Mikes weather bits & Photo Blog: Life on Mars! & Back from Helvellyn

Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Life on Mars! & Back from Helvellyn

Life on Mars! a stunning pic of the moon and we are ready to quit the EU according to the banners but the main headline is the Blood pressure link to Diabetes covered by a couple of newspapers this morning

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With the Indian Summer in full swing i decided to have a go at Helvellyn from the Glenridding/Patterdale side which would incorporate the "Striding Edge"

Setting off mega early i was ascending the Kirkstone pass at around 08:15

having got to Gillside Farm campsite i set up the tent had a cup of tea and set off at 10:00

the entrance to the campsite is on the bottom of the track leading up the mountain

the weather was fantastic as i slogged up the main track

the view back down to Glenridding just gets better the higher you go

at the top of the first hill and in sight of the summit in the distance

a welcoming song from this bird atop the cairn

Striding edge stretches out in front of me

almost at the end of the edge is the chimney, a nice little scramble

then its a slog up to the top to be rewarded with a great view back down the edge

a bloke asked me to take his pic then reciprocated for me. He said it was 25 years since he had tried Striding Edge with his Father

i told him about the time i was last on the Edge in 1962, 53 years ago as a boy soldier and one of our group had a vertigo attack on the chimney, i think the chimney pic above is the same spot as in this pic

the views on the summit are very clear

here's the route back down on the left

one last look back up at Striding Edge and the Helvellyn summit

the walk back down is on a fairly wide track and i soon see Cyril parked up on the campsite field below, Its been a great walk and has taken 4 hours 15 minutes by the time i get back to the van