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Helvellyn is a mountain in the English Lake District, the apex
of
the Eastern Fells. At 950 metres (3,117 ft) above sea level, it
is
the third highest peak in both the Lake District and England.
The peak of Helvellyn is the highest on the north-south ridge
situated between the Thirlmere valley to the west, and Patterdale
to the east. This ridge continues north over Helvellyn Lower Man,
White Side, Raise, Stybarrow Dodd, Great Dodd and Clough Head, and
south leads to Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike.
The eastern side of the fell is geographically the most dramatic.
Two sharp arêtes lead off the summit, Striding Edge and Swirral
Edge, either side of Red Tarn. The knife-edged Striding Edge
provides one of the best-known scrambles in Lakeland, while the
Swirral Edge ridge leads to the conical summit of Catstye
Cam.
Nestling between the encircling arms of Helvellyn's two edges, is
Red Tarn. This pool is named for the colour of the surrounding
screes rather than its water, and contains brown trout and schelly,
a fresh-water herring. The depth of Red Tarn is now about 80 feet
(25m), although in the mid-19th century it was dammed with boulders
to increase capacity.[1] This was carried out to provide additional
water to the Greenside lead mine in Glenridding, the water race
still visible as it crosses the slope of Birkhouse Moor.
Helvellyn from Red Tarn
A second tarn once existed in Brown Cove between Swirral Edge and
Lower Man, but this now is reduced to a couple of small pools
widening the stream. Brown Cove Tarn was another creation of the
Greenside mine, a stone-faced dam being built in about 1860. The
dam is still in place, but water now leaks through the base, the
extended tarn-bed a smooth patch of luxuriant turf. A water leat
passing beneath the north face of Catstye Cam to Red Tarn Beck can
still be traced, although it is now in ruins.[1][2] Water from
Brown Cove and Red Tarn unites at the beyond Catstye Cam to form
Glenridding Beck, flowing on through the village to
Ullswater.
The western slopes are relatively shallow, and partially forested,
with many gills leading down to the Thirlmere valley.
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Last Updated: on 1/15/2012 12:17:29 PM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) (8:17 PM GMT)
Rendered From:Unknown
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum
