Helvellyn Range

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Helvellyn from Catstycam

The Helvellyn Range is a part of the Lake District's Eastern Fells, taking its name from Helvellyn, the highest summit of the group. It spreads across both Cumberland and Westmorland, its main ridge, including the sumit of Helvellyn itself, forming the county border.

The Helvellyn range forms a ridge extending for about seven miles, at no point dropping below 1,970 feet. The ridge runs in a north–south direction, with Patterdale on the eastern side and the Thirlmere valley to the west. The village of Threlkeld lies directly to the north, below the northernmost point on the ridge, Clough Head.

Generally, the slopes above Thirlmere are steep and grassy, whilst the Patterdale side exhibits rockier features, due to cirque glaciation on the north east side of the ridge.

List of peaks

The majority of the peaks in the range lie directly on the north–south axis, although there are some outliers on the eastern side of the ridge.

South of Dollywaggon Pike the land drops to a height of 1,883 feet by the side of Grisedale Tarn at the head of Grisedale, before rising again to Seat Sandal. Dollywaggon Pike is usually considered to mark the southernmost peak of the Helvellyn range, although the term is sometimes used more broadly to include Fairfield and the other peaks north of Ambleside.