View of Thirlmere Reservoir – Helvellyn Summit loop from Wythburn Church

Running trails & routes

St John'S Castlerigg And Wythburn

View of Thirlmere Reservoir – Helvellyn Summit loop from Wythburn Church

Hard

5.0

(1)

runners

View of Thirlmere Reservoir – Helvellyn Summit loop from Wythburn Church

02:07

11.5km

840m

Running

Hard run. Very good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 7, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Lake District National Park

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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52 m

Thirlmere Pay and Display Car Park

Highlight • Parking

The paiment machine has been broken for ages, locals said no o e get a ticket ever here.

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1.52 km

Waterfall Near Thirlmere, Lake District National Park

Highlight • Viewpoint

2.85 km

Forest Path in Lake District National Park

Highlight • Trail

Here's a path not shown on Komoot but it's currently closed (18/2/19)

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7.44 km

Up there with Britain’s best-loved mountains, Helvellyn is home to a horseshoe ridge of legendary quality. First comes Striding Edge, a knife-edge arête with a tantalisingly-good tightrope path edging along the crest, before bagging the summit and completing your high-level loop of Red Tarn via the rocky staircase of Swirral Edge.

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7.57 km

Helvellyn First Airplane Landing Plaque

Highlight • Summit

The inscription on the stone reads:

'THE FIRST AEROPLANE TO LAND ON A MOUNTAIN IN GREAT BRITAIN DID SO ON THIS SPOT ON DECEMBER 22ND 1926 JOHN LEEMING AND BERT HINKLER IN AN AVRO 585 GOSPORT LANDED HERE AND AFTER A SHORT STAY FLEW BACK TO WOODFORD'

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8.15 km

Comb Crags Descent to Thirlmere

Highlight (Segment) • Summit

The descent from Helvellyn to Thirlmere via Comb Crags isn't the most technical one from the mountain, but it still has plenty of challenges. It's steep in places, with substantial switchbacks. If you tackle it in the winter... actually, probably best that you don't. It doesn't get much sun, and the path is likely to be extremely icy!

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