Helm Crag

A good day above Grasmere today following the ridge from Steel Fell to Helm Crag.

We set off from Grasmere just after 10am and followed the lane to Helmside, climbing up ridge by Cogra Breast. It didn't take long before we were in thick mist, this lasted until we were well on our way down from Helm Crag.

We climbed to the summit of Steel Fell in good time, unfortunately there were no views from the summit today, so after a short break by the summit cairn we pressed on, descending a little by Griffin Tarn and crossing the boggy section of ridge to climb to the summit of Calf Crag.

We stopped just below the summit of Calf Crag to eat our sandwiches before pressing on, turning south east and following the fine ridge towards Gibson Knott.

The path along the ridge has got very muddy this year, even more than usual, but we made good progress and were soon on the summit of Gibson Knott.

From Gibson Knott we crossed to the summit of Helm Crag and descended the new path south dropping down into Easdale and following the lane back to Grasmere.

A good day above Grasmere today climbing the ridge from Steel Fell to Helm Crag.

We set off from Grasmere at 10am and followed the lane to Helmside and up the Cotra Breast ridge onto Steel Fell. We made good progress up the ridge and were soon on the summit of Steel Fell, there were great views over Thirlmere from the summit.

We pressed on following the ridge west, crossing the usually very boggy section and climbing to the summit of Calf Crag. We took some shelter out of the cool breeze just below the summit cairn to eat our packed lunches before continuing along the ridge, descending to the summits of Gibson Knott and Helm Crag before dropping down to the Far Easdale Valley and following the lane back to Grasmere.

A lovely scenic day on The Greenburn Round (Helm Crag Etc.)

From the lovely little village of Grasmere we set out towards Steel Fell up the Easdale Road. We walked past the fields and farm houses to the start of the greenburn Valley track. From here we started our ascent of Steel Fell up its long grassy southern slope. We made great progress up the slope, and shortly before midday we were on its windy summit. From the summit of Steel Fell we enjoyed the amazing view down the full length of Thirlmere before descending down its western shoulder. We walked across the top end of the Greenburn Valley to the slightly smaller summit of Calf Crag. We found some shelter behind a rocky buttress to have a spot of lunch and enjoy the view.

Now at the apex of the route we were on our way back towards Grasmere. We walked along the wide grassy spur, around and over outcrops to our next summi of Gibson Knott. We left this summit, and after a short climb we were up onto the summit of Helm Crag. After soaking up the views one last time we descended off of Helm Crag back to the Easdale Road, and shortly after we were back in Grasmere.

A good day above Grasmere today climbing the fells above the Greenburn Valley.

We set of from Grasmere at 10am and followed the lane to Helmside climbing the southern shoulder of Steel Fell.

As we reached the summit of Steel Fell we entered the cloud, although we did get a short glimpse of the view down towards Thirlmere.

From Steel Fell we followed the ridge west crossing by Griffin Tarn before climbing to the summit of Calf Crag.

After a short lunch stop at the summit of Calf Crag we followed the ridge south, descending to the summit of Gibson Knott and along the ridge to Helm Crag, by now we were back out of the cloud and were rewarded with some great views.

From Helm Crag we descended down to the Easdale Valley following the Easdale Road back to Grasmere.

A wonderful day above Grasmere today from Steel Fell to Helm Crag.

We set of from Grasmere at 10am and followed the lane to Helmside from where we climbed the southern shoulder of Steel Fell.

The views from Steel Fell were amazing today, a perfect view north over Thirlmere to Skiddaw matched the magnificent views south over Grasmere to Morecambe Bay and Yorkshire.

From Steel Fell we followed the ridge west crossing the boggy ground near Griffin Tarn before climbing to the summit of Calf Crag, stopping for lunch by the summit cairn to admire the view over Far Easdale.

After lunch we followed the ridge, descending to Gibson Knott and Helm Crag and after a short scramble on the Howitzer we descended the steep path into Easdale and followed the lane back to Grasmere.

Another wild day today, this time above Grasmere following the ridge from Steel Fell to Helm Crag.

We set off from Grasmere at 8.30am and followed the lane to Helmside, climbing the southern ridge of Steel Fell. We reached the snow fairly quickly, thin and wet at first but as we climbed higher it became thicker and firmer. As we aproached the summit we were anything from ankle deep to knee deep in snow with some drifts even deeper.

There was quite a strong wind on the top, although not nearly as strong as yesterday, we didn't stop for too long though and were soon on the western ridge, passing Griffin Tarn and climbing towards Calf Crag, the snow was now getting very deep in places especially near the summit of Calf Crag.

After a short stop out of the wind for a hot drink we pressed on following the ridge east towards Gibson Knott, as we lost height the temperature rose and the snow was now thinning and soggy. From Gibson Knott it took no time to reach Helm Crag and descend the path down to Easdale and Grasmere.