ITV asked around 8000 people to vote for their favourite walk and Helvellyn came top of the list. Situated in the Patterdale valley within a couple of miles of our properties this is a great walk, but even if you don’t fancy the vertiginous Striding Edge you can take a gentler walk along the Grisedale Valley and approach it from it southern flanks, or simply just stay in valley and gaze up at its precipitous eastern face.  The classic route climbs up from Grisedale to “the hole in the wall” and then along Striding Edge before a short scramble up a steep path onto the summit of Helvellyn. Then a steep descent on a loose stone path down Swirral Edge. Then the option to climb Catstycam which Alfred Wainwright describes as “nearly, but not quite, the perfect mountain form”. The two home routes are either via Greenside mine and down into Glenridding or to Red Tarn and either back up to the hole in the wall again to descend by the same path, or bag an additional Wainwright, Birkhouse Moor on the way down. We have climbed this behemoth on several occasions and can help provide the safest option – or in the case of high winds or snow, provide many satisfying alternatives. All cottages have OS maps, loads of walking guides and we are on hand to point you in the right direction 🙂 Happy Hiking.