Helvellyn and Striding Edge

Helvellyn

Height950m (3,117ft)

Prominence712m (2,336ft)

RegionEastern Fells

Climbed6 Times

"Legend and poetry, a lovely name and a lofty altitude combine to encompass Helvellyn in an aura of romance; and thousands of pilgrims, aided by its easy accessibility, are attracted to its summit every year." — A. Wainwright

Helvellyn is one of the more famous fells in the Lake District, thanks to the two knife-edged arêtes that lead to the summit plateau. Striding Edge and Swirral Edge are exceptionally popular routes to the top, though both are notorious accident spots for hillwalkers. The name itself is derived from two Old Cumbric words: 'hal', meaning moor, and 'velyn', meaning yellow.

To help adventurers safely navigate these environments, two 'Fell top assessors' climb Helvellyn daily during the winter months. They provide up-to-date weather and snow conditions at the summit to assist people in planning their winter hillwalking and climbing routes.

Helvellyn's broad summit

The fell's somewhat flat summit plateau famously made the first British mountain-top aircraft landing possible. On 22 December 1926, John F. Leeming and Bert Hinkler successfully landed and took off again in an Avro 585 Gosport. The historic event is commemorated by a slate tablet on the summit which reads: "The first aeroplane to land on a mountain in Great Britain did so on this spot. On December 22nd 1926 John Leeming and Bert Hinkler in an AVRO 585 Gosport landed here and after a short stay flew back to Woodford".

The highest point of the broad summit is topped by a large stone cairn and a cross-shaped stone shelter, with an OS trig column located slightly further north. While the vastness of the plateau can obscure the immediate drop-downs from the center, a short stroll to the eastern edges reveals spectacular, sweeping panoramas in all directions.