Helvellyn Range and St Sunday Crag from Glenridding
Seven summits of the Eastern Fells in one continuous high-level horseshoe, finishing over St Sunday Crag with Ullswater filling the view ahead.
Mostly runnable, with some steep sections you'll likely walk.
A big 20.6km horseshoe from Glenridding over Raise, White Side, Helvellyn (950m), Nethermost and Dollywaggon Pike, returning over St Sunday Crag, with 1,300m of climb on a high ridge.
Seven summits of the Eastern Fells in one continuous high-level horseshoe, finishing over St Sunday Crag with Ullswater filling the view ahead.
The route
This is the full Helvellyn range as a horseshoe from Glenridding. You climb out past the old Greenside mine onto Raise (883m), then run the broad ridge south over White Side (863m), Helvellyn Lower Man (925m) and the main summit of Helvellyn at 950m. The line continues over Nethermost Pike (891m) and Dollywaggon Pike (858m) before swinging east and dropping to Grisedale Tarn, then climbing again over the rocky crest of St Sunday Crag (841m) for the long descent back to Patterdale and Glenridding. At 20.6km this is a proper mountain day with serious ridge mileage above 800m.
The Wainwrights
Every top on this round is a Wainwright of the Eastern Fells: Raise, White Side, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike and St Sunday Crag, with Helvellyn Lower Man as a subsidiary top of the parent fell. St Sunday Crag is the quiet star, a steep-sided fell that Wainwright rated among the finest viewpoints for Ullswater. The high ridge between Raise and Dollywaggon is fast, grassy running on good paths, which is what makes a seven-top day realistic in a single push.
Why it works
The horseshoe shape means you are rarely retracing, and the sting is in the tail: the pull onto St Sunday after Grisedale Tarn comes when the legs are already loaded. Save fuel for it. In cloud the plateau between Lower Man and Dollywaggon is featureless and the edges drop away east, so carry map and compass and know your exits. The Greenside path also gives an easy early bail back to Glenridding if the weather closes in before Helvellyn. Get a clear day and this is one of the great runnable ridge lines in the Lakes, with Ullswater, Striding Edge and the Fairfield group all in view as you go. It pairs naturally with a Bob Graham recce, since the central section shares ground with Leg 2 of the round.
The high ridge is exposed and featureless in cloud, with steep cornice-prone drops off Helvellyn's east face. The climb to St Sunday Crag is steep and remote, and Grisedale Tarn marks the point of no easy escape.
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
About the author
Runner reports
Ran this route? Rate it, share conditions, log your time — helps other runners plan their day.
No runner feedback yet
Be the first to run this and report back — ratings appear once a few runners have shared their experience.
No runs logged yet — be the first.
More routes in Lake District
EXPERT
HARD
VERY HARD