Helvellyn & Fairfield
DAY 2
7
NY393216 Follow the road down past The Royal Hotel and over Aira Beck, to a track on the right with a phone box. It leads out onto open fell and continues with a wall on its right. After 200m, take a faint path up left (south-west). It runs to the left of the miserable trickle Pounder Sike, then crosses the stream and gets clearer. It bends up the rounded spurline of Common Fell, then turns left to join a wall.
8
NY386205 The path runs above this wall for 1.5km, contouring along the top of the slope that drops to Ullswater. The views here are very fine, but don’t linger, as there’s a long way still to go! (But if for you this is the evening of day 1, then lingering will be just the thing.) After 1.5km, the path bends right (west) across level grassy moor above Glencoynedale. Leave it here, and bear up right, along the rough grass of Brown Hills. As the slope steepens, a wall runs across, with a small stile (NY369193). Across this, head straight uphill to the rounded hump at the 740m contour. Head north-west across a flat saddle to the cairn on Hart Side.
9
NY358197 A path leads south-west, skirting to right of White Stones (Green Side on Harvey map), then west and north-west to the cairn on Stybarrow Dodd. Head southwest for 500m to another cairn, and the main Dodds ridge path. This rebuilt path leads down south through Sticks Pass and up to Raise with its well built cairn. Follow cairns down south-west until the path gets clear again for the slight rise to White Side.
10
NY337166 Head down south, for the steep sided spur up to Lower Man. Bear left, along the top of drops falling to the left, to Helvellyn summit and its cross-shaped shelter. Continue next to these drops (with a wide, busy path just down to the right) over Nethermost Pike to Dollywaggon Pike.
11
NY346130 Drop right to rejoin the wide, busy path just below, and follow its pitched zigzags down to Grisedale Tarn. Across the outflow, a rough, rugged path slants up left to Deepdale Hause. Turn right along the narrow col and up the steep
end of Cofa Pike. Across this sharp-sided top, either take the spur of Fairfield direct, which is slightly scrambly, or bypass paths to the right, to the summit of Fairfield.
12
NY358117 Leave south-east, to find a clear path which continues across Hart Crag, then joins a wall along the wide smooth ridge over Dove Crag. After a slight right bend turn off left on a faint path beside old fence posts to the col to west of Little Hart Crag. You can bag this minor summit before returning to the path down to Scandale Pass.
13
NY388095 The path follows a wall up Red Screes. Where the wall bends away keep straight uphill to the brink of steep ground, and turn left (north-east) across the plateau to the trig point of Red Screes. Turn sharp right on a path down a steep spur. The path gets rocky, and is rebuilt in places as it zigzags down the ever steeper slope. At the slope foot it crosses the soggy col to the car park opposite Kirkstone Pass Inn.