Helvellyn from Thirlmere
You gain the summit of a 950m Wainwright in well under an hour of climbing, then drop back to the car on grass you can really open up on.
Effort: Shorter distance, serious climb
Underfoot: Some uneven or off-path ground
E4·T2 — how we grade routes
inov8 mudclaws on Helvellyn trig
A real mix of running and walking — expect significant climbing.
A direct 10.7km loop from Swirls car park on Thirlmere to the summit of Helvellyn (950m), with 812m of climb. The shortest honest line to England's third highest fell.
You gain the summit of a 950m Wainwright in well under an hour of climbing, then drop back to the car on grass you can really open up on.
The route
This is the cleanest way up Helvellyn from the west. From Swirls car park on the A591 you cross Helvellyn Gill and climb the steep, rebuilt path up Browncove Crags, gaining height fast with Thirlmere dropping away behind you. The path is engineered and obvious, which makes this 812m of ascent runnable in sections that would be a grind on rougher ground. You top out near Helvellyn Lower Man (925m) before the final pull along the rim to the summit shelter at 950m.
The summit
Helvellyn is the third highest fell in England and a full Wainwright in their own right, sitting in the Eastern Fells. The summit plateau is broad and grassy, with the famous drop off the east face into Red Tarn and the arms of Striding Edge and Swirral Edge below you. On a clear day the view runs from the Scafells round to the Pennines. The trig point sits a short way south of the cross shelter, so touch both before you turn.
Why it works
The return reverses the line of ascent or, better, drops north over Lower Man and down the Whiteside zig-zags back to the gill. Either way it is fast, grassy descending where you can let the legs go. At 10.7km this is the route to bank Helvellyn on a tight schedule or as a first big fell run, and it links naturally into the longer Dodds and St Sunday outings if you want more. Wythburn church, a little south on the A591, gives an alternative start if Swirls is full, climbing steeply through forest to join the same ridge. Keep something back for the descent: the upper path is rocky underfoot and the gradient is unforgiving on tired quads, and in cold months the summit holds snow long after the valley is clear. Time it for a still, clear morning and you can have the third highest fell in England largely to yourself before the main path fills.
The summit plateau is featureless in cloud and the corniced east face drops sheer to Red Tarn, so keep well back from the edge in winter. The upper path is rocky and exposed to weather coming over the top.
Summits on this route
Safety on this route
- No signal? Text 999 — pre-register first: text register to 999
- Tell someone your route and expected return time before you head out
Leave No Trace
- Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories.
- Please respect the countryside and all its inhabitants.
- Dogs on leads near livestock, and around ground-nesting birds from March to July.
- Gates as you find them — open or closed, leave it that way for the farmer and the next runner.
- Take it all home — wrappers, peel, tissue, the lot. It doesn't count as biodegradable if you can still see it.
- Stick to the path where the ground either side is wet, planted, or nesting habitat.
Common questions
Run by us· last checked July 2026
Jason Millward has run this route and written it up from the ground. How we check routes
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Runner reports
Nobody's logged a run here yet. If you get out on it, a few lines about how it went helps the next person plan their day.
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