hikers with very sure footed dogs used to scrambling, we chose to take the route from Glenridding to the summit via Striding Edge. It’s worth mentioning here that this is a grade 1 scramble and should only be attempted if you’re very confident in your own and your dogs ability.
The ridge is easy to begin with, you can choose to walk right on the top of the ridge or alternatively there is a slightly lower route on the right-hand side. This is much less challenging and a little more shielded.
The summit of Helvellyn is quite flat and there is not much natural protection from the weather. There is a ‘crosswind shelter’ built from stone with low walls in the shape of an ‘X’, but it was pretty wild at the top on our visit, so we didn’t hang around for long!
To complete the Helvellyn horseshoe, follow the ridge line down Swirral Edge before retracing your steps back down Mires Beck to Glenridding village.
For an easier ascent you can take the route that uses Pony Path. This leads to the top avoiding any scrambling at all. Instead, the track ascends from Glenridding via steep zig-zags to Keppel Cove, then on to Whiteside and Helvellyn Lower Man. You can return the same way or descend via Dollywaggon Pike and Grisedale. This loop is around 10.5 miles.
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