If you're thinking of tackling Striding Edge for the first time you can take a look at Luke's film below. This was the first trip Luke took to the Lake District in 2020. In fact it was also the first mountain he ever climbed.! His film gives you a really good insight into the hike.
Helvellyn: 3,118 feet (950 meters)
Time: 4 hours 45 mins
Difficulty: Moderate - challenging depending on chosen route.
Helvellyn is England’s third highest mountain and one of the most spectacular mountaineering routes as well as being one of the most popular fells with walkers visiting the Lake District. The Striding Edge route to Helvellyn summit is certainly one of the most challenging and busiest.
The summit of Helvellyn is a broad plateau about 500 metres long. The highest point is marked by a cairn and a cross-shaped dry stone shelter. Striding Edge is a popular route which involves some scrambling, linking the summit ridge of Birkhouse Moor to Helvellyn's summit by what becomes a sharp arête.
Helvellyn is strongly associated with the poet William Wordsworth, who used to climb the mountain regularly and also wrote about the mountain several times.
In particular he commemorated the death of Charles Gough, a tourist in the Lake District who set out to cross Striding Edge to reach the peak of Helvellyn. Who sadly slipped and perished with his dog. His dog stood at his side for three months before his corpse was found. A memorial stone to Gough was erected on Helvellyn in 1890 and quotes part of William Wordsworth's poem "Fidelity".
The flat summit also made the first British mountain-top landing of a plane possible, when John Leeming and Bert Hinkler successfully landed and took off again in 1926.
"Striding Edge is the finest ridge there is in Lakeland, for walkers - it's traverse is always an exhilarating adventure in fair weather or foul, and it can be made easy or difficult according to choice”
A Wainwright
Thank you Luke for sharing your first hike in the Lake District! To see more of Luke's work please find the links below.
Website www.creationsbyluke.co.uk
Follow his YouTube Channel Here
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