Monday...the Helvellyn Horseshoe

For Luke's second day out in winter we elected to have a go at the 'classic' Helvellyn Horseshoe of up Striding Edge and down Swirral...

As can be seen from the picture Luke found the whole experience so uplifting he was moved to prayer...or was it the fact that I had just told him that I had made a cake and was going to feed it to him tomorrow!!

The weather was interesting with quite a reasonable crosswind and a bit of snow/hail - which turned much worse at the top whilst he was trying to adjust his socks and I was attempting to eat lunch!! However he coped very well with the edge; which was actually in pretty decent condition with the descent chimney to the main ridge (which is the only tricky bit) proving reasonably straightforward...

Having practiced his semaphore - not entirely sure what this means I must confess! - we located the top of Swirral Edge in the now poor visibility and dropped easily down it. This really is a very simple descent - like Striding Edge these days it is arguably easier in winter when all the loose rubbish that proliferates it is frozen up. On the way down we passed a couple of walkers with no ice-axes, crampons or brains...maybe they did not know that there might be snow....luckily these two turned round not long afterwards....

Driving back to Penrith and into a violent rainstorm..this fell as snow on the high hills and would make today MUCH more "interesting"....