Walking the Wainwrights - Another Helvellyn round
Sunny and warm again so, after picking up the errant fleece which my friend Nick had picked up off the fell and deposited in Helvellyn Youth Hostel, we parked at Patterdale and set off from the Patterdale Hotel.  Up the southern side of Grisedale, down to Grisedale Tarn, up onto Dollywaggon Pike, across to Helvellyn and down Striding Edge and back to Patterdale.

Here are the pictures (you can click on any picture to get a larger version).

This is Arnison Crag, just above Patterdale and the first target
The first sighting of Ullswater, which is a major attraction of walks on this side of Grisedale.  Unfortunately we had a lot of haze until late in the afternoon, when it cleared away, so the photography failed to produce anything spectacular.  In fact, it was clearer the last time we climbed here.
The chap in the picture turned out to be a local, from Threlkeld, and we had a friendly but rather one-sided conversation, since initially I could understand only about 50% of what he was saying.  My schoolboy German turned out quite handy, since he was "gang"-ing a lot - "gang" in German means "went", and all became clear.  He was ganging up St Sunday Crag, but I was ganging up Birks first.

The view across to Place Fell from Arnison Crag.
And down Ullswater.

From Arnison Crag you aim generally west and stroll across onto Birks.  Or so I had thought before checking the map.  Firstly, you drop down quite a bit, then you are confronted by a large, high and steep lump which AW suggests is best attacked head on, "straight up by the broken wall".  Not for me, so I ganged with my Threlkeld pal around to the left, and did a long left hook.  Up to this rather paltry cairn.  That is St Sunday Crag in the background.
Ullswater from Birks

This is the path across onto the north-east ridge of St Sunday Crag.
Birks on the right, from the ridge.

And beyond Birks is Arnison Crag.  Place Fell is on the other side of the lake.
looking past the cairn on the top of St Sunday Crag towards Helvellyn.

The path westwards of the peak, towards Dollywaggon Pike in the distance.
In fact, the path drops initially quite slowly towards a col, where you can carry on left (and very much up) to Fairfield, or drop sharply down to Grisedale Tarn.  Seat Sandal is the fell beyond the Tarn.

This is the "up" bit to Fairfield.
Where we had lunch, overlooking Grisedale Tarn.

Same view, but on the way up Dollywaggon Pike.
After the slog up Dollywaggon, you get a rewarding view of Grisedale.

from the top cairn
And of St Sunday Crag.

The cairn on Nethermost Pike.  I wonder how long that stone has been on there...
On the way down to Striding Edge: Catstyecam, with Ullswater in the far distance.

Looking back along the Edge.  The dogs were raring to go, but jibbed at the difficult step up near the start of the descent, and we took the escape road, where this picture was taken.  But otherwise they were considerably more intrepid than I was, racing across the top as if it were the beach...
Further along, looking back.

Striding Edge.
The "Hole in the Wall", where the paths from Grisedale meets up with the path from Glenridding.  you can see Grisedale, where we are going.

On the way down...
Looking back up to the top of Grisedale.

Down in the valley, looking back to where we've been.
The steep southern flank of the valley

Framed by two cleverly placed trees.

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