Amanda, Rhys and James head up Helvellyn in an effort to see whether a stiff climb for tea and an enduro descent for breakfast is a recipe for fun.

WORDS AMANDA

PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES VINCENT

Bikepacking, touring, camping… it’s not a new activity, but it’s becoming increasingly popular. We’re almost positive you’re sick of seeing fully loaded gravel bikes with bearded hipsters behaving like they’re the first to try it. So how about we load up some mountain bikes and go camping? No, that doesn’t sound hard enough. Enduro bikes and bivvy bags up the highest mountain we can get to? Now that sounds more like an adventure.

I’m quite sure we aren’t the first to do this either, but we are possibly the most uneducated group when it comes to bivvying. I do some research and find that I need three items –a camping mat, a sleeping bag, and a bivvy bag. It doesn’t sound like much, but the sun is shining so do we really need much more? James Vincent, a Lake District local and good friend I haven’t seen for far too long, plots an achievable route to Helvellyn summit for the expedition and I head over with my partner Rhys.

Where no Strawb has gone before

Are we prepared? Will the weather hold? Is this a good idea? The thought of a sleep-deprived descent of England’s secondhighest mountain doesn’t fill me with joy, so I choose not to think about it. Resilience? Nah. Ignorance.

Meeting at the van, I offer up various begged, borrowed and gifted lightweight camping solutions to James. As he checks out what fits where, Rhys and I make snack piles to make sure we’ve got enough with us. He’s on cookies, Tangfastics and Clif Bloks. I’ve got Strawbs, Trek bars and four bananas. We figure our bags out surprisingly easily, and run out of reasons not to hit the trails. We’re off! There’s no hesitation from me, which is a relatively new trait. I have spent the past eight months bothering to get bike fit, so I’m eager to show off my hard work to James who has previously attempted to shoot a feature up Helvellyn with me. Let’s just say, we don’t have any photos together from the summit. Not yet, anyway.

Our route from Askham to Helvellyn starts from Heughscar Hill over to Martindale, descending from Hause down to Patterdale. We plan to grab some food around there or Glenridding, and then finally to head up and over Dollywaggon Pike. We warm up on the gentle climb to the top of Askham Fell, which is immediately followed by a fast smooth descent to the lower path that will take us toward Martindale. This first hint of descent is a perfect opportunity to tighten our bar bags and we all point out that the bikes have a bit less pop than usual. Good to get a feel for that on a tame open hillside.

James Vincent route plotting inevitability

Howtown Do You Do, Nice To Meet You

Riding from here along to Howtown is a tame introduction to classic Lakes terrain. Rocky, loose, undulating, and littered with walkers. It’s a great trail, and the walkers out enjoying the sun are grateful for our polite approach to riding. We’re stopping to take photos and chat about the weekend ahead.