Mountain Lines

The Tongue is an adventurous way up onto the Helvellyn massif, ascending Dollywaggon Pike's obvious northeastern spur. It can be tackled from either the Patterdale side or from Dunmail Raise via Grisdedale Tarn, as shown here.



The ascent of the Tongue itself begins by Ruthwaite Lodge, a climber's hut

This route shares much in common with the Wythburn route, joining it in its lower and upper reaches. The middle section, following the tumbling Comb Gill upstream, is much rougher, more difficult to navigate and therefore less popular. However, there are no technical challenges and it's a great way to

Like the Old Lead Mine route, this is another of Wainwright's rough direttissimas – direct ways up to Helvellyn's summit. This one starts at Wythburn and follows Whelpside Gill up to the heights. It's a tough and strenuous option: one for experienced hillwalkers who are happy on steep, pathless terrain.

A direttissima is an Italian word for the shortest possible route up a mountain. If Helvellyn has a direttissima – this is it.



As you'd expect for a direct way up a 3,000-foot mountain, it's steep and strenuous. Wainwright noted that it was not a recognised route. However, by including it in his classic

One of the more popular approaches from the west, the Wythburn route makes use of well-trodden paths that take some of the sting out of the mountain's steep, west-facing flanks. The initial pull up onto Birk Side is fairly steep but things settle down after this and you'll join the Helvellyn ridge just

Like the route up from the east via Keppel Cove, this was an old pony route that was once a popular way to access Helvellyn but has since fallen out of fashion. However, it's an attractive journey that also visits the Wainwright summit of White Side on the way to Helvellyn, though it can be bypassed

The Kings Head Inn at Thirlspot is the start point for this route to the top of Helvellyn. With that in mind, perhaps you might want to make it your descent route? Nevertheless, this once-popular route is slightly overgrown – these days the route up from Swirls Car Park alongside Helvellyn Gill is easier

This is another pathless, lesser-travelled route to Blencathra's summit that's featured in Wainwright's Pictorial Guides. As with the route via Blease Gill, it's an outing for experienced hill walkers who can apply sound judgement to their surroundings.



The route follows Gate Gill initially, before seeking

Wainwright was so enamoured with Blencathra, he wrote more pages about the fell than any other across his seven Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. He covered the main, obvious routes up the mountain, as well as some interesting adventures that follow the streams that tumble down its southern face