Helm Crag (Lake District)
I have wanted to climb a Lake District mountain for as long
as I can remember. Until September this
year, however, it had been one of those ambitions I just hadn’t worked hard
enough to achieve. There was always an
excuse. I wasn’t fit enough. I didn’t have time to prepare. The weather in the Lake District is too
unpredictable (it is a bit of a
watershed). Other holiday destinations
took precedence. Excuse after
excuse! I mention this to highlight just
how much my climb of Skiddaw meant to me.
It was hard work and it was wonderful.
And it left me wanting more.
Which is why, just three weeks later, I found myself on the road at 6
a.m., driving westwards towards the Lake District again.
This time I had several peaks in mind. I didn’t intend climbing all of them, but had
decided to leave my final decision as to which of them I would tackle until we
arrived in Lakeland. The weather
forecast was promising, but I realised that where the Lake District is
concerned forecasts can never be entirely relied upon. As the sun began to rise and we turned onto
the A66 from Scotch Corner to Penrith, all I knew for sure was that I would
like to bag at least a couple of Wainwrights.
Perhaps not all readers of my blog will be familiar with the
work of Alfred Wainwright, although certainly there has been plenty written
about him. Born in Blackburn, Lancashire
in 1907, Wainwright (who became affectionately known to his followers as simply
‘AW’) was a fellwalker, author and illustrator whose seven volume “Pictorial
Guide to the Lakeland Fells” has become the standard reference to 214 of the
fells of the English Lake District.
Wainwright’s name is now synonymous with the Lake District and bagging
all 214 “Wainwrights” has become something of an obsession for many
walkers. On my previous trip to the
Lakes I bought myself an illustrated map showing all 214 Wainwrights along with
a little chart which can be ticked and dated as each of the peaks is conquered. Upon studying the map I was pleased to find
that I had already bagged myself three Wainwrights – Skiddaw, Walla Crag and
Catbells. That just left 211 to go!
Map of Wainwright Fells
The village of Grasmere was our arrival point at just before
9 a.m. on this overcast October morning.
It was surprising to find the main village car park was empty! Grasmere is not only a beautiful little
Lakeland village, it is also the final resting place of the poet William
Wordsworth and therefore a bustling tourist trap all year round. Having changed into our walking gear we
headed through its narrow streets just as the cafes and gift shops were opening
their doors and the first of the tourists were emerging from their hotels and
guesthouses. We were heading off to
climb the hills above Grasmere, starting with Helm Crag.
Helm Crag from Grasmere
As we walked out of the village to the foot of Helm Crag it
was difficult to make out the rock formations on the summit which give the crag
its nickname “The Lion and the Lamb” (apparently from Grasmere the rocks look
like a lion and a lamb sitting side by side on the summit).
The Lion and the Lamb - Helm Crag
At just 1,329 feet (405 meters), Helm Crag isn’t a mountain but its distinctive summit makes it one of the most recognised hills in the Lake District. On climbing Helm Crag, Wainwright wrote “It gives an exhilarating little climb, a brief essay in real mountaineering”. As we walked along the lane towards the foot of the hill it looked a lot higher than 1,329 feet to me, although in fact it turned out to be a steady and highly enjoyable ascent to a summit with spectacular views in all directions – looking over the Langdale Pikes, the Coniston Fells and the Helvellyn range.
Looking west from the top of Helm Crag
The true summit of Helm Crag is another rock formation known
as “The Howitzer”, a name given due to its artillery-like appearance from
below. We rested here a while and ate
our sandwiches, all the while watching a steady stream of people making their
way along the ridge. It was beginning to
get pretty crowded up there!
The Howitzer - Helm Crag
From the summit of Helm Crag our walk took us along the
ridge, thereby bagging two further Wainwrights in the process – Calf Crag
(1,762 feet) and Gibson Knott (1,385 feet) (three in one day!) before
descending into Easedale and following the Easedale Beck into Grasmere
again.
Easedale
The walk hadn’t taken quite as
long as I had thought and so it was nice to have time to hit a few of
Grasmere’s little shops and enjoy coffee and cake in one of the many cafes. By this time of day Grasmere was teeming with
people and the car park where we’d left our car was full to capacity. It was time to leave and head north to
Keswick, to check into our accommodation and figure out just which of those
true mountains (2,000 feet+) we were going to tackle the following day. But this will be the subject of my next blog
entry.
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