From Kirkstone to Threlkeld
L039Home > Walks in the Lakes > Classic Circuits > From Kirkstone to Threlkeld
- Full Helvellyn Range
- 18 miles of high ridges
- 14 Wainwrights
The Helvellyn ridge strikes like an arrow through the heart of the Lake District. Adding on the hills around Fairfield and a start at the Kirkstone Inn and this crossing has always attracted my attention. Myself and Jonnie failed miserably 15 years back when the poor weather and the temptations (liquid) of the valley below distracted us sufficiently to dip out at Dunmail Raise. Pretty feeble in retrospect but the failure drove me on and having been dropped off at Kirkstone Pass Inn by Helen I crawled in to the Horse & Farrier roughly 6 1/2 hours later. One of the joys of the walk is that the hard work is early, the pull to Red Screes and from Grisedale Tarn on the zig zags to Dollywagon leaves the 2nd half of the walk free to enjoy the magnificent views on a high relatively level ridge. The path beyond Helvellyn is grassy and pleasant and the summits come thick and fast before crashing off the end of Clough Head into the village of Threlkeld. There are very few none circular walks that are really worth the effort of bribing a driver but this is certainly one of them.
Recommend: Time of the year is unimportant here but cloud off the summits is. More than any other walk the joy is the swiftly changing scenery of such a distance that is being walked
© Crown copyright 2010 Ordnance Survey. Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
| OS Map: | O/S 1.25,000. Starts 0L7 The English Lakes South Eastern area but mainly OL5 North Eastern area |
| Start Point: | 401080. Kirkstone Pass Inn. For many reasons this walk should be done south to north |
| Terrain: | After the initial steep climb to Red Screes there is a good but not overly eroded path all the way |
| Eating & Drinking: | Starting at the Kirkstone Pass Inn and finishing at the Horse & Farrier in Threlkeld is fine by me |
| Similar Walks Nearby: | Hayeswater & Angle Tarn Ridges over Dovedale Stony Cove Pike from Kirkstone Pass |
| Places to Stay: |
My daughter and I did (almost) this walk the other way around and it was also very rewarding. We started at Matterdale Common, just above Dockray, and dropped off from Dove Crag to be picked up at the pub in Patterdale. A wonderful day out, though the pull up from Grisedale Tarn is a big one whichever direction you are going!