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How hard is striding edge, swirral edge descent?
I fancy doing it with my son, he is 7. We have walked Pen y fan horseshoe multiple times. Rhyd du up, miners/pyg down, on Snowdon, and Rhyd du up and rangers down.
And Grindsbrook Clough Scramble in Edale.
I know he can do any distance, just wondering how exposed it is up there. Is there a way up and down if we get there and he nopes out on the scramble?
His mum would be terribly upset if I lost him over an edge.
I don't think I've done Swirral, but Striding Edge is absolutely fine, and there is a normal footpath about 10m away.
There's a bit of a scramble after the edge, but I can get up it with a bike on my shoulder so I'd say it'll be no bother for an outdoorsy kid with a bit of assistance on hand.
Nice one, thanks
One minor down climb if heading towards the summit on Striding Edge, easy to supervise a child on it.
This is the only bit of scrambling:
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/7590/27219255581_c58c9660ae.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/7590/27219255581_c58c9660ae.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/HtgNo2 ]Striding Edge, Helvellyn[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
If you stick to the crest the whole way, you can add more short easy scrambling sections in, but for nearly all of it (bar the photo above) there are various paths to one side, which escape everything.
Swirral is the spicier of the two and down climbing he’d need to be confident. Depends on the kid but I’d take an easier route down with my two who are older but probably lazier
Apart from that down climb above, the only issue used to be locating the top of swirrel edge if the summit was in cloud. Probably not an issue these days with modern gps devices/apps
How hard is striding edge
One 7 year olds hard is anothers easy.
It's not really technically hard, but does feel exposed in places for sure which of course makes fairly straightforward things hard.
It's probably a good intro to that sort of thing but yeah, can feel exposed.
You get people along it with dogs and all sorts.
Makes me tense I'm not afraid to admit 😊
Never done it downwards.
If it's a nice clear day then I think I'd be OK taking a confident 7yo along Striding Edge and it sounds like you've done plenty of hill walking.
I think I'd come down via the Dollywagon zigzags and Grisedale Tarn and down the valley. I've only climbed Swirral Edge once and that was in crappy weather, was very scrambly and and not much fun in the murk. Don't think I'd be confident coming down that way.
+1 on Swirral is a more intimidating and more techincal challenge. I personally would go up Swirral and down Striding - and do it all either early or late to avoid the queues, dogs on leads, panicy individuals and generally a feel of Blackpool sea-front...
I think the question isn't so much the difficulty of the moves but the consequences of a mistake.
I'd agree that the " moves" are easy. So much so that describing them as moves seems silly.
But a ridge is much trickier to protect than an up scramble.
I'd not take my kids along it at 7.
( though that's mainly as they are lazy shits and I'd never have got them up there in the first place 🙂 )
Hope you have fun 😀
At that age I roped junior up for anything exposed, I stayed close and could usually react fast enough to hold him if he tripped let alone fell.
I think I would pack a confidence rope. If the exposure gets to them and they start to panic, this might be enough to make them feel safe.
I seem to remember one place where there's a step down near the end of Striding Edge (on the ascent) that could be a bit of a stretch for an 8 year old, just for his size really. No big exposure and you should be able to help him of you go ahead.
I think the question isn’t so much the difficulty of the moves but the consequences of a mistake
This is how I approach these things. I’ve got a 10 year old and a 14 year old. The 14 year old has been up that route with me. I didn’t, and don’t, assess these things based on whether I think the kids are capable, although obviously that does play a part. I base it on how do I think they’ll (and I’ll) handle it if the proverbial hits the fan while we’re up there.
I think I would pack a confidence rope.
And the skills to use it.
I've done it with two sensible 7yr olds. There are others I wouldn't consider it with, but assuming they are predictable, conditions are benign (i.e. little wind and good viz, reasonably dry underfoot as the ridge is fairly polished in places) it's really quite straightforward.
Going up swirral and down striding is my preference - the short downclimb on striding edge (which is stretchy for short legs) becomes a short scramble up and you tend to be passing traffic head on rather than concertina-ing and negotiating groups in a more drawn out way. Sticking to the ridge is generally more pleasant (and likely safer due to less traffic) than the paths either side, and an early start is always best as the walk out is fairly prolonged versus the interesting bits on the ridge.
Another version would go up Grisedale, turning off the path to scramble through the mine remains up to summit of Nethermost Pike and then N to Helvellyn top. There are some interesting bits to explore here and offers a good aspect of Striding Edge, but a lot of steep grass and much less defined route so probably worth a solo explore first.
It's the long trudge up from Glenridding which my 7 old would struggle with I think. I'm intrigued as to how you'd manage that?
I'm not good with heights and the the scramble from Striding Edge definitely feels exposed. Puts the willies up me. Striding Edge itself isn't so bad in good weather but you obviously want to be careful with an energetic 7 year old bouncing about. Coming down on to Swirral Edge freaked me right out. There's a point where you're clinging on to rocks for dear life. Others just jog round it of course, so very much a confidence thing, but there is some real danger to consider too.
It’s the long trudge up from Glenridding which my 7 old would struggle with I think. I’m intrigued as to how you’d manage that?
Sugary bribery and getting them used to walking every weekend, to school daily, bike rides etc so that they are fit and used to moving for a few hours at a time.
Friend of mine did it last week with her 7 yr old daughter. Experienced climbers and know what they are doing. From the pictures it looked more akin to a walk to the shops tbh. Amazing little girl.
katyemmaf on insta if you want a deek
I think I would pack a confidence rope.
And the skills to use it
The first of which is to not to buy a " confidence rope" for a ridge traverse but buy a proper fall rated dynamic climbing rope of the same length and diameter instead.
Thanks all. Lots of great information there.
Decided to go climbing in the peak district this weekend instead, but will get round to Helvellyn on another good day this year I hope
I’ve seen plenty of photos of the Edge, and video as well, including that ‘scramble’ in the photo above by Ben Freeman, and I’m pretty sure I’d find that too terrifying to even think about attempting! I’m not good with heights, especially when they’re exposed like that. 🫣
But then, I’m 69, and all too aware of my own limitations and frailties, a 7 yo often isn’t, and will just go for it, and let’s face it, if they do stumble, they’ll not be having so far to fall before they hit the ground, then they usually bounce!