Wild Helvellyn
Sat 2 Feb 2008
Route: Wythburn - Comb Gill - Birk Side - Swallow Scarth - Helvellyn - Browncove Crags path - Swirls - forest path - Wythburn
Distance: 6.75 miles
Ascent: 3,000ft
Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
With: David Hall
Notes:
Snow on the ground at all levels. VERY windy on the summit with lots of spindrift and verglas (ice) underfoot. The pitched path down to Swirls was very slippery with the compacted snow.
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Wythburn Church
Steel Fell and the Wythburn valley from above Wythburn church
Heading into Comb Gill
Comb Crags and Birk Side
Heading up the path out of Comb Gill onto Birk Side
Thirlmere from above Comb Gill
Looking over Thirlmere to the north western fells which are catching some sun
Looking over Steel Fell to Harrison Stickle and High Raise from Birk Side
Heading up Birk Side
Fighting the wind and spindrift on the way to Swallow Scarth
Helvellyn's cross shelter
The trig point at Helvellyn's summit
Looking towards the top of Browncove Crags
Looking back towards Helvellyn from above Browncove Crags
Thirlmere from the Swirls path
Looking down the Swirls path
Descending
Looking back up towards Browncove Crags
The footbridge over Helvellyn Gill with Raven Crag on the far side of Thirlmere
Helvellyn Gill
Looking down St John's in the Vale to Blencathra from Swirls
The permissive path from Swirls to Wythburn starts off along a forest track
Permissive path above Thirlmere
An old blue waymarker on the permissive path above Thirlmere
Footbridge across Mines Gill
You can see much more of Thirlmere after the recent felling
Steel Fell and the Wythburn valley from the permissive path
Previous Walk: Steel Knotts and Hallin Fell (Sun 27 Jan 2008)
Next Walk: Loughrigg Fell (Sun 3 Feb 2008)