Map & Elevation
About this Route
This is Helvellyn done properly. Rather than the direct grind via Hole-in-the-Wall, this circuit takes in Birkhouse Moor first — a sweeping ridge that gives you time to get your eye in, read the mountain ahead, and earn the views down to Ullswater before a single technical step is taken.
From Birkhouse Moor the route swings west onto Striding Edge, Lakeland's most celebrated arête. A narrow spine of shattered rock with exposure on both sides, it demands hands and feet in places — not a scramble to rush. The summit of Helvellyn (950m) arrives as a wide, wind-scoured plateau, a stark contrast to the ridge below.
The descent takes Swirral Edge — shorter than Striding Edge but sharper underfoot — with Red Tarn sitting in the corrie far below. At the col between Swirral Edge and Catstye Cam the tarn comes fully into view before the final push up the pyramid of Catstye Cam (890m). It's the detail that separates this route from the standard Helvellyn day: a proper second summit, deserted compared to the main top, with a clean pyramidal profile that looks better the further you walk from it. From Catstye Cam, a grassy ridge leads back to Glenridding via Keppel Cove.
"Of the edges that guard the summit of Helvellyn, Striding Edge is incomparably the finest."
— A. Wainwright, The Eastern Fells
Route Waypoints
Start from the main village car park (pay and display). Head south on the bridleway signed for Mires Beck, crossing the beck before rising steeply onto the open fell.
The broad ridge offers the first clear views of Striding Edge ahead and Ullswater behind. A good place to assess conditions before committing to the arête.
The famous stile marks the junction with the main Striding Edge path. This is where the crowds arrive from Patterdale — you'll have had the ridge to yourself until now.
The arête proper. Most confident walkers scramble on the crest; a bypass path runs below the south side and avoids the worst exposure. Allow 45–60 minutes for the traverse.
Broad, flat plateau with a trig point, stone shelter, and the Dixon Memorial. On clear days the views extend to the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The crash remains of a Halifax bomber lie just below the summit.
Shorter and less exposed than Striding Edge, but the rock is often looser. You descend the ridge with Red Tarn visible in the corrie below — the path stays on the crest above it, not down to the water.
The col between Swirral Edge and Catstye Cam gives a clear view down into the corrie where Red Tarn sits at 718m — one of only two places in England where the schelly fish survives. You stay high on the ridge; the tarn remains below.
Often overlooked in favour of Helvellyn, Catstye Cam rewards the extra 20 minutes with solitude and a perfect pyramidal summit. The view back to Helvellyn's north face is one of the best in the Lakes.
Descend north on the grassy ridge to Keppel Cove, then follow the beck and mine track back to Glenridding. The final kilometre passes through the old mine workings of the Greenside Mine.
Essential Tips
The Birkhouse Moor approach gives you altitude before Striding Edge and spreads the ascent more evenly. You also avoid the main Patterdale crowds until you reach Hole-in-the-Wall.
Striding Edge is fatally serious in winter without crampons and an ice axe. Several people die here each year. If there is any snow on the ridge, treat it as a winter mountaineering route.
The re-ascent from the col to Catstye Cam feels steep after Helvellyn, but the top is almost always empty and the view of Helvellyn's north face is exceptional. Don't skip it.
A well-worn path runs below the crest on the south side. It avoids the most exposed scrambling and is the sensible choice in poor weather or if you are unsteady on rock.
The descent through Keppel Cove passes the ruins of the Greenside Mine — once the largest lead mine in England. The mine road makes for easy, fast walking back to the village.