Discover Your Trail - Part 2: Helvellyn

Here at Sportsshoes we love to hear about and share the incredible hiking and running trails across the UK and beyond (you can check out our UK’s Best Walks & Hikes series to see for yourself). That’s why we’ve worked with The North Face to create the ‘Discover Your Trail’ komoot Collection and ask 7 different hikers across the country to share with us their personal stories and favourite hiking routes. 

CHECK OUT THE NORTH FACE x SPORTSSHOES ‘DISCOVER YOUR TRAIL’ KOMOOT COLLECTION HERE

In part 2 of this series, Ben Johnson tells us all about his hike on Helvellyn via Swirral Edge and Striding Edge in the Lake District, as well as his inspirations for photography and hiking.

You can check out Ben’s hike here on komoot:

Hi! My name is Ben and I'm an adventure and lifestyle photographer/videographer from the town of Harrogate in North Yorkshire.

My first experiences of hiking that I remember were as a 12-year old boy. My old man had purchased the cheapest boat going in the classifieds and as a family we would spend most weekends on Lake Windermere, skiing and wakeboarding before it was banned. On the odd occasion we would stick to dry land and take in some of the routes around Ambleside and Hawkshead. I couldn't tell you exactly where we ventured but I do remember being fonder of the water at the time, however, it certainly gave me a healthy dose of the outdoor lifestyle from a young age.

Fast-forward a few years and being outdoors has become a huge part of my everyday life. My passion for photography and staying healthy have been the driving force behind my love for hiking and exploration of the outdoors. The excitement for me comes from seeing places that I have not yet seen with my own eyes and documenting that experience with my camera to share and inspire others to do the same.

‘’Helvellyn Via Striding Edge’’ - it just sounds epic doesn't it! This is a route that I have had on my radar for a while because it looks totally wild! I remember seeing images from some of my favourite photographers and being in awe of those knife edge views, those sheer drops down hard and jagged rock faces and the scale of the mountains in the background. With my sense of adventure, this is a place I just had to experience.

To catch the best of the conditions we set off from a calm and quiet car park in the heart of Glenridding at around 4:30am. This allowed plenty of time to make progress on the route before the crowds arrived, Hellvelyn being one the most popular of all the Wainwrights.

Winding our way up towards Striding Edge with nothing but torchlight and a well-worn path guiding the way, the silhouettes of the surrounding mountains slowly started appearing. With the sun starting to burn the sky behind us we were treated to some wicked views of the landscape, a first glimpse of Helvellyn and its neighbouring peaks provided amazing views and a great way to start the day.

After sending the drone up to capture some footage of the landscape we noticed the tarn was producing a spectacular reflection, with this in mind we decided to take a little detour down towards the body of water for a closer look as this apparently is a pretty rare occurrence. Once we had grabbed some obligatory bangers for ‘the gram’ we headed back up a calf burning accent in the snow toward the mighty Striding Edge.

This was the moment I'd been looking forward to, it was time to traverse the notorious ridge.

Taking my time to confidently place myself and ensure I had a good footing I made my way across stopping from time to time to enjoy the 360-degree views and enjoy what was a beautifully calm morning, 

Loving every minute, I made my way down the tricky chimney section and scrambled up the face of Helvellyn. This section was wicked, but required plenty of concentration as there are some really fun traverses on gnarly rock edges. With this in mind, it's definitely a route I would only recommend for sure-footed and confident hikers.

After a final push the terrain levelled out to reveal what appeared to be a large grassy plateau with mighty views in all directions and a trig point ready for the obligatory flick.

The descent back down “Swirral Edge” was slow and required every inch of concentration as there was a lot of ice and loose rock, once through this section it was a long and steady descent back down towards Glenridding where i was happy to reach the camper and enjoy some food and a refreshing beverage.

Overall, this was a day in the mountains to remember.

For the Hike I wore the The North Face VECTIV Fastpack FUTURELIGHT Mid hiking boots which provided ample support in all directions whilst being extremely light, breathable and super grippy on the mixed terrain that the route presented.

SHOP ALL THE NORTH FACE FASTPACK HIKING BOOTS HERE

Pictured: The North Face VECTIV Fastpack FUTURELIGHT Mid hiking boots

Although it was a calm wind free climb there was certainly still a chill in the air as we rose higher in to the mountains, The North Face Athletic Outdoor Insulated Hooded Gillet kept the chill away and the Athletic Outdoor Midlayer Hooded Top with its stretch fabric allowed me to move quickly and freely whilst providing all the warmth needed for the conditions on the trail.

SHOP ALL THE NORTH FACE ATHLETIC OUTDOOR HIKING RANGE

Photos: Adam Parkinson and Ben Johnson

Follow Ben and all his outdoor komoot adventures here.

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